The last twenty years have been a golden age of TV, with plenty of amazing shows that have premiered, creating fanbases for many of the shows that have given us awesome storylines. Some of these series aired on the premium service, Showtime, and went strong for years and years, with a large amount of fans even now, after the shows ended.

Whatever your favorite genre is, from comedy to drama, the premium cable channel has you covered with some fantastic shows. These are some of the best Showtime shows you can watch right now.

Dexter (2006 - 2013, 2021- )

In this classic Showtime series, Dexter follows the life of Dexter Morgan, a Miami Metro Police Department blood pattern analyst. Seems like a normal job, until you realize that this cop is actually tainted - because he’s a secret serial killer who kills murderers who have escaped justice, all while working with the homicide division.

The very idea of Dexter is really what makes this series so great. I mean, just think about it - someone using their job to basically cover up the fact that they like to kill, but they only use it as a way to kill other murderers in a twisted fashion. It’s screwed up in all the right ways. The Dexter cast is full of talent, and the story is super interesting and will make anyone want to keep watching, even if blood isn’t entirely your thing.

However, I do feel inclined to warn you that the ending to the original series was terribly bad - probably one of the worst series finales of all time. But thankfully, Dexter: New Blood has come out, and concluded the original story in the best way possible. If you haven’t seen the show yet, be sure to watch it now. 

Stream Dexter on Showtime.

Yellowjackets (2021 - Present)

If you’re looking for an excellent coming of age drama mixed in with psychological horror, Yellowjackets is the way to go. This new series tells the story of a soccer team that is traveling from America to nationals when their plane suddenly goes down in the mountains. They turn to terrible things in order to survive - and they face the repercussions 25 years later. 

Yellowjackets is such a refreshing piece of TV media. As someone who adores horror movies and shows just like this, I was captivated from beginning to end with each of these characters. The Yellowjackets cast is astounding, and their acting ability is phenomenal. And let’s talk about casting - whoever did the casting for the young and older versions of these characters needs a raise, because the resemblance is un-freaking-canny. Seriously, watch this show if you haven’t - especially now you can watch Yellowjackets Season 2.

Stream Yellowjackets on Showtime.

Ray Donovan (2013 - 2020)

In this drama from Showtime, Ray Donovan stars the titular character, who is a “professional fixer.” He arranges bribes, payoffs, threats, crime-scene clean-up, and any other illegal activities to protect his celebrity clients - well, usually they’re celebrity clients. Sometimes they're more criminals than anything else.

Ray Donovan went on for many years because it became such a popular show. The drama starred Liev Schreiber, alongside a phenomenal cast. Its story is engrossing and interesting, but I think what I like the most about this show is the setting. While the first five seasons take place on the West Coast, in L.A., the last two primarily focus on New York City, giving a whole new vibe to the series. There's also a Ray Donovan movie in the works for 2022, so now's a great time to catch up.

Stream Ray Donavan on Showtime.

Shameless (2011 - 2021)

Oh, Shameless. You don’t f**k with a Gallagher.

In this U.S. reboot of the U.K. series of the same name, Shameless follows the lives of the Gallagher family, a group of misfits who live on the South Side of Chicago, starring Fiona, the eldest sister who has to somehow manage her whole family while her alcoholic father messes everything up.

Shameless was my first Showtime show, and honestly, it’s such a great one to start out on. The stories are all over the place, from some great heartwarming tales to ones that are really screwed up. The Shameless cast is full of stars, including the ever-talented William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum. It’s really such a fantastic series, with so much heart and yet so many things that will make you laugh your ass off. With eleven seasons, it’s the perfect series to binge.

Stream Shameless on Netflix.
Stream Shameless on Showtime.

Billions (2016 - Present)

In this drama series, we follow hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod as he accumulates wealth and power in the world of high finance, with a lot of his tactics often crossing over into possibly illegal territory.

I think one of the things I like about Billions is that, for a lot of people, the topic here is a bit out of our comfort zones. I didn’t really know anything about finance, hedge funds or the like prior to watching this series. While the show is fictional, you still do learn some fun facts about the financial world, and you get a great story with high stakes that will have you watching episode after episode. You never know who’s going to get in trouble when it comes to money.

Stream Billions on Showtime.

The Tudors (2007 - 2010)

The Tudors focuses on one particular king in history, the infamous King of England, Henry VIII. The show takes place in the sixteenth century, looking into his relationship with an unpopular Chief Minister, his romances (especially Anne Boleyn), and his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon - and that’s just Season 1.

King Henry is one of those figures in history that I feel we all know for what he did with his several wives, and The Tudors takes that into account and charges up the drama by about 100%. While you can’t expect this to be totally accurate - this is a TV series - The Tudors is still a fun period drama, filled with plenty of historical elements about one of England's oldest families - even if every aspect isn’t true. Plus, you get to see a young Henry Cavill - how can you not enjoy it?

Stream The Tudors on Showtime.

Work In Progress (2019 - Present)

Let’s take a look at a fun comedy now, why don’t we? Work In Progress follows a story that anyone can relate to - trying to find yourself when your whole entire life feels like a mess. But that’s exactly what Abby is, a work in progress, who uses the relationship that she enters into to work on herself.

Abby McEnany is awesome in her starring role. While she’s already known for her comedy, she pairs it well with a hilarious storyline that not only makes you laugh but you can understand as well. Her character perfectly shows what it’s like to have a relationship with someone and how it can make you or break you, and further shows that not everyone needs to be their ultimate best at any point in their lives. 

Stream Work In Progress on Showtime. 

Homeland (2011 - 2020)

If you want a military thriller, look no further than Homeland. This Showtime drama is about Gunnery Sergeant Nicholas Brody and Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who has come to believe that an American Marine has been turned by the enemy, Al-Qaeda, and is now working for the other side.

I feel like Homeland is the perfect series for so many people. If you want something close to espionage, it’s right here. If you want something very dramatic, Homeland has it. If you’re craving some awesome action scenes, Homeland is the perfect choice. Really, it’s a great series, and went on for eight seasons, becoming a huge hit for Showtime. It has something for everyone to enjoy, and you'll be trying to track down who exactly is the traitor to the U.S.

Stream Homeland on Hulu.
Stream Homeland on Showtime.

Your Honor (2020 - Present)

In this courtroom drama, Your Honor tells the story of a New Orleans judge, whose son accidentally kills another teenager during a hit-and-run collision. However, things becomes messier when the judge learns that the slain teenager is the son of a local mafia kingpin. Now, he must question his own honor to try and keep his son safe.

Starring Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, Your Honor reminds me so much of Cranston’s former series, with a man trying to keep his family protected with extremely high stakes, except this time around it's with a mafia boss instead of a meth lord. Bryan Cranston is perfect in his role, and the rest of the cast rocks it as well. With a second season already renewed, Your Honor is the perfect binge for someone who doesn’t want multiple seasons, and wants to get invested for the long haul in the future.

Stream Your Honor on Showtime.

American Rust (2021)

Take a step into the world of murder mysteries with this awesome series, American Rust. This new series that premiered in Fall 2021  follows the story of a small-town chief of police in the Rust Belt of Pennsylvania. But his personal life and work life begin to collide when the son of the woman he cherishes is suddenly accused of murder. Now, he must take it upon himself to figure out the true story. 

While American Rust doesn’t have a Season 2 planned yet, this series is such a great one. As a fan of murder mysteries, I can say that this show truly knocks it out of the park and has twists and turns around every corner. The highlight performance is Jeff Daniels in the lead role. You may know him for his great movie roles, but honestly, I hope that I get to see him in another season of this soon. 

Stream American Rust on Showtime.

Penny Dreadful (2014 - 2016)

If you’re looking for a horror series, look no further than Penny Dreadful. This thriller is filled with suspenseful stories, showing that sometimes personal demons from your past can be even more terrifying than the scariest of creatures, like vampires, monsters, or even demons.

I don’t think I can say too much about this show without giving a lot away. As someone who loves to watch the best horror movies, I absolutely adore scary films or horror flicks that make me feel all shaky inside. However. Penny Dreadful is another kind of horror, where there are moments where you’ll be terrified of what you see on screen, and the next you’ll be thrown into something extremely deep and meaningful. I feel like Penny Dreadful should have gotten more seasons; it’s such a good scary yet insightful horror series.

Stream Penny Dreadful on Showtime.

The L Word (2004 - 2009)

With all of these dramas and thrillers, I think it’s time we put in something that’s a little more light-hearted, but still serious. The L Word follows the lives of a small, close-knit group of gay women who live in Los Angeles, as well as their friends or family members who support them or hate them.

