Ray Donovan

:

Season 1
  • Network: SHOWTIME
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 30, 2013
Season #: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 240 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 192 out of 240
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 240
  3. Negative: 25 out of 240
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User Reviews

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  1. shellview
    Jul 31, 2013
    1
    Have I missed something? I find "Ray Donovan" a big disappointment. The writing is beyond terrible. The show feels like a bunch of writers who each write a scene and then are thrown together in a hodge podge that makes no sense. The acting is so bad I find myself laughing during scenes that are suppose to be serious. When Gould's character sees the "Golem'" Voight runs off like aHave I missed something? I find "Ray Donovan" a big disappointment. The writing is beyond terrible. The show feels like a bunch of writers who each write a scene and then are thrown together in a hodge podge that makes no sense. The acting is so bad I find myself laughing during scenes that are suppose to be serious. When Gould's character sees the "Golem'" Voight runs off like a little girl...are you kidding me? Just one of many silly scenes. At least if there was one likeable character I could stay with this dreck, but there isn't. The kids are spoiled brats, Ray is just a dog sniffing after everything, Gould's character and the lawyer are so stereotypical as to be offensive......Beyond all this is the pandering. Voight instructs his grandson on oral sex, Ray dreams his father is screwing his wife, Ray's wife displays her thong that she just bought to the delight of her father-in-law and more, all unnecessary pandering. I could go on about why this show stinks but I don't want to give this show anymore of my time. One star for the nice homes and apartments but I guess I could see that on HGTV.… Expand
  2. Lucretiagooch
    Jul 9, 2013
    1
    I am so disappointed with this show. I thought they would at least give us a guy who would not fall under the sex spell of a teenager. He is as low as the people he tries to clean up after. This show is disgusting. If this is what "Hollywood" is about, I will continue to watch less and less. He is such a good actor, but not much of a decent human being if he can justify this character.
  3. AxeT
    Feb 25, 2015
    2
    This tired, derivative, same old same old clone with a new twist on a done to death genre could have been good if it wasn't so phony and downright sleazy. Making it so much worse is the cast of absolutely abhorrent scumbag freak show characters. Start with the ugly, sailor mouth, sickeningly overblown Boston accented red head wife. What an annoying shrill shrieking shrew! They cast aThis tired, derivative, same old same old clone with a new twist on a done to death genre could have been good if it wasn't so phony and downright sleazy. Making it so much worse is the cast of absolutely abhorrent scumbag freak show characters. Start with the ugly, sailor mouth, sickeningly overblown Boston accented red head wife. What an annoying shrill shrieking shrew! They cast a deformity as the daughter. Then you have the hideous fat dyke for a mistress to the gym owner brother cast by a dwarf out of something like "Lord of the Rings". Of course there's the token profane beyond real(even in Hollywood they aren't quite this over-the-top, except for maybe cable TV execs) shouting balding elfin Jew lawyer/agent? who is the little rabid dog that's all bark and no bite. And then the two miserable leads... An Eastern Euro descended chipmunk who is a good actor but has no charisma. He plays tough sure with the unshaven look and no nonsense disposition and he is a big guy. That's all it takes these days? Remember somebody like Steve McQueen?
    Worst of all is the disgrace of a solid veteran like Jon Voight playing not only a reprehensible evil mobster, sure I can see why he'd take that role, but a filthy perverted heinous freak of one? It's twisted beyond any measure of suspension of disbelief! Maybe he's not aware of what a goofy not very scary clown he's playing? If this is what an actor of stature has to do to regain notoriety and a paycheck then it's no better than flat out prostitution (which actually most all actors are fully game for sadly and they continually prove it). For that matter Eliot Gould should have remained in semi-retirement. Now he has this hideous blemish to haunt him.
    Most of all, the scumbag Showtime execs behind this filth should be held accountable for the debasing of society. Guess what cable whores? People, including hot young actresses, generally do not use the phraseology "F--- me", "I want to taste you…" etc. constantly. Even in Hollywood there is some discretion at times. In this sordid show every character uses this kind of language all the time. It's a sick false way of life as depicted.
