Ray Donovan

Ray Donovan is an American television crime drama series created by Ann Biderman for Showtime. The twelve-episode first season premiered on June 30, 2013. The pilot episode broke viewership records, becoming the biggest premiere of all time on Showtime. On February 4, 2020, Showtime cancelled the series after seven seasons, though on February 24, 2021, the network announced a feature-length film to conclude the storyline, to premiere in 2022.

The drama is set primarily in Los Angeles, California (during seasons 1–5) and primarily in New York City, New York (during seasons 6–7). The main character, Ray Donovan, is a professional “fixer” arranging bribes, payoffs, threats, crime-scene clean-up, and other illegal activities to protect his (usually) celebrity clients. Good at his job, he is also normally devoted to his children and brothers, but has a complicated relationship with his wife. He experiences problems when his menacing father, Mickey Donovan (Jon Voight), is unexpectedly released from prison, as the FBI attempts to bring him and his associates down.

Episodes

Cast and characters

Main

• Liev Schreiber as Raymond “Ray” Donovan
• Paula Malcomson as Abigail “Abby” Donovan, Ray’s wife (seasons 1–5)
• Eddie Marsan as Terrence “Terry” Donovan, Ray’s older brother. A former boxer who has Parkinson’s disease
• Dash Mihok as Brendan “Bunchy” Donovan, Ray’s younger brother. Identifies himself as a sexual anorexic
• Pooch Hall as Daryll Donovan, Ray’s younger biracial half-brother (via Mickey and Claudette). A professional boxer, trained by Terry, he also drives limos
• Steven Bauer as Avi Rudin, Ray’s right-hand man. Former IDF soldier and ex–Mossad agent (seasons 1–5)
• Katherine Moennig as Lena Burnham, Ray’s investigative assistant
• Kerris Dorsey as Bridget Donovan, Ray’s daughter
• Devon Bagby as Conor Donovan, Ray’s son (seasons 1–6)
• Jon Voight as Michael “Mickey” Donovan, Ray’s father
• Susan Sarandon as Samantha “Sam” Winslow, Ray’s new boss (recurring season 5; season 6)
• Graham Rogers as Jacob “Smitty” Smith, Bridget’s boyfriend turned husband. (recurring season 5; seasons 6–7).

Recurring

Cancellation and feature-length film

On February 4, 2020, Showtime cancelled the series after seven seasons.

The series was cancelled without any advance warning, leaving fans and showrunner, David Hollander, in shock. Season 8 was supposed to have been the final season, and Hollander already had a plan in place creatively for the story.

A week later, Liev Schreiber wrote on his Instagram account that due to fans’ support and activity in media, there was a possibility for Ray Donovan to return. The decision to cancel the series was reportedly for political reasons amid the recent merger between CBS, which owns Showtime, and Viacom, which “did not recognize the power of the fan base and social media”. On August 19, Schreiber commented on his Instagram that “an RD finale/movie” was being written.

On February 24, 2021, Showtime announced a feature-length film to conclude the storyline, to premiere in 2022, with David Hollander directing it and co-writing with Schreiber. The network brought them the idea of a movie after fans’ outrage. With a film’s larger budget, they’ll be “able to work in very cinematic language”.

Home media

The first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 10, 2014. The second season was released on both media on May 26, 2015 and the third one on December 29, 2015. Further seasons were released only on DVD. The fourth season saw a release on December 27, 2016, the fifth season on January 30, 2018, the sixth one came out on April 9, 2019, and the seventh season on May 5, 2020.

Reception

Ray Donovan has received positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the first season a rating of 77% based on reviews from 43 critics, with the site’s consensus stating: “Ray Donovan moves quickly between genres and tones, with Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight’s performances making the whiplash worth it”. Metacritic gives the first season a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating “generally positive reviews”.

Tim Goodman, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, said that “Showtime has another gem on their hands” and the casting of Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight was “gold”.

Awards and nominations