''Ray Donovan'' is an American

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

television series created by

Ann Biderman Ann Biderman (born August 15, 1951) is an American film and television writer. She is the creator and executive producer of the NBC/TNT series ''Southland'' (2009–2013), and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in ...

for

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

. 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. In February 2020, the series was cancelled after seven seasons. The show's storyline concluded with the feature-length '' Ray Donovan: The Movie'', which premiered on January 14, 2022, on Showtime. The drama, starring Liev Schreiber in the title role, is set primarily in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

(during seasons 1–5) and in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

(during seasons 6–7). The main character, Ray Donovan, is a professional " fixer" who arranges 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 encounters problems when his menacing father, Mickey Donovan (

Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. He came to prominence in the late 1960s with his Academy Award–nominated performance as Joe Buck, a would-be gigolo, in ''Midnight Cowboy'' (1969). During the 1970s, he ...

), is unexpectedly released from prison. The FBI attempts to bring down Mickey and his associates, and Donovan struggles to escape the undertow.

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 Edward Maurice Charles Marsan (born 9 June 1968) is an English actor. He won the London Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film '' Happy-Go-Lucky'' (2008). He has featured ...

as Terrence "Terry" Donovan, Ray's older brother. He is a former boxer, and suffers from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. * Dash Mihok as Brendan "Bunchy" Donovan, Ray's younger brother. He identifies as a sexual anorexic. * Pooch Hall as Daryll Donovan, Ray's younger half-brother (son of Mickey and Claudette) * Steven Bauer as Avi Rudin, Ray's right-hand man, a former IDF soldier and ex–

Mossad Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...

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) *

as Michael "Mickey" Donovan, Ray's father *

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...

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

Elliott Gould Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s. Elliott's breakthrough role was in the '' Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination ...

as Ezra Goldman (seasons 1–3) * Peter Jacobson as Lee Drexler (seasons 1–3) * Denise Crosby as Debra "Deb" Goldman (seasons 1–5) * William Stanford Davis as Potato Pie (seasons 1–5) * Ambyr Childers as Ashley Rucker (seasons 1–2, 4) * Josh Pais as Stuart "Stu" Feldman (seasons 1–2, 4, 6–7) * Sheryl Lee Ralph as Claudette (seasons 1–2, 7) * Paul Michael Glaser as Alan (seasons 1–2, 7) * Austin Nichols as Thomas "Tommy" Wheeler (seasons 1–4, 7) * Brooke Smith as Frances Simpson (seasons 1–3) * Michael McGrady as Frank Barnes (seasons 1–5) *

Craig Ricci Shaynak Craig Ricci Shaynak (born July 14, 1969), sometimes credited as Craig Shaynak, is an American character actor. He has been active in Chicago and Los Angeles theater as well as national television and film. Life and career Shaynak was born in Nort ...

as Kenneth "Tiny" Benson (seasons 1–2) * Octavius J. Johnson as Marvin Gaye Washington (seasons 1–2) * Frank Whaley as FBI Agent Van Miller (season 1) * Johnathon Schaech as Sean Walker (season 1) * James Woods as Patrick "Sully" Sullivan (season 1) *

Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film ''The Executioner's Song'' (1982), and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the ...

as Linda (season 1–2) * Kwame Patterson as Re-Kon (seasons 1–2) *

Mo McRae Mo McRae (born July 4, 1982) is an American actor, writer and producer, best known for his recurring role as Tyler in the FX series ''Sons of Anarchy'' as well as Leon Hayes in the 2006 film ''Gridiron Gang''. He starred in Fox's '' Pitch''. R ...

as Deonte Frasier (seasons 1–2) * Jay Thomas as Marty Grossman (seasons 1–3, 5) * Hank Azaria as Ed Cochran (seasons 2–4) * Sherilyn Fenn as Donna Cochran (season 2) *

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), '' State Fair'' (1962), ' ...

as June Wilson (season 2) *

Kip Pardue Kevin Ian "Kip" Pardue (born September 23, 1975) is an American actor and model, who became known for his roles in the films '' Remember the Titans'', '' But I'm a Cheerleader'', '' The Rules of Attraction'' and '' Thirteen''. Early life and e ...

as FBI Agent Thomas Volcheck (season 2) * Andrea Bogart as Megan Volchek (season 2) *

Wendell Pierce Wendell Edward Pierce (born December 8, 1963) is an American actor and businessman. Having trained at Juilliard School, Pierce rose to prominence as a character actor portraying roles both on the stage and screen. He first gained notoriety port ...

as Ronald Keith (seasons 2–3) * Crispin Alapag as Pablo Ramirez (season 2) * Vinessa Shaw as Kate McPherson (season 2) * Jeryl Prescott as Cherry (season 2) * Omar Dorsey as Cookie Brown (season 2) *