What I love about The L Word compared to many of these other series is while it’s always great to watch a drama like Homeland or Penny Dreadful, sometimes you need a show that just portrays the lives of regular people, and that’s what this does. The L Word cast is wonderful, with leading ladies like Jennifer Beals and Mia Kirshner, and the story is full of relationships with plenty of drama, sweet gestures, and instances that will make you want to yell at your TV. There are even a couple of spin-offs of the show now for you to enjoy, so why not watch the original first?

Stream The L Word on Hulu.
Stream The L Word on Showtime.

Showtime is definitely one of those channels that seems to have everything you could want, from dysfunctional families to scary monsters. The question is, what are you feeling like watching today? 

When Ray Donovan premiered in 2013, it was easily the biggest premiere in Showtime history. While the show hasn't retained that same high viewership, the long-running series has remained a dependable favorite for the service. That is, until Showtime abruptly decided to cancel the show last year. Met with vitriol and outrage, the paid station decided to give the Liev Schreiber/Jon Voight show a proper send-off with a feature-length conclusion, which is expected to come out sometime next year. We're still learning more details about this intriguing movie finale, but here's what we know!

Liev Schreiber Will Co-Write, Produce, And Star In Showtime’s Ray Donovan

It's hard to make a Ray Donovan movie without Mr. Ray Donovan. So, thankfully, Liev Schreiber will reprise his role from the Showtime favorite, and he'll have a big part behind the scenes as well. Specifically, the actor co-wrote it alongside director David Hollander, and he'll also produce it. Hollander and Schreiber wrote Season 7's finale together, and the writing dynamic worked out well. Hopefully, that's also the case here.

Showrunner David Hollander Will Direct

Along with Liev Schreiber returning to co-write and star, showrunner David Hollander is also coming back to co-write and direct this feature-length finale. While the producer has been involved in the show from the beginning, he has only directed a handful of episodes over the course of its run. But his vision for the series is instrumental to Ray Donovan's longevity, and he'll hopefully provide a fitting farewell for this well-liked show.

Ray Donovan: The Movie Is In Post-Production And It’s Expected To Air On Showtime In 2022

Ray Donovan is officially in the can. As Boston.com reported, Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight were spotted filming scenes for this upcoming movie earlier this summer, and the production reportedly went on without a hitch. Filming reportedly wrapped in early August. At the moment, the TV movie doesn't have an official release date, but it's predicted to come out sometime in 2022. Likely early 2022, though that's unconfirmed.

It'll Pick Up After Season 7, As Our Title Character Is Determined To Stop Mickey Before He Causes Even More Carnage

Fret not, Ray Donovan's story will continue. Although the show hasn't gotten an eighth season, Showtime allowed the narrative to carry on with its upcoming film conclusion, and the story will pick up right where the show left off. Specifically, as the press release notes, 2022's upcoming Ray Donovan will see Mickey "in the wind" and Ray "determined to find and stop him before he can cause any more carnage." Additionally, the movie is expected to follow the present-day fallout from the Donovan/Sullivan feud, while also going back in time to explore the surely dramatic origin story between Ray and Mickey.

Jon Voight And Kerris Dorsey Reprise Their Ray Donovan Roles

Just as it wouldn't be a Ray Donovan movie without its titular fixer, it wouldn't quite be the same if Jon Voight and Kerris Dorsey weren't on hand to play Mickey, Ray's father, and Bridget, Ray's daughter, respectively. Both actors have been crucial to its success from the get-go, and it's good to know that they will be returning to conclude this story.

The Movie Will Also Star AJ Michalka, Chris Petrovski, David Patrick Kelly, And Chris Gray

In addition to Liev Schrieber, Jon Voight, and Kerris Dorsey reprising their roles from the long-running show, Ray Donovan's film continuation will feature supporting turns from AJ Michalka (The Goldbergs), Chris Petrovski (Madam Secretary), David Patrick Kelly (The Warriors), and Chris Gray (The Society). While they're all newcomers to this fan-favorite Showtime series, each actor has established their talents in various projects. As for their roles, Michalka will play young Abby, Gray will be seen as a younger version of our gruff titular character, Petrovski is attached to the role of Sean Walker, a rising Hollywood star, and Kelly will appear as Matty Galloway, a long-time friend of Mickey's.

David Hollander Claims Ray Donovan Is ‘Very Ambitious’ And Will Answer Questions In ‘Honest’ And ‘Surprising Ways’

We still don't know a whole lot about this movie finale, but David Hollander did give some vague hints. Specifically, in a Vulture interview, the showrunner claimed that Ray Donovan (2022) will be "very ambitious" in terms of scope and scale, and the show creator noted that he could work "in a very cinematic language" because it's feature-length. Hollander was quick to note that his canceled series was often cinematic in its presentation, but "certain devices were available" to them through the two-hour format.

Additionally, David Hollander promised that he would answer all the questions left by Season 7 in "very surprising ways." He also took the time to celebrate the fans for their tenacity in getting Showtime to bring the show back to life, noting that it became clear that "the living organism that is Ray Donovan is not just a collaboration between those of us who make the show, but a collaboration, a shared ownership, with our audience."

Here's what David Hollander said:

It Promises To Be A Proper Ending To The Long-Running Series Following Fan Outrage Over Showtime’s Abrupt Cancellation

When Showtime unceremoniously pulled the plug on Ray Donovan after seven seasons, fans were angry. Really angry. Downright furious, even. And they weren't quiet about it.

In the months that followed, Ray Donovan's vocal, adamant fanbase went online and vented their frustrations over this callous cancellation. And Showtime, to their credit, listened to the fans. They heard their disappointment and paid notice. While they didn't renew the show, Showtime called Liev Schreiber and David Hollander and asked if they were willing to make a feature-length conclusion. They agreed, and they got to work on a screenplay. While fans might not be getting the show back as it was, they should feel proud knowing that their loud outrage resulted in more Ray Donovan in the near future.

All seven seasons of Ray Donovan are available to stream on Showtime.

The worst thing that can happen to a television show is a cancellation, especially when it doesn’t get a proper finale. Showtime’s Ray Donovan suffered that fate last year, as the network announced it would be cancelling the crime drama after seven seasons. But after hope and speculation, Showtime recently announced it would be wrapping up the storyline in a feature-length film, but what will the film be about?

The new Ray Donovan film, which will premiere sometime in 2022, will reportedly pick up where Season 7 left off when it ended in January of 2020, according to Deadline. Mickey was in the wind and Ray was determined to find and stop him before he can cause any more tragedy. According to the trade, it will also weave together the present-day fallout from the Donovan/Sullivan feud with Ray and Mickey’s origin story from 30 years prior.

Liev Schreiber will return as the titular character and will co-write the script with series showrunner David Hollander, who will also direct. Jon Voight and Kerris Dorsey will reprise their roles as Mickey Donovan and Ray’s daughter, Bridget, respectively. The film will be executive produced by Hollander, Schreiber, Mark Gordon, Bryan Zuriff and Lou Fusaro.

When Ray Donovan was cancelled, fans were not happy and definitely not ready to say goodbye to the characters they’ve come to love over the seven seasons. Showtime’s Co-President of Entertainment, Gary Levin, said they heard the fans loud and clear, and the team is delighted that a thrilling new chapter is being created. Levin explained:

Last year, after the series had been cancelled, Liev Schreiber gave fans hope when he said there would be more Ray Donovan, thanking fans for their overwhelming love and support they expressed after news broke. He said their voices seemed to have been heard and that it was too soon to say how or when the show and character would be back once again. Soon after, there were claims that the series would return with either a feature-length TV movie or a limited set of episodes, and it seems the latter was the option Showtime landed on.

Ray Donovan centers on the life of the titular character, who is a professional “fixer” arranging bribes, payoffs, threats, crime-scene cleanup and other illegal activities to protect his celebrity clients. The series first premiered in June 2013, with the pilot episode breaking viewership records and becoming the biggest premiere of all time on Showtime.

I think we can all agree that the end of the 2019-2020 television season has been a weird one, and through no fault of its own. Most of our favorite network TV shows had to stop filming before their seasons were even finished, with almost all of the series on the major broadcast networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, The CW) needing to give us de facto finales and, in some case, wrap up with episodes that had to be completed in some odd ways.

While everyone has spent much of the spring streaming more than ever, that doesn't mean we don't care about watching shows when their air live, especially right now, so when something we love gets cancelled it really stings. Well, no year, no matter how odd, is safe from the extreme highs of renewals or the excessive lows of cancellation, and 2020 has already seen its fair share of shows fail to impress and get sent to the great TV beyond.

We know you already have a lot to keep track of, so, for you now, we have a complete list of everything that's been cancelled so far in 2020. This means that you can consult this list when you need to check up on the status of any show, whether it aired on a traditional network, cable, or one of those newfangled streamers that you kids are always going on and on about. Let's get to it!

Tommy (CBS) - Cancelled In May

Edie Falco's return to TV after long stints on two premium cable hits (The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie) was almost certainly seen as a wonderful possibility to do gangbusters for CBS. The show combined Falco's Emmy-winning powers with the police procedural nature known and loved by many of the network's fans, with Falco starring as the first female Chief of Police in Los Angeles on Tommy. After an early February debut, though, it would seem that the ratings were a lot lower than was hoped, and the show was axed shortly before its 12th and final episode aired.

AJ And The Queen (Netflix) - Cancelled In March

With the enduring success of RuPaul's Drag Race, you would think that a scripted show where Mr. RuPaul Charles plays a down on her luck drag queen who has to travel across the country to find work, while teaching a young stowaway about life, would be a shoo-in for viewers aplenty. Alas, it seems that that was not to be, as the RuPaul executive produced and written AJ and the Queen met its end about two months after its 10-episode first season debuted.

Broke (CBS) - Cancelled In May

As we've already seen, having a successful and popular actor / personality headline your show isn't in any way a guarantee for high numbers of viewers, but the fall of Broke was still sudden. Fans were heartbroken when Pauley Perrette announced that she was leaving her time on NCIS behind after starring in all 15 season of the hit crime procedural. But, it wasn't long before she decided to lighten things up and took the gig on Broke, playing a single mom who lets her snobby sister and brother-in-law move in when they lose their fortune. Unfortunately, just a little over a month after the sitcom's April 2 premiere, Broke was cancelled.

Spinning Out (Netflix) - Cancelled In February

Cancellations are never easy on fans, but sometimes a show gets the boot and people get riled up real good. This is the case with Spinning Out, Netflix's one-season ice skating drama. Just over a month after its January 1 debut, it was confirmed that viewers would not get a second season, and, well, it would be fair to say that those who loved show did some spinning out of their own. Fans were furious that a show which found a way to deal with several important issues (such as bipolar disorder, sexual assault, racial and economic inequality, and cultural stereotypes) wouldn't be given a chance to grow, but that ire did not end up giving Spinning Out another life.

Carol's Second Act (CBS) - Cancelled In May

This is yet another case of a long-time favorite trying to make a comeback and it just not connecting enough with fans. Carol's Second Act saw Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle) head back to sitcom land, this time as a woman who decides to follow her dream of being a doctor in her 50s, after raising her family, getting a divorce and leaving her teaching career. The series took over a timeslot from the revival of Murphy Brown, and managed to do worse there than that cancelled show did in its one new season, so it's not a huge surprise that Carol's Second Act was cut short.

Soundtrack (Netflix) - Cancelled In January

There are going to be a lot of one season wonders on this list, and Soundtrack is among them. This romantic musical drama followed a diverse cast through the ups and downs of their love lives in modern day Los Angeles, and featured well known stars like Jenna Dewan, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Campbell Scott, Christina Milian and Madeleine Stowe. While it certainly took an unusual approach to its drama, it released to little buzz in mid-December and didn't manage to gain any real popularity, so it came and went very quickly.

Man With A Plan (CBS) - Cancelled In May

This Matt LeBlanc-led family sitcom is one of the few on this list that was let go with several seasons under its belt. Man With a Plan focused on LeBlanc's Adam taking on a larger parenting role after his wife decides to head back to the outside-of-the-home workforce after 13 years as a stay at home mom. The show was never a huge hit, but the ratings fall that began in Season 2 finally sealed the comedy's death knell in Season 4, when it was cancelled a little less than a month before the season finale.

Marianne (Netflix) - Cancelled In March

It turns out that not even a thumbs up from horror-meister Stephen King can save a show...even if that show is, indeed, focused on scaring the bejeezus out of us. This French series followed an author who soon came to realize that the terrifying creatures she wrote into her stories were somehow manifesting in the real world, but while Marianne got great reviews from critics and viewers alike, not enough people tuned in to witness its creepy glory. So, Marianne got about six months to gain traction, until it was cancelled by Netflix in March.

Almost Family (Fox) - Cancelled In March

Stirring up controversy isn't always a bad thing for a TV show, but it probably didn't help the not-at-all-buzzed about and poorly reviewed Almost Family bring any viewers to the party. The drama was centered on three young women who find out that they're siblings...who were all fathered by a famed fertility doctor who's been discovered to have used his own sperm to "help" his many patients. This is something that's actually happened in real life, and several victims spoke out against the drama. Almost Family debuted in the fall, was promptly left off of the winter schedule, and then cancelled in early March.

Sorry For Your Loss (Facebook Watch) - Cancelled In January

It can be hard to get enough eyeballs on a show from a new streaming service, but, by all accounts, Sorry for Your Loss deserved more attention than it got. The drama, which starred Elizabeth Olsen (Avengers: Endgame) and Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), saw recent, young widow Leigh's life upended after her husband's sudden death and the realization that she actually didn't know a lot about him. Sorry for Your Loss was loved by critics and audiences, which was probably what granted it enough grace to nab a second season, but it lost its life almost two months after the end of Season 2.

Limetown (Facebook Watch) - Cancelled In January

It's no longer uncommon for a podcast to get turned into a television show, and such was the case with Limetown. The series (and podcast on which it was based) follows the fictional account of journalist Lia Haddock (Jessica Biel), who attempts to solve the mysterious disappearance of over 300 people from a neuroscience research community in Tennessee. This was Biel's live action follow up to her Emmy nominated role in The Sinner, but her recent TV triumph wasn't enough to keep Limetown around for more than one season.

Party Of Five (Freeform) - Cancelled In April

There are no guarantees in television, but that is even more true when trying to bring a formerly beloved property back from the dead via a reboot. Party of Five was a big hit for Fox from 1994-2000, so many were skeptical when the family drama about five siblings who had to raise each other when their parents die suddenly was primed for a reboot. This time, the concept was turned on its head, with the siblings being forced to fend for themselves when their parents get deported. The new Party of Five got much love from critics, but the ratings were low enough that it was just too costly for the cabler to justify a second season.

Insatiable (Netflix) - Cancelled In February

Here we have another controversial show, but at least this one made it to Season 2. Insatiable followed high schooler Patty (Debbie Ryan), who had been bullied for years because of weight. Now suddenly thin, she returns to school to get revenge on everyone who made her life a living hell for years. But, the dark, satirical comedy got lots of negative attention after people saw the first trailer and said the show was body-shaming, with a petition to stop the show's release getting hundreds of thousands of signatures. Still, Insatiable managed to score a second season, but it's possible the negative attention scared off too many people for the show to get the viewers it needed.

Project Blue Book (History Channel) - Cancelled In May

Networks always try to bet on established stars when possible, and the History Channel probably had great hopes for Project Blue Book, which featured Game of Thrones alum Aidan Gillen as a Cold War-era college professor hired by the U.S. Air Force to investigate UFO sightings. The show debuted in early January 2019 to numbers strong enough for it to rate as the most-watched scripted cable series premiere of the 2018-2019 TV season. Season 2, however, averaged far less viewers, so it would seem that the network thought it best to cut the drama loose.

Mortel (Netflix) - Cancelled In January

Late November saw the debut of French supernatural drama Mortel on Netflix, and the show had an intriguing premise that could have easily connected with audiences looking for something creepy and original to watch. The series focused on two teenagers who were trying to solve the murder of one of their siblings, and were better able to embark on that task after meeting with a mysterious entity who gifted them with superpowers. Unfortunately, Mortel didn't make much of an impact on subscribers, and was cancelled two months later.

Ambitions (OWN) - Cancelled In January

Soapy dramas about high profile figures getting into mischief can be an easy sell if they score the right audience, but it looks like the time simply wasn't right for Ambitions. The OWN series, which starred Robin Givens as the wife of Atlanta's ambitious mayor who's in a very public legal battle with her former best friend, could have been catnip for viewers. But, all the scheming and gun-toting couldn't give it any real traction, and it only manged to out rank two other shows on the network, leading to its cancellation a little over a month after Season 1 ended.

Knightfall (History Channel) - Cancelled In May

Another two-season History Channel show lost its life in early May, and that show was the medieval-set drama, Knightfall. The series followed the the Middle Ages' most powerful, wealthy and mysterious military order, the Knights Templar, as they lose allies and gain enemies. The Season 2 addition of Mark Hamill, apparently, didn't do anything to bring the series more viewers, and it was let go almost a full year after the second season ended.

If Loving You Is Wrong (OWN) - Cancelled In February

If Loving You Is Wrong was the second soapy drama to get the ax from OWN this year, but at least this one had five seasons to let its light shine. The Tyler Perry-created series followed a group of friends looking to find (and keep) love in their middle class neighborhood, but who frequently looked in some very wrong places. About a month before Season 5 premiered in March, word came down that it would be its last.

Ray Donovan (Showtime) - Cancelled In February

Sometimes even a long and fairly prestigious run doesn't guarantee that a series will get the opportunity to wrap things up so that fans aren't left with cliffhangery questions when it all comes down to it. Showtime's Ray Donovan, which ended Season 7 on January 19, was cancelled just a couple of weeks later. Fans were shocked, as it was thought that the show would at least get one more season, but, aside from series star Liev Schreiber seeming to be pretty cool about the cancellation, the good news is that it looks like fans might actually get some answers in the not too distant future.

Very Cavallari (E!) - Cancelled In May

Well, this one isn't a total surprise at this point. The divorce of Very Cavallari stars Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler quickly went from amicable-seeming to a bit nasty, and many assumed this would mean the end to the reality show that focused on the couple, as Cavallari flexed her fashion empire muscles. Now, a little over three weeks after the couple announced their split, Cavallari has gone public with her decision to end the show. Will Cavallari wait for this dust to settle and then launch a reality show about rebuilding her life with her three kids after divorce? Nothing's been announced, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Outmatched (Fox) - Cancelled In May

Well, it looks like Outmatched really was (yeah, Imma do it) outmatched by the competition. The comedy, which starred Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson as blue collar parents trying to raise four kids, when three of those kids were certified geniuses, was in its first season at Fox. Outmatched debuted in January, but didn't catch on with critics or audiences, so it was cancelled about two months after the Season 1 finale.

Osmosis (Netflix) - Cancelled In March

This near-future set drama, which debuted in March 2019, followed a group of singles who try a new dating service which uses a brain implant to help people find a partner who fits them perfectly. Since Osmosis is sci-fi, you can probably guess that things then went awry in several disturbing ways. Unfortunately, the cool premise of this French series didn't attract enough perfect partners of its own, and the show never really took off as hoped. Osmosis was cancelled by Netflix a year later, after one season.

Bless This Mess (ABC) - Cancelled In May

Awww, man! I was really hoping that Bless This Mess (which starred Dax Shepard, Lake Bell, Lennon Parham, David Koechner and Pam Grier, among others) would be able to capture a dedicated following that would allow the series to grow, such as recently unsung comedy heroes like Superstore have. Alas, it appears that was not to be. The series followed a New York City couple who leave their lives behind to take over the unexpectedly ramshackle farm that they inherited from a relative. As they slowly adjusted to farm life, they tried to fit in with their new community, which was filled with many lovable weirdos. Bless This Mess was cancelled shortly after the Season 2 finale.

The Rook (Starz) - Cancelled In March

A supernatural series at Starz has bitten the dust. The Rook, which was based on the 2012 book of the same name by Daniel O’Malley, focused on Myfanwy (Emma Greenwell) who woke up near London's Millennium Bridge with no memory and no way to explain why she's surrounded by dead bodies. Myfanwy comes to realize that she's an agent for a secret branch of the British government that handles people with supernatural abilities, and that someone is trying to kill her. Many fans of the novel took issue with he fact that the drama twisted the light, fantastical tone and made it gritty for TV, and The Rook ended Season 1 last summer with ratings that landed it in the bottom third of Starz's nine dramas.

Schooled (ABC) - Cancelled In May

Spinoffs don't always have an easy road ahead just because the parent show was a solid hit, and that turned out to be the case for this spinoff of The Goldbergs. Schooled followed former Goldbergs character Lainey (AJ Michalka) as she returned to her old high school to teach music, connect with some of her old teachers as a peer, and try to be a positive influence in the lives of her students. The show, which took place in 1990-something, was the second-highest rated new comedy of the 2018-2019 season, but a ratings dip in Season 2 led to its demise.

Vida (Starz) - Cancelled In March

The critically acclaimed family drama, Vida, got something most cancelled shows don't get to do: end with a finale that actually wraps up the storylines. Vida saw two estranges sisters, Emma (Mishel Prada) and Lyn (Melissa Barrera) return to their East Los Angeles neighborhood for their mother's funeral, only to realize some big secrets about her and have to confront their own life choices. The series, which won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy series last year, was cancelled before Season 3 could begin airing in April, but it gave those behind the show time to craft an ending that should satisfy fans.

Well, we already have quite a long list of cancellations, and while I certainly hope your favorite isn't among them, let's be honest, none of us are going to run out of great TV to watch anytime soon. Remember to bookmark this list so that you can keep track of all the cancellations coming our way this year, and if you need something new to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 Netflix guide and see what's coming to TV this summer!

For the past seven years, Ray Donovan has been a big winner for Showtime, both in terms of ratings and critical acclaim. Thus, it was a smack in the face when Showtime cancelled the crime drama after its recent cliffhanger-filled Season 7 finale. Star Liev Schreiber and showrunner David Hollander didn't even know it was coming, and the fanbase's response to the cancellation was quite loud and extremely negative. Celebrations may soon be in order, however, as it's being reported Ray Donovan will return for a proper conclusion.

At this time, Ray Donovan's return should still be filed in the Unconfirmed folder, as Showtime has yet to go public with anything official. However, the signs were already there that the cancellation would probably get reversed, with Liev Schreiber himself offering a recent glimmer of hope that answers for Season 7's biggest questions are on the way.

The smoking gun here is Page Six's report that claims Ray Donovan's return is a done deal. The would-be details haven't been fully formalized yet, but the thought is that the show would return either as a feature-length TV movie or with a limited set of episodes, as opposed to a full eighth season. That would probably be the best bet, all things considered, so that David Hollander and the creative team can fully wrap up all the characters' storylines without the excess narrative space to introduce even more new elements.

The sources that shared the claims of Ray Donovan's return gave much credit to the huge wave of support from fans following Showtime's cancellation news. The widespread reaction appears to have been a wake-up call for some execs who may not have been so keenly aware just how many people adore this show. After all, just because most Ray Donovan fans appreciated the show during its run without being fanatically vocal doesn't mean they don't exist.

Also not hurting anything is the fact that Ray Donovan's stages had already been rented by producers working on the strong assumption that Showtime would renew the drama for an eighth and final season. Similarly, David Hollander talked about having kept the creative process going as Season 7 ended, fully expecting to return to the writers room at some point.

While no extensive reasons have been given for Ray Donovan's cancellation, the unofficial word is that it was a negative byproduct of the recent merger between Showtime owner CBS and Viacom. Perhaps the fan backlash helped reverse whatever decision-process had been made at that time about the crime drama's future, though it's likely the nitty gritty will stay behind closed doors.

Here was Liev Schreiber's recent message to fans that started building the hype about Ray Donovan not being quite over yet.

Ray Donovan would reportedly get production back underway for its swan song at some point in the fall, assuming Showtime will make the news official at some point. In the meantime, the first seven seasons can be streamed on the Showtime Anytime app. And for those needing some guidance for all the new and returning shows that are on the way soon, head to our Winter and Spring premiere schedule.

The rise of internet websites was not a good thing for television networks. Every single time one would ultimately cancel a series, there were millions of people with the internet at their fingertips ready and willing to complain about their favorite show being cancelled. Think about it: Even little-watched shows have hundreds of thousands of viewers weekly. Getting to talk about cancellations amplified the news and the headache.

In my myriad time working on the interwebs, I’ve seen a lot of tactics from network attempting to minimize cancellation noise. Cancelling a bunch of shows at once seemed to work for a little while as did not cancelling shows and just quietly never bringing them back. But now networks have a new plan, which involves simply “ending” a series rather than cancelling it.

What Does Ending A Show Really Mean?

Streamers, network television, cablers and more often employ this tactic these days, which means the network or streamer or whomever will renew a show while cancelling it at the same time. So, let’s take Criminal Minds for example.

Criminal Minds was cancelled in January of 2019, but at the same time the network said, “Hey guys, we’re ending this show but the good news is we won’t end it until after next season airs. So really, y’all, it’s ending and not cancelled.” Those Season 15 episodes shot back-to-back with Season 14 so everything was ready to go for primetime this year.

Look, to be honest, this is a great idea and I don’t want to minimize whichever genius thought of this first. What I don’t get off on is every time we mention a show like Criminal Minds actually being cancelled, people come out of the woodwork to defend the cancellation and inform us it wasn’t cancelled, just ending.

Actually, it’s 100% cancelled. The networks have simply figured out a way to avoid your ire when they wish by giving faithful fans a final season in which to say goodbye to their favorite characters instead of unceremoniously pulling the show from the network.

Often these final seasons are short seasons or wrap-up movies as well, which means less time and effort is needed to wrap up the shows. Again, this is not a bad idea. It makes everyone happier. It gives the fans time to come to terms with the news and assumedly it makes the creative team more comfortable because they are able to wrap up the story and find new jobs in a timely fashion instead of scrambling.

Yet there’s some sort of twisted logic going on if you are the type of person who sees a show has been cancelled and simultaneously renewed for one more go ‘around and you are commenting on social media or a website who is simply reporting the news defending whatever network or streaming service just cancelled your show. I don’t care if it gets 30 episodes before it is cancelled, your show will be ending and it was a decision the network made due to ratings or a combination of ratings and contracts getting more expensive.

Bosch did not get cancelled by Amazon Prime because it was cheap to make and was still getting a ton of views from the fans. Sure, every once in a while a star like Jim Parsons with The Big Bang Theory will be a catalyst for a series “ending” rather than the network cancelling it for other reasons, but those situations are rare. There are more like Bosch out there than like The Big Bang Theory.

Why Straight Up Cancelling A Show Is Not A Good Idea

The alternative is that a show gets cancelled out of nowhere, which happened recently with Ray Donovan on Showtime and also with a slew of Netflix shows including the niche-but-beloved The OA. Those moments truly hurt for everyone involved. When your showrunner and stars are surprised about cancellation news, it means a lot of people were surprised to be out of jobs, plus there’s the emotional toll on the audience who had invested in those programs.

Think about the audience’s reaction to certain shows being cancelled, with The OA being a prime example of people showing their displeasure online. This isn’t what the networks want. They don’t want to rile people up or give them negative feelings toward a brand.

It’s no wonder the networks and streaming services have tried to go this newer “ending” route in recent years when possible, especially for long-running shows. It’s far easier and less painful and better for everyone. Just don’t be duped into thinking the network or streaming service is actually doing you a favor by cancelling a show in this manner. They aren’t.

It came as a shock when Showtime abruptly cancelled Ray Donovan after seven seasons. Even series showrunner David Hollander was thrown off because “there was no indicator that the show was ending.” It’s been more than a week since the cancellation news broke, but Liev Shchrieber recently gave an update on the series’ cancellation, reigniting many fans’ hopes that Ray Donovan might not be done after all.

When Ray Donovan was initially cancelled, series star Liev Schreiber reacted to the news with a photo of himself raising a glass alongside a caption that read “Slainte,” toasting to the end of the show. So it came as quite the surprise when Schreiber recently posted a message to Instagram, hinting that there’s hope for more Ray Donovan. Here’s what he wrote:

Fans of the show will be relieved that all hope isn’t lost just yet and there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. Liev Schreiber tagging Showtime in his Instagram post might even be a sign that Ray Donovan, which gave Showtime its biggest series premiere ever, will continue on its original network instead of being shopped around to another network or streaming service. Keep in mind that nothing is confirmed yet and this is all speculation based on Schreiber’s post.

On the heels of the original cancellation, showrunner David Hollander did reveal that Ray Donovan was an expensive show to make, though he indicated that all the sets were still standing. Whatever the reasons for the decision, Showtime cancelling the series seemingly out of nowhere was confusing to many, including the cast and crew, who were under the impression they would return for another season.

In fact, Ray Donovan’s Season 7 ended with the notion that the series would continue into Season 8 although the network hadn't confirmed it at the time. Thankfully, it seems fans’ “voices have been heard” and Ray Donovan will possibly return for more episodes at some point in the future. We'll have to wait and see how and when a potential Season 8 could happen.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on Ray Donovan. In the meantime, fans can still stream the series on Showtime’s website and app. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 midseason schedule for updated premiere dates and times.

It has been a weird past week for anyone involved with or following Ray Donovan as the series was abruptly cancelled by Showtime. After seeing the reactions from fans and star Liev Schreiber, showrunner David Hollander has spoken out about the show's cancellation, and the hopes of some that a revival may happen.

Given the surprise cancellation, Ray Donovan concluded Season 7 with the idea that it would be returning for Season 8. Characters' fates were left up in the air, and there's a story to tell if another network or service were willing to pick it up. In regards to that, David Hollander had this to say:

In what sounded like a word of advice to any network or streamer currently eyeing the situation, time is of the essence. Money can be saved by keeping the set up for the Ray Donovan team to press on for Season 8, but in time, that will be torn down and the show's cast will find opportunities elsewhere. Will Ray Donovan get its conclusion elsewhere, perhaps by a streamer looking to add some high quality original content?

David Hollander didn't indicate what he thought about that to Vulture, but did confirm he and the team were blindsided by Showtime's cancellation. Hollander noted that's evident by Ray Donovan's Season 7 finale, which left the stories of characters very open ended.

The Ray Donovan showrunner did admit that part of the reason the cancellation was so shocking was because Showtime had been adamant on renewing the series in the past. David Hollander said the show had never been on the bubble, and at times, it felt like their team was burnt out on the series while Showtime was pushing them into another season. Hollander also said Season 8 was planned to be the final season, which does make Showtime's sudden cancellation even more confusing.

Will Ray Donovan get to complete its story? CinemaBlend will keep an eye on the situation, and continue to report on all the biggest news happening in television and movies.

When news broke this week that Showtime had officially cancelled its long-running original Ray Donovan, just about everyone's reactions were on the negative side, since the crime drama had only recently wrapped up Season 7 with a finale that complicated many characters' situations. Alas, while the fandom will be stuck with a list of unanswered questions, the person who had arguably the most chill reaction to the news was star Liev Schreiber.

All things considered, Liev Schreiber sounded like he knew the cancellation was coming back in January when the finale aired, so perhaps he'd already mentally prepped himself for the day when the bad news would finally come. Check out his post below, presumably with a glass of Johnny Walker scotch in hand.

A toast that popped up a time or ten on Ray Donovan itself, "Slainte" is an Irish word for "cheers." Its utterance often prefaces quite a bit of mirthful drinking, though the mirth-filled moments will likely be few and far between in the days just after the cancellation news got publicity. I mean, it's not like Ray Donovan was a ball of laughter and goofiness. (Especially since he didn't quite say his own name right.)

Since 2013, Liev Schreiber portrayed the esteemed fixer Ray Donovan, whose ability to "clean" things never fully worked out when he focused on his own life's problems. Along the way, the actor earned himself quite a few awards nominations for his work, though the only major trophies won by the show were Jon Voight's Supporting Actor Golden Globe and Hank Azaria's Guest Actor Emmy.

Liev's brother Pablo Schreiber, former American Gods star and future Halo star, responded to the cancellation reaction post with his own uplifting words.

And to be sure, Liev Schreiber certainly isn't the only member of the Donovan family who's bummed out about having to say goodbye to the show. Below is co-star Eddie Marsan's take.

Part of the reason why Ray Donovan's cancellation news was so shocking is that many fans had developed a sense of optimism about the show's future. For one, the showrunner had previously expressed interest in crafting an actual ending for everyone's stories. As well, Shameless' cancellation was revealed in the form of a final season order, so it was thought that the same would happen with Ray Donovan.

Not to mention at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January, Showtime exec Greg Levine told Deadline that the end was indeed near, but offered up hope for a Season 8 order to happen. In his words:

For what it's worth, Liev Schreiber tried to keep Ray Donovan alive around the finale's airing. After posting a message that was so thankful it sounded doomsaying, he took to social media to advise fans to express their Season 8 desires to Showtime and CBS to make sure everyone in power knew that there would be eyeballs ready and waiting for new episodes. Unfortunately, it would appear not enough people heeded those words seen below.

While there have been no signs of any further advancements with Ray Donovan on Showtime, it wouldn't be completely out of the question for the network to produce some kind of a "final" episode that gives audiences some real closure with characters like Smitty, Bridget and Daryl. It would probably take a huge wave of support from fans to inspire something like that, but it's not an outright impossibility.

Ray Donovan is currently no more at Showtime, though episodes can still be streamed in full on Showtime Anytime's website and app.

Susan Sarandon has had an impressive career in film, and she's been on a hot streak with her recent television roles. While some audiences were watching her light up their screens with her portrayal of Bette Davis in FX's Feud, premium cable subscribers got to see her join the cast of Showtime's Ray Donovan in Season 5. Season 6 of the series will see Sarandon back in action as her character Sam Winslow, and fans will get to see a lot more of her as the actress has been upgraded to a series regular.

Sam Winslow will be one of Ray's few clients left, as Ray Donovan heads from L.A. to New York City for Season 6. Susan Sarandon's return is not a surprise given her character's status with Donovan at the end of Season 5, but THR's reporting she will become a series regular is a pleasant surprise. Sarandon's upgraded status surely means Winslow will play a big role in the upcoming season, which makes sense considering she did a pretty big favor for Ray and will no doubt need something in return.

Whether Ray is prepared to handle whatever Sam Winslow has in store for him is a different story. Season 5 of Ray Donovan saw the stone-cold Ray cracked after a really rough string of episodes, and the finale closed with Ray throwing himself into the river. Obviously, he made it out of that situation physically ok considering the show is rolling out Season 6, but the action itself really makes one wonder what the character's headspace is going into the new season. Will he be the fixer Sam needs, or will he get cold feet and back away from the hard tasks he's asked to perform?

Hopefully, the latter doesn't happen, as that sounds like a fast track to making an enemy out of Sam Winslow. Last season of Ray Donovan showed Sam enlisting Ray's help out of fear her original fixers know too much about her. If she gets the sense that Ray doesn't approve of the things she's asking him to do in Season 6, it's possible he could find himself branded as one of her enemies and have another fixer gunning after him. That probably wouldn't be the best move for Sam to make, but with Ray clearly looking damaged at the end of Season 5, is he even equipped to handle such a betrayal?

Ray Donovan just started production on Season 6, which is scheduled to air on Showtime sometime in 2018. For more on other upcoming programming coming in 2018 be sure to visit our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere guide. For more on Ray Donovan, listen to Liev Schreiber talk about the major mistake the crew made when making the show.

In Ray Donovan, Liev Schreiber's character is known as a "fixer", but the actor has revealed a problem with the show that not even Ray Donovan can fix. Schreiber revealed to Seth Meyers that for the past five seasons they've been saying his last name wrong, and he set the record straight during their interview:

Thankfully, the show has been good enough that Ray Donovan fans haven't tried to burn the showrunners at the stake for such an egregious error. And as Seth Meyers points out, there's always time to explain it in Season 6. Now that Liev Schreiber has thrust that secret out into the world, perhaps he actually will talk to the staff about writing in a reason why his character pronounces his last name the way he does. If they do, will Late Night With Seth Meyers get a writing credit for the pitch?

Probably not, and considering Liev Schreiber is comfortable enough speaking publicly about the last name pronunciation goof on television, it's likely the Ray Donovan crew isn't that worried about fixing it. There's more than one way to pronounce most last names, and surely the writing staff could find a simpler explanation as to why he doesn't pronounce it the Boston way, as opposed to dedicating an entire episode to explaining it. Then again, if Ray Donovan isn't going to die when the show finally comes to an end, maybe this is the perfect way to end the series?

That's a discussion for when Ray Donovan ends, however, and with new episodes coming in 2018 for Season 6, the end is nowhere in sight. One thing that is known is that Season 6 will be a change of pace as Donovan sets up a permanent residence in New York City. No reason has been given exactly why that happens, but one can assume that answer will come during the Season 5 finale this weekend.

Ray Donovan will have its Season 5 finale October 29th at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime. For more on the Liev Schreiber, check out how he adopted a pair of dogs rescued from Hurricane Harvey, or how he was originally supposed to appear in Hugh Jackman's last Wolverine film Logan. As one show winds down, many more are winding up as fall is peak time for great television. Be sure to stay in the loop by visiting our fall premiere guide and find a full catalog of this season's television offerings.

Showtime is already packing them in thanks to the Twin Peaks revival, but now the network is getting a bit more stacked with a new season of its hit drama, Ray Donovan. Season 4 ended with the Donovan family on top of the world, but if this trailer is any proof, it's that there's always going to be a problem that needs some fixing. Check out the first trailer for Season 5 of Ray Donovan, with lots of Susan Sarandon thrown in for good measure.

In Season 5, Ray Donovan is turning his sights back to being the best fixer in Los Angeles, after taking a little detour to deal with some pesky Russians. However, any good will that the Donovan's felt won't last long, as Season 5 throws them right back into the thick of it. In the new trailer for Season 5, we find out that Ray has once again surrounded himself in problems. In addition to learning that his father and brother have been hospitalized under mysterious circumstances, Ray is now working for Samantha Winslow, the head of a movie studio played by Susan Sarandon. Sarandon joins the show in a season-long recurring role, so get used to seeing more of her in the Showtime series.

Susan Sarandon's character hires Ray to deal with a problem revolving around star Natalie James (Lili Simmons). Natalie James is causing some "big fucking problems" after walking off the set of a $3 billion franchise. Sarandon's movie studio head hired Ray because he's "discreet" and she's willing to pay any fee to make her problem go away. What exactly that means will have to wait until Season 5 airs later this summer.

Ray Donovan stars Liev Schreiber as the title character and Los Angeles' best fixer. Originally from South Boston, Ray now works in California as a fixer for the rich and powerful. Whenever someone needs someone else bribed, paid off, or threatened, they turn to Ray to make it happen. Though Ray is a great fixer, he can never quite seem to solve the problems with his family. The series also stars Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Dash Mihok, Pooch Hall, and Jon Voight.

Ray Donovan returns Sunday, August 6, 2017 on Showtime. There are bound to be a few more updates on the hit series, so make sure to stick with CinemaBlend for all your TV news. To plan out the rest of your summer, head on over to our summer TV premiere guide. If you want to keep up to date with what's happening to all your favorite shows, then make sure to visit our canceled/renewed guide for all broadcast and streaming/cable networks.

December is the last big push by the major studios for the holidays, and as such we are getting quite a few big releases before the Christmas season rolls around. Among these are a slew of new Blu-ray movies, but also quite a few 4K and TV releases. Some of these are big budget films--Jason Bourne and Suicide Squad among them--while others are smaller, fun releases for a niche audience, such as the Limited Edition Box set for Batman v Superman or the new Oasis project Supersonic. You can take a look at what is coming out in December of 2016, below.

In addition, if you are looking for the November DVD, Digital and Blu-ray releases, head here. Unless otherwise noted in the Digital column, Digital releases are the same days as the Blu-ray and DVD releases.

The Secret Life Of Pets Blu-ray Review

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has had particularly good success with creating appealing Blu-ray releases, especially for animated movies. A trend in recent years is including "mini movies" that appeal to the kids, a premise we saw with Minions and now with The Secret Life of Pets. While the movie isn't the best Universal and Illuminations outing in recent years, your kids are bound to like it, and it does feature some incredibly fun voice work. Louis C.K. plays a Jack Russell Terrier named Max, Kevin Hart plays a rabbit named Snowball, and Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet is on board as a mixed breed dog, Duke; Max and Duke are simply trying to find their way home through the movie. Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Dana Carvey, Albert Brooks, Hannibel Burress, Steve Coogan and Bobby Moynihan---the latter of which is also great in We Bare Bears---also help to round out the cast and get their own featurette. A few family films have come out over the past few weeks, including Pete's Dragon, but in terms of bonus features geared towards your kids, The Secret Life of Pets knows exactly what sort of movie it is. You can order your own Blu-ray copy, here, although as part of the new trend, 4K is also available.

Jason Bourne Blu-ray Review

Matt Damon spent nine years away from the role of Jason Bourne, so when he came back, we were expecting something special. The latest movie, also directed by Paul Greengrass, who helmed The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, hits a lot of notes that fans of the franchise want to see, but it also doesn't pack the punch that some of the other films have had. Well, maybe punch is the wrong word, as the action sequences are superb in Jason Bourne; instead, it's the plot of the new movie that runs a little thinner. The new sequel follows Bourne learning key information about Treadstone,yet again, and then getting chased by the CIA for his troubles. It's certainly worth a watch, and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment's Blu-ray set hits all of the right beats. (it also provides a good forum to advertise for The Great Wall.) Extras on the disc include Matt Damon and others explaining why Jason Bourne was made and why the cast came back (Damon loves "being followed" by the Bourne character). Other bonus features include a look at Bourne's "bare knuckle boxing skills," but the nicest touch is that Matt Damon introduces a lot of the extras. Order your own copy of the film here.

Tuesday, December 6 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

The Secret Life Of Pets

Beauty & The Beast: The Final Season (DVD)

Jason Bourne

The Hollars

Brain Dead: Season One (DVD)

Kicks

Zoo: Season Two (DVD)

Scream Queens- 01 DVD

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Shannara Chronicles: Season 1

Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures

The Remains

Don't Think Twice

Phantasm: Ravager/ Phantasm: Remastered

The Unspoken (DVD)

Dead Rising: Endgame

The Bourne Identity/ Ultimatum/ Supremacy/ Legacy 4K

The Town 4K

Argo 4K

Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again (DVD)

Eliminators

Call Of Heroes

In Order of Disappearance

Author: The JT Leroy Story

I Am Bolt (DVD)

Mad Max: High Octane Collection

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Amazon Limited Edition Box Set

Week of December 6 Early Digital Releases

The Magnificent Seven

Storks

Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer

Sully

Miss Peregrine's Home For Pecular Children (December 9)

Girl Asleep

Suicide Squad Blu-ray Review

Any superhero movie is generally a huge release on Blu-ray and DVD, and Suicide Squad is particularly exciting thanks to the extended cut that switches some stuff up about the film, which stars Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Jay Hernandez as Diablo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc and Karen Fukuhara as Katana. We've already written extensively about David Ayer's extended cut of the film, but the Blu-ray disc is fun, thanks to a slew of extras that feature a ton of behind-the-scenes information on the "making of" the film. The real win---and the most informative for those who are not super into the comics---is "Task Force X," a featurette looking at the history of the comics and featuring Ayer and the main cast. I was less enamored with "Joker & Harley," considering how that particular relationship played out on the small screen, but Margot Robbie has some interesting stuff to say about her character, so it's not a total wash. There are no deleted scenes with the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Blu-ray as they are folded into the extended cut, but a Digital copy of the film and Vudu extras are also included. To order your own copy of the movie, head here.

Bridget Jones' Baby Blu-ray Review

More than a decade after Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason hit theaters, Renee Zellweger returns to the role of the charming and romantically disastrous Bridget Jones. However, unlike its predecessors, Bridget Jones's Baby doesn't follow the next book in Helen Fieldings' series. Instead, we're re-introduced to Bridget, who's in her forties, working hard to succeed in her career and once again single. When she finds herself facing a very unexpected pregnancy, she's faced with the uncertainty of motherhood, not to mention the uncertainty of who the father is. Is it her ex Mark Darcy's (Colin Firth), or the dreamy wealthy American, Jack (Patrick Dempsey)? Typical Bridget Jones shenanigans ensue, which is surely to the delight of the fans of this series. The Blu-ray and DVD set features an amusing alternate ending, as well as the more predictable deleted scenes and a gag reel. There's also a making-of featurette, which features Zellweger, along with Patrick Dempsey and Colin Firth---what more could you really ask for? Order your own copy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment's big movie here.

Florence Foster Jenkins Blu-ray Review

Once upon a time, Florence Foster Jenkins was a singer who sold out Carnegie Hall. Her voice was, by most accounts, abysmal. More than seventy years after her biggest moment, she now has her own movie. It is, by most accounts including this one, wonderful. It follows the end of the singer and socialite's life, as she sings loud and proud and her devoted husband tries to keep her lack of natural ability from her. That back and forth is oddly touching, and Stephen Frears' latest features numerous wonderful acting performances, most notably from Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg. All three earned Golden Globe nominations to go along with a Best Comedy nod for the picture itself, all of which are deserved. The accompanying Blu-ray set, released by Paramount, contains more than enough to please fans, as well. It features retrospectives on the real Florence Foster Jenkins, in addition to deleted scenes, featurettes and more. It might not be quite as memorable as one of the real musician's concerts, but then again, it doesn't seem like anything in the past half century has been. Order it here.

Ben-Hur Blu-ray Review

Few things have the capability to rile up hardcore fans more than talk of rebooting a classic movie. Those announcements can generate plenty of dissension. When it came to Ben-Hur, however, the presiding emotion from moviegoers tended to be confusion. That later manifested itself in poor box office performance, which is a shame since the movie is actually pretty decent. It captures the epic scope of Kirk Douglas' classic version, and while its high notes aren't quite as high, director Timur Bekmambetov's movie still has plenty to say about class and personal relationships. Those viewpoints can be found on the Blu-ray, as well, which includes featurettes, a look at the original movie, deleted scenes and even music videos. Paramount Home Media Distribution's Blu-ray is a fine enough release and if you'd like a copy of the film, you can order it here.

Tuesday, December 13 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

Suicide Squad

Florence Foster Jenkins

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Bridget Jones' Baby

The Roddenberry Vault: Star Trek--The Original Series (never-before-seen footage)

Duck Dynasty: Season 10 DVD

Ben-Hur

Fear The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season

Harley and the Davidsons

Little Men DVD

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series Blu-ray

Equity

American Gothic: Season One

Southside with You

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series Blu-ray

Morgan

End of A Gun

Brother Nature

Major League Baseball: 2016 World Series Collector's Edition

Black Christmas Collector's Edition

Week of December 13 Early Digital Releases

American Honey

The Magnificent Seven Blu-ray Review

Antonine Fuqua's bold remake of the 1960 western The Magnificent Seven boasts an impressive main cast, starring Denzel Washington, Vincent D'Onofrio, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett and Peter Sarsgaard. The movie kicks off with a land dispute in a mining town, with a big baddie Bogue (Sarsgaard) attempting to takeover, killing some of the locals in his quest. A crew of men are hired to take down Bogue and his men, but it's not an easy breezy western and instead is one that is rife with danger and nearly always exciting. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's set is exciting, too and features a fun function called "Vengeance Mode," which enables the viewer to watch the movie a second time with video commentary from the main cast and Fuqua, as well as some behind-the-scenes footage. It's not actually all that invasive to the actual movie, and is easy to exit out of should you decided you want the regular viewing experience. A slew of featurettes are also available with the disc, along with deleted scenes. You can order your own copy of the movie, which also comes with a Digital movie, here.

Sully Blu-ray Review

The story behind the Miracle on the Hudson has been a memorable one in recent years, and honestly felt like a natural fit for a movie, depending on whether a studio could find the right script and the right star. Sully certainly found the right star in Tom Hanks, who plays a veteran pilot who made a heroic landing, only to find himself suffering from PTSD and nightmares of planes crashing after the incident. While the script does drag somewhat, considering it's a feature length film about a very short event, Clint Eastwood's latest film is certainly memorable and worth a watch. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's movie comes with the traditional Blu-ray, but also a DVD and Digital copy of the flick. There aren't a ton of extras, but I'm always a sucker for real behind-the-scenes information when movies are based on true events, and Sully doesn't disappoint in that aspect. Check out "Moment By Moment," a featurette featuring the real-life Captain Sullenberger, co-pilot Jeff Skiles and air traffic controller Patrick Harten as they walk you through what really happened during the Miracle on the Hudson. You can order your own copy here.

Tuesday, December 20 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

The Magnificent Seven

Sully

Storks

Goat

Greater

Maximum Ride

It Had To Be You

Greater

The Disappointments Room

31

Oasis: Supersonic

Week of December 20 Early Digital Releases

Deepwater Horizon

The Dressmaker

Tuesday, December 27 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

Ray Donovan: Season Four

Versailles: Season One

Snowden

When The Bough Breaks

The Dressmaker

Dog Eat Dog

American Honey

Underworld 4K

In A Valley Of Violence

It's been really trendy on television for the last few years for shows to kill off some of their lead characters, whether to up the ante during finales or bring some extra pizzazz to other episodes. We expect deaths from shows like The Walking Dead and even Grey's Anatomy at this point; however, there is one TV series that is already crafting an ending and really wants to avoid the death trope. Ray Donovan's showrunner David Hollander recently spoke out about the end of the Showtime series and how he wants to craft that ending. Here's what he had to say:

So, if you were hoping Ray Donovan would go out in a blaze of glory, Breaking Bad-style, you will definitely be disappointed by the finale whenever it comes. While Ray Donovan has featured plenty of deaths during its time on the air, often at the hands of Mickey. (I don't think I'll ever forget that moment when Mickey drugged and then drowned a pimp he disliked---it was so much colder than a lot of the more in-your-face killings.) While Ray is often in bad shape, thanks to getting beaten up, etc. I'm glad to hear it's not going to be the show's goal to send the series off with his death at the hands of some douchebag.

David Hollander isn't expecting for Showtime to announce Ray Donovan is ending tomorrow, however, he did tell THR that he has definitely started looking at the end game for the drama, which just ended its Season 4 run earlier this week. While Showtime's programs generally tend to have a long shelf-life, it's clear that the creative team is trying to figure out exactly how the endgame will go down.

I'm beginning to seriously think of an endgame, I think it's essential. This is a series and a story that in its inception was never designed with a grand design of where Ray Donovan was going. That was the design.

While some shows have been outlined from the very beginning, other shows don't set out with an endgame in mind, and that's ok. The good news? Ray Donovan has already been renewed for Season 5. New episodes aren't expected to air until next summer, but while we wait for the series to continue, you can find out what is headed to TV this fall with our premiere schedule.

Summer used to be a time when there was a dearth of TV, but now there are new TV shows popping up on nearly every date on the calendar. If you are looking for good dramas, new comedies or even programming that you can stream on Netflix or Hulu, we've put together a list of all of the great new programs--as well as the not-so-great ones--that will be hitting the schedule during the summer months. For your convenience, we've also included this spring's April dates.

The schedule is a work in progress, and dates are subject to change as the weather heats up. In the meantime, if there's a new or returning show you don't see on here, feel free to leave a comment and we'll see if we can dig up the date for you! We’ve also listed shows that haven’t been given official return dates and stuff that is expected to premiere later this summer, so if your favorite show doesn’t have a date, yet, take a look at the end of the list first! (Please note: listed times are in EST/PST.)

April

Friday, April 1

12:01 a.m. PT - THE RANCH - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Lost & Found Music Studios -Netflix

10:00 p.m. - Banshee - Cinemax

10:00 p.m. - Wynonna Earp - Syfy

Sunday, April 3

8:00 p.m. - Call the Midwife - PBS

Monday, April 4

6:00 p.m. - Powerpuff Girls - Cartoon Network

Wednesday, April 6

6:00 p.m. - The Real Housewives of New York City - Bravo

Thursday, April 7

8:30 p.m. - The Odd Couple - CBS

Friday, April 8

? p.m. - Catastrophe - Amazon Prime US premiere

Saturday, April 9

9:00 p.m. - Outlander - Starz

Sunday, April 10

?:00 p.m. - MTV Movie Awards - MTV

8:00 p.m. - The Girlfriend Experience - Starz

9:00 p.m. - House of Lies - Showtime

9:00 p.m. - Fear The Walking Dead - AMC

9:00 p.m. - Shahs of Sunset - Bravo

9:30 p.m. - DICE -Showtime

Monday, April 11

9:00 p.m. - Jackie Robinson - PBS

9:00 p.m. - THE DETOUR - TBS

10:00 p.m. - HUNTERS - Syfy

10:00 p.m. - The Real Housewives of Dallas - Bravo

Tuesday, April 12

10:00 p.m. - GAME OF SILENCE - NBC

Wednesday, April 13

8:00 p.m. - THE LAST PANTHERS - Sundance

10:00 p.m. - STRONG - NBC

Thursday, April 14

8:00 p.m. - Bones - Fox

9:00 p.m. - American Grit - Fox

10:00 p.m. - Orphan Black - BBC America

Friday, April 15

12:01 a.m. PT - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Kong: King of the Apes - Netflix

Saturday, April 16

12:01 a.m. PT - CONFIRMATION - HBO

2016 Netflix Premiere Schedule: New and Returning Shows

Monday, April 18

9:00 p.m. - 12 Monkeys - Syfy

9:00 p.m. - CLASS DIVIDE - HBO documentary

Tuesday, April 19

9:00 p.m. - CONTAINMENT - CW

10:00 p.m. - THE NIGHT MANAGER - AMC

Wednesday, April 20

? - Deadbeat - Hulu

10:30 p.m.. - Time Traveling Bong - Comedy Central

Thursday, April 21

10:00 p.m. - Inside Amy Schumer - Comedy Central

Sunday, April 24

9:00 p.m. - Game of Thrones - HBO

9:00 p.m. - Rebellion - Sundance miniseries

10:00 p.m. - Silicon Valley - HBO

10:30 p.m. - Veep - HBO

Monday, April 25

8:00 p.m. - Reign - The CW

8:00 p.m. - Mike & Molly - CBS

10:00 p.m. - Turn: Washington’s Spies - AMC

Friday, April 29

12:01 a.m. - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS - Netflix Movie

12:01 a.m. - TEAM FOXCATCHER - Netflix documentary

May

Sunday, May 1

8:00 p.m. - Young & Hungry - Freeform

8:30 p.m. - Baby Daddy - Freeform

10:00 p.m. - Penny Dreadful - Showtime

Monday, May 2

9:00 p.m. - HOUDINI & DOYLE - FOX

Tuesday, May 3

9:00 p.m. - Below Deck Mediterranean - Bravo

10:00 p.m. - Person Of Interest - CBS

Wednesday, May 4

9:00 p.m. - Maron - IFC

Friday, May 6

12:01 a.m. PT - MARSEILLE - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Grace and Frankie - Netflix

Monday, May 9

? - Every Brilliant Thing - HBO documentary

11 p.m. - HELLO GOODBYE - Travel channel

Wednesday, May 11

12:01 a.m. PT - CHELSEA - Netflix

Sunday, May 15

9:00 p.m. - Undercover Boss - CBS

Monday, May 16

9:00 p.m. - Wicked Tuna - NAT GEO

Wednesday, May 18

10:00 p.m. - Royal Pains - USA

Friday, May 20

12:01 a.m. PT - LADY DYNAMITE - Netflix

Saturday, May 21

8:00 p.m. - All The Way - HBO

Sunday, May 22

10:00 p.m. - PREACHER - AMC

Monday, May 23

8:00 p.m. - The Bachelorette - ABC

Monday, May 23

8:00 p.m. - The Bachelorette - ABC

8:00 p.m. - The Price Is Right - CBS nighttime special

Wednesday, May 25

9:00 p.m. - Wayward Pines - Fox

Thursday, May 26

8:00 p.m. - 500 Questions - ABC

9:00 p.m. - Red Nose Day - NBC

Friday, May 27

12:01 a.m. PT - Chef’s Table - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Bloodline - Netflix

Monday, May 30

? p.m. - ROOTS - History, Lifetime, A&E

8 p.m. - So You Think You Can Dance - Fox

9 p.m. - TOP GEAR - BBC America

9 p.m. - The Dresser - Starz

10 p.m. - Mistresses - ABC

Tuesday, May 31

8:00 p.m. - America’s Got Talent - NBC

10:00 p.m. - MAYA AND MARTY IN MANHATTAN - NBC

10:00 p.m. - Scream - MTV

June

Wednesday, June 1

8:00 p.m. - American Ninja Warrior - NBC

10:00 p.m. - Cleverman - Sundance

Thursday, June 2

9:00 p.m. - Beauty And The Beast - CW

Friday, June 3

9:00 p.m. - OUTCAST - Cinemax

9:00 p.m. - Marriage Boot Camp - WETV

Sunday, June 5

8:00 p.m. - Legends & Lies: The Patriots - Fox News

10:00 p.m. - FEED THE BEAST - AMC

Monday, June 6

9:00 p.m. - Rizzoli & Isles - TNT

9:00 p.m. - Devious Maids - Lifetime

10:00 p.m. - UnReal - Lifetime

Wednesday, June 8

8:00 p.m. - CMT MUSIC AWARDS - CMT

11:00 p.m. - Big Freedia - Fuse

11:30 p.m. - Transcendent - Fuse

Saturday, June 11

9:00 p.m. - O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA - ABC

9:00 p.m. - Hell On Wheels - AMC

10:00 p.m. - THE AMERICAN WEST - AMC

Sunday, June 12

8:00 p.m. - 70th Annual Tony Awards - CBS

9:00 p.m. - The Ride with Norman Reedus - AMC

9:00 p.m. - STILL THE KING - CMT

Monday, June 13

9:00 p.m. - Guilt - Freeform

10:00 p.m. - BRAINDEAD - CBS

10:00 p.m. - Major Crimes - TNT

Tuesday, June 14

8:00 p.m. - TO TELL THE TRUTH - ABC

9:00 p.m. - UNCLE BUCK - ABC

9:00 p.m. - ANIMAL KINGDOM - TNT

10:00 p.m. - WRECKED - TBS

Wednesday, June 15

?10:00 p.m. - Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee - Crackle

10:00 p.m. - Jay Leno's Garage - CNBC

Thursday, June 16

9:00 p.m. - Aquarius - NBC

Friday, June 17

12:01 a.m. PT - Orange is the New Black - Netflix

Sunday, June 19

9:00 p.m. - The Last Ship - TNT

10:00 p.m.- TOP SECRET SWIMMING HOLES - Travel

11:00 p.m.- 7 WATER WONDERS - Travel

Monday, June 20

8:00 p.m.- The Fosters - Freeform

10:00 p.m.- Odd Mom Out - Bravo

Tuesday, June 21

8:00 p.m. - Pretty Little Liars - Freeform

10:00 p.m. - GREENLEAF - OWN

Wednesday, June 22

8:00 p.m. - Big Brother - CBS

10:00 p.m. - AMERICAN GOTHIC - CBS

10:00 p.m. - The Jim Gaffigan Show - TV Land

Thursday, June 23

8:00 p.m. - Battlebots - ABC

Cancelled or Renewed? The Network Rundown Of What Shows Are Coming Back And What Are Not

Sunday, June 26

8:00 p.m. - Celebrity Family Feud - ABC

9:00 p.m. - Ray Donovan - Showtime

9:00 p.m. - THE $100,000 PYRAMID - ABC

10:00 p.m. - ROADIES - Showtime

10:00 p.m.- Murder in the First - TNT

Tuesday, June 28

9:00 p.m. - DEAD OF SUMMER - Freeform

9:00 p.m. - Zoo