Austin Nichols | Ray Donovan

• Genre: Crime drama, Family drama, Psychological drama, Neo-noir
• Created by: Ann Biderman
• Starring: Liev Schreiber, Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Dash Mihok, Steven Bauer, Katherine Moennig, Pooch Hall, Kerris Dorsey, Devon Bagby, Jon Voight, Susan Sarandon, Graham Rogers
• Composer: Marcelo Zarvos
• No. of seasons: 7
• No. of episodes: 82
• Executive producers: Bryan Zuriff, Mark Gordon, Ann Biderman, David Hollander, Lou Fusaro
• Producer: Allen Coulter
• Production locations: Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York
• Running time: 45–60 minutes
• Production companies: The Mark Gordon Company, Bider Sweet Productions, David Hollander Productions, Showtime Networks
• Network: Showtime
• Release: June 30, 2013 – January 19, 2020

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

"The Bag or the Bat"

Ray Donovan fixes problems for a powerful Los Angeles law firm. Originally from South Boston, he now lives in the affluent city of Calabasas, California. While dealing with his troubled family, including his wife Abby, daughter Bridget and son Conor, he learns of the return of his father, Mickey, released early from prison on parole. Before meeting up with his family, however, Mickey decides to go take care of the priest that abused his son, Ray's brother. On the client side: One of Ray’s clients wakes up next to a dead woman. They never had sex and he didn’t kill her; she died from a drug overdose. That same morning, another one of his clients, actor Tommy Wheeler with a movie about to be released, calls him to tell him that he’s being blackmailed with a sex video. So Ray realizes he can kill two birds with one stone.

"A Mouth Is a Mouth"

Ray hates his father Mickey for his past transgressions and tries to send him back to prison. Angry with Ray, Abby allows their kids to spend the day with Mickey, and they fall in love with their naughty grandfather. Ray handles two crises involving movie star clients: A-list actor Sean Walker receives a threatening message and a home invasion, while action hero Tommy Wheeler is blackmailed with a video of his sexual exploits with a trans woman. Ray wires himself up and talks to the blackmailer about what she wants exactly; then he goes to her home and dramatically ends her plans. But then, soon after, in an act of compassion, he has delivered to her enough money (gotten from his lawyer) for the operation she craves - surreptitiously keeping a stash for himself of course.

"Road Trip"

Accepting Ray's offer to kill Mickey, Sully travels to Los Angeles, but the journey does not go as planned, forcing Avi to step in. Asked by Conor to attend an award show with Tommy Wheeler, Ray must first obtain a series of incriminating photographs of the actor; Miller steps up his efforts in his investigation.

"Uber Ray"

Having difficulty in controlling Mickey upon returning him to LA, Ray bribes corrupt parole officer Ronald Keith to keep an eye on his father. As Ed Cochran holds a press conference declaring the FBI caught Sully, Boston Globe reporter Kate McPherson launches her own investigation on what happened at the docks.

"Gem and Loan"

Desperate to get Bridget into the prestigious Bel-Air Academy, Ray is forced to do an unusual favor for old rival Stu Feldman, which involves a married couple; Mickey's attempts to see his old lover are thwarted by Keith; Kate arrives at Terry's Fight Club looking for answers; Abby's therapist tries to convince her that Ray is bribing her. Marvin reenters Bridget's life.

"Walk This Way"

Conor requests that the Donovan family come together for his birthday, which Ray and Abby have forgotten; Ashley's stalker returns; Mickey's gift angers Daryl and strains his relationship with Claudette; An awkward incident leaves Bunchy confused; Terry learns an awful secret about his gym.

"Breakfast of Champions"

Abby visits her family in Boston and fights with her sister. Bridget has a bad day at school and tries to get her teacher on-side. Conor skips school and borrows Abby’s car. Mickey tries to patch things up with Terry. Ray spends the day at Finney’s Imperial Studios. He shepherds Casey around as required and helps Paige overcome some personnel issues so that she can best portray the studio to a potential buyer. Finney tells Ray that he works only for him and suggests things will get ugly. Paige calls Ray asking to meet. Ray declines, stating that he works only for her father. Ray gets a frosty reception from Bridget but stays at the family home in Abby’s absence.

"Norman Saves the World"

Ray works with Cochran to try and get Mickey moved to a different Prison as he no longer has the protection of the Russians, predictably Cochran tries to double cross Ray. In the meantime the Armenians place a hit on Mickey, who is vulnerable without the protection of the Russians. Bunchy asks Abby to look after Maria for a while.

"Hispes"

Mayor Feratti sends tactical units to pressure Ray and the Sullivans, and Ray works out a new deal. Bunchy tries to help the armed robber he shot at the drug store, who is now paralyzed, and ends up at a white supremacist meeting. Bridget and Smitty are called in to fix Jonathan Walker Hanson's unsavory publicity scandal. Mickey, never having left for the Maldives, connects with Sandy when she helps Ray retrieve money from the Sullivans which dates back to a heist in 1977. His stepfather offers Daryll an opportunity to leave the Donovans once and for all, and Claudette contacts Detective Perry. Terry gives up on a shamanic cure and considers drowning himself, but is talked out of it by a dying woman.