Jamie Donnelly Jamie Donnelly is an American actress known for her portrayal of Jan in the musical, and later film, '' Grease,'' along with Magenta in '' The Rocky Horror Show'' during its run in the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. Biography Donnelly was born i ...

as Peggy Shaugnessy (season 2) * Eion Bailey as Steve Knight (season 2) * Brian Geraghty as Detective Jim Halloran (season 2) * Steph DuVall as Shorty (season 2) * Heather McComb as Patty (season 2) * Jayne Taini as Harriet Greenberg (seasons 2–5) *

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series '' Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in ''Deadwood'' (20 ...

as Andrew Finney (season 3) *

Katie Holmes Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series '' Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003). Holmes made her feature film debut in 1997 with a supporting role in Ang Le ...

as Paige Finney (season 3) * Guy Burnet as Casey Finney (season 3) * Jason Butler Harner as Varick Strauss (season 3) * Leland Orser as Father Romero (seasons 3–4) *

Michael Hyatt Charlene "Michael" Hyatt is a British-born American actress. Before her work in film and television, she performed on stages throughout the United States, particularly in '' Ragtime'' on Broadway. She has played Brianna Barksdale on '' The Wir ...

as Detective Sheila Muncie (seasons 3–4) * Christy Williams as Michelle (season 3) * Nick Kent as Davros Minassian (season 3) * Ken Davitian as Vartan Minassian (season 3) * Grace Zabriskie as Mrs. Minassian (season 3) * Shree Crooks as Audrey (season 3) * Aaron Staton as Greg Donellen (seasons 3–4) * Alyssa Diaz as Teresa (seasons 3–6) * Lulu Brud as Lauren (seasons 3 and 6) * Fairuza Balk as Ginger (season 3) * Bronson Pinchot as Flip Brightman (season 3) *

Embeth Davidtz Embeth Jean Davidtz (born August 11, 1965) is an American-South African actress. Her screen roles include movies such as ''Army of Darkness'', ''Schindler's List, '' ''Matilda'', ''Mansfield Park'', ''Bicentennial Man'', ''Fallen,'' '' Junebug,' ...

as Sonia Kovitzky (season 4) *

Richard Brake Richard Colin Brake (born 30 November 1964) is a Welsh-American character actor, known for his supporting roles as Joe Chill in '' Batman Begins'' (2005), Doom-Head in '' 31'' (2016), and the chemist in '' Mandy'' (2018), as well as his lead ro ...

as Vlad (season 4) *

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fiction ...

as The Texan (season 4) * Pasha D. Lychnikoff as Ivan Belikov (season 4) * Ismael Cruz Córdova as Hector Campos (season 4) *

Lisa Bonet Lilakoi Moon (born Lisa Michelle Bonet; November 16, 1967), known professionally as Lisa Bonet (), is an American actress. She is known for playing Denise Huxtable on the sitcom '' The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992), for which she earned widespread ...

as Marisol Campos (season 4) * Dominique Columbus as Damon Bradley (seasons 4–5) * Tom Wright as Punch Hoffman (seasons 4–5) * Derek Webster as Jackson Holt (seasons 4–5) * Tara Buck as Maureen Dougherty Donovan (seasons 4–5) * Raymond J. Barry as Dmitri Sokolov (season 4) *

Ted Levine Frank Theodore Levine (born May 29, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Buffalo Bill in the film '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991) and Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series ''Monk'' (2002–2009). Le ...

as Little Bill Primm (season 4) * Gabriel Mann as Jacob Waller (season 4) * Paula Jai Parker as Sylvie Starr (season 4) * C. Thomas Howell as Dr. Brogan (seasons 5–6) * Donald Faison as Antoine A'Shawn Anderson (seasons 5–6) * Rhys Coiro as Rob Heard (season 5) * Lili Simmons as Natalie James (season 5) * Michel Gill as Doug Landry (season 5) * Brian J. White as Jay White (seasons 5–6) *

Kim Raver Kimberly Jayne Raver (born March 15, 1969) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for television roles as Dr. Teddy Altman on ABC's medical drama '' Grey's Anatomy'', Kim Zambrano on '' Third Watch'', and Audrey Raines on '' 2 ...

as Dr. Bergstein (season 5) * James Keach as Tom (season 5) * Jordan Mahome as Damon's father (season 5) *

Adina Porter Adina Elizabeth Porter is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Lettie Mae Thornton on the HBO fantasy horror series ''True Blood'' (2008–2014), Kendra James on the HBO drama series '' The Newsroom'' (2012–2014), and Indra ...

