The fix is in.
Here’s why Hollywood crime drama Ray Donovan deserves a place among the hallowed TV greats…
Breaking Bad.The Sopranos.The Wire.
Three of the most popular and critically acclaimed serialised dramas.
The Mount Rushmore of TV.
Donovans the answer to Hollywoods biggest problems: Heavyweight boxing champ has a dead girl in his bath tub?
Pop megastar bribed with a sex tape leak?
Action movie megastar about to be outed as gay?
Who ya gonna call?
Women want to be with him, men want to be him.
Im not sure you could say that for the rest of Mt Rushmore.
Although always in control, Ray has zero work-life balance.
He goes missing for days, owns a second apartment downtown and isnt adverse to a lil extra-marital activity.
And you dont mess with the Donovans.
This is where one ofRay Donovans true strengths lie; its not all about the titular protagonist.
Think about Anthony Jnr inThe Sopranos.
Theres none of that here.
What could go possibly wrong?
And shouting it all at the telly wont help.
Which he does regularly.
This kind of reaction is felt all too often inRay Donovan.
So should you still feel sympathy for him?
Maybe, maybe not.
But whichever way you go, youll change your mind by the next ep.
The violence, as ever inRay Donovan, is graphic but not sensationalised, gruesome but not gratuitous.
So, its a perfect show then.
Is that what were saying?
Hmm…not quite.
And as for the pesky kids?
They come and then they go.
Its usual TV kid stuff, but like actual kids themselves, theyre just about bearable.
Well, except for Mickey of course, he drags him into all sorts.
There are no extraneous character-centric episodes or tangential flashbacks to divert attention away from the narrative.