    No, it's only the dweeb druggie sex obsessed writers, producers and execs of these kind of shows that think people talk and act this way. You see they don't get it in their real lives, so they openly fantasize about it here which sadly does in turn have a debased effect on the culture. They aren't stupid though, they know that human nature is such that curiosity gets the best of us and we watch. Sex and violence sells. It doesn't take more than the barrel of monkeys making this **** to pull that off. I'm done after six episodes not only because of all this rant on depravity. No it's mostly because the show is phony poorly written trash.
    It's light years from "Breaking Bad" or "Goodfellas" or even "Michael Clayton" which it tries to rip off.    … Expand
  4. vnyc123
    Jul 2, 2013
    1
    Liev is such a scenery chewer. The show might be ok if it's allowed to develop, but anyone who is so in love with himself like Liev is can never carry a show.
  5. sombrassolidas
    Mar 20, 2014
    1
    como se dice falta de investigacion y falta de creatividad aaaaaaaaaaaaaa Ray donovan y true detective gente que jamaz leyo ni una carilla ni vio una serie ni investigo psicologia una mierda de serie
  6. mcmitch57
    Jul 13, 2014
    2
    I would rather have watched a Lifetime movie. Seriously this is corny, unbelievable and unbelievably silly. That's all good, but now when it's pretending to something more.
  7. dalerb
    Sep 28, 2015
    3
    I honestly don't get the good reviews this show has received from otherwise intelligent reviewers. It is an utterly unbelievable noir fairytale full of ugly characters sporting disgusting character traits. To begin with, our "hero" Ray (everyone calls him Ray) is nothing but a thug, yet he's more in demand than Steve Jobs at a technology conference. He's new to LA, but seems to constantlyI honestly don't get the good reviews this show has received from otherwise intelligent reviewers. It is an utterly unbelievable noir fairytale full of ugly characters sporting disgusting character traits. To begin with, our "hero" Ray (everyone calls him Ray) is nothing but a thug, yet he's more in demand than Steve Jobs at a technology conference. He's new to LA, but seems to constantly run into people that he knows, and they are all positively slobbering over him, "Hey Ray!", Hows it going Ray?" "How ya been Ray?" They also all seem to be in his debt somehow, for something he "fixed" for them at some point in the dim past. As a sign of his machismo of course, "Ray" treats them all with thinly disguised contempt, which they never seem to notice. Rich guys can't get enough of his enormous talents, "talents" which in the real world would have him dead or in jail in about a week. Get the picture? This guy is a comic book superhero without any super powers. His weaselly family, all with South Boston accents, are nevertheless in LA as well, and believe me you don't want to know any of them. Top this off by an appearance this season of Katie Holmes, having apparently just escaped from Tom Cruise's dungeon, wearing braces and looking AT LEAST ten years older than she is. Yuk…this show caused me to cancel my Showtime subscription, even though I'm going to miss Homeland.… Expand
  8. sansmotorcycle
    Feb 4, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Couldn't get past season 1. I was willing to overlook some of the far fetched narratives, but they went a bridge too far. I am to believe that a professional thug is willing to abandon his wife and lifelong associates for a woman who is writing an article that will land him in jail and he has only had sex with on maybe 3 occasions. Good grief!… Expand

Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best TV Season of 2013
36
#36 Most Discussed TV Season of 2013
30
#30 Most Shared TV Season of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 36
  3. Negative: 1 out of 36
  1. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Vicki Hyman
    Feb 13, 2014
    91
    The show, stylishly shot and strongly written, throws a lot at the wall in the premiere.
    Read full review
  2. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Emily Nussbaum
    Jul 1, 2013
    40
    The series exists within its own ugly system, mining the by now tired convention of the thoughtful thug--the same idea that was so brilliantly subverted by more ambitious series, such as “The Sopranos” and “Breaking Bad.”
    Read full review
  3. Zap2it (Inside the Box)
    Reviewed by: Geoff Berkshire
    Jul 1, 2013
    50
    There's something both frustrating and fascinating about the way Showtime's classy but surprisingly dull new drama Ray Donovan aspires to greatness.
    Read full review
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