as Vicki Delgatti (season 5) * Ryan Dorsey as Duquesne "Dime Bag" Baker (season 5) *

Keir O'Donnell Keir O'Donnell is an Australian–American actor, best known for his roles in the films '' Wedding Crashers'', '' The Break-Up'', '' Paul Blart: Mall Cop'' and '' American Sniper'' as well as numerous television appearances. Early life O'Donn ...

as George Winslow (seasons 5–6) * Jake Busey as Acid Man/Chef Dave (season 5) * Billy Miller as Todd Dougherty (season 5) * Ryan Radis as Beckett (season 5) * Domenick Lombardozzi as NYPD Sgt. Sean "Mac" McGrath (season 6) * Gerard Cordero as Big Al (season 6) * Kate Arrington as Amber McGrath (seasons 6–7) * Tony Curran as NYPD Lt. Mikey "Rad" Radulovic (season 6) * Lola Glaudini as Anita Novak (season 6) *

Jacob Ming-Trent Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Jacob in Islam, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel (name), Israel, is regarded as a Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religi ...

as Big Easy (season 6) * Alexandra Turshen as Justine Smith (season 6) * Sandy Martin as Sandy Donovan (seasons 6–7) *

Zach Grenier Zach Grenier is an American character actor of film, television and stage. He is best known for his roles in films such as '' Fight Club'', ''Tommy Boy'', and '' Twister'' and for his roles in television such as David Lee in '' The Good Wife'' a ...

as Mayor Ed Feratti (seasons 6–7) *

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...

as Dr. Arthur Amiot (seasons 6–7) * Chris Tardio as Danny Bianchi (season 6–7) * Quincy Tyler Bernstine as Detective Perry (season 7) * Louisa Krause as Liberty Larson (season 7) * Michael Esper as Adam Rain (season 7) *

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...

as Kevin Sullivan (season 7) * Kerry Condon as Molly Sullivan (season 7) * Clay Hollander as Johnathan Walker Hanson (season 7) * Keren Dukes as Jasmine (season 7) * Peter Gerety as James Sullivan (season 7) *

Kevin Corrigan Kevin Corrigan (born ) is an American character actor. He has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s, including as Uncle Eddie on the sitcom '' Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005). His film appearances include suppo ...

as Declan Sullivan (season 7)

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 Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

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

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 film after fans' outrage. The two-hour format gave them an ability "to work in very cinematic language". Beside the original cast returning,

Chris Petrovski Chris Petrovski is an American actor born in Bitola, Macedonia, known for his role as Dmitri Petrov on the television series '' Madam Secretary''. Life and career Petrovski's parents brought him to New Zealand while he was still a baby. While sti ...

, AJ Michalka, David Patrick Kelly and Chris Gray had joined the film. On November 22, the official trailer and poster for the film, titled '' Ray Donovan: The Movie'' were released, with a premiere date of January 14, 2022 and tagline "You can't outrun your legacy".

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 season released 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 season came out on April 9, 2019, and the seventh season on May 5, 2020.

Indian remake

In 2021,

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

India announced that it will broadcast a remake of the series, titled ''

Rana Naidu ''Rana Naidu'' is a 2023 Indian Hindi language action crime drama streaming television series on Netflix created and directed by Karan Anshuman and Suparn Verma. Produced by Sunder Aaron under the banner Locomotive Global Inc., it is the of ...

'' with starring

Rana Daggubati Ramanaidu "Rana" Daggubati (; born 14 December 1984) is an Indian actor and producer known primarily for his work in Telugu language films, in addition to Hindi and Tamil languages. Rana is described as one of the few actors in India who were ...

and his uncle Venkatesh. The series will be produced by Locomotive Global and the format rights are licensed by

ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group Paramount Global Distribution Group or Paramount Global Content Distribution is the international television distribution arm of American media conglomerate, Paramount Global, originally established in 1962 as the international distribution divis ...

(now Paramount Global Content Licensing), with Karan Anshuman as showrunner and director and Suparn Verma as co-director.

Reception

''Ray Donovan'' has received positive reviews from critics.

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

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 Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

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 ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'', said that "''Showtime'' has another gem on their hands" and the casting of Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight was "gold".

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * *
Ray Donovan
at

{{Showtime Network programming 2013 American television series debuts 2020 American television series endings 2010s American crime drama television series 2010s American legal television series 2020s American crime drama television series 2020s American legal television series English-language television shows Lesbian-related television shows Neo-noir television series Serial drama television series Showtime (TV network) original programming Television shows adapted into films Television shows set in Los Angeles Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows set in New York City Television shows filmed in New York City Television series by CBS Studios Television series created by Ann Biderman Television series about organized crime Television series about show business Television series about families Police corruption in fiction