Liev Schreiber
Paula Malcomson
Jon Voight
Eddie Marsan
Dash Mihok
Pooch Hall
Steven Bauer
Katherine Moennig

Created by:
Ann Biderman

2013-
Crime, Drama
Showtime
TV-MA

“Ray Donovan” cuts to the chase, just like its title character. This leads to a bit of humor at times (Jon Voight’s perfectly colorful anti-father figure is responsible for a lot of it) and to well-paced beat changes. It helps to build and sustain tension throughout the show, as well. The acting is strong, and the writing is clear. My one minor gripe is the first season’s inclusion of a hip-hop story line. It doesn’t work in this context. They handle it with a comedic touch, which makes it unbelievable. It seems forced and generic; I don’t buy it. It stands out as too broad in a show that’s, otherwise, precise. Plus, it relies largely on the teenaged characters; they don’t need that kind of focus.

Contrastingly, the boxing gym scenes have the ring of authenticity; those scenes rely on the adult male characters. That’s no surprise, because “Ray Donovan” is at its best when it’s focused on the adults; and that is its focus, for the most part.

However, once again, we have the Meddling Wife. And this meddling wife is extremely annoying, even more annoying than most. She’s up there with Skylar White from “Breaking Bad” and Carmela Soprano from “The Sopranos.” But she has less to complain about than those other wives. Get her (the character, not the actress) outta here. …

The first episode of the second season of “Ray Donovan” jumps right back into action with excellent writing, acting, and pacing. I hope that this season will be even better than this show’s very solid first season. If it continues in the direction of its first episode, then that will happen. “Ray Donovan” has been, reliably, very good so far. …

After a strong start to the second season, “Ray Donovan” loses a bit of its momentum. This is largely due to the plot’s shift away from Ray doing his job to Ray managing all of the people in his life. In the first season, he did both; but, now, he’s just a manager. This is understandable plot-wise, but slightly annoying to watch. While “Ray Donovan” is still good, it has gone away from its most interesting moments. I need more of the brothers, more of Ezra (played by Elliott Gould), more of Ray’s clients, and less of the wife and kids … if you don’t mind.

Verdict: Good to Very Good

About: (Source: raydonovan)

Set in the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, RAY DONOVAN does the dirty work for LA’s top power players. The new one-hour series stars Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award nominee Liev Schreiber in his first lead television role as the go-to guy who makes the problems of the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls disappear. This powerful drama unfolds when his father, played by Oscar® winner Jon Voight, is unexpectedly released from prison, setting off a chain of events that shakes the Donovan family to its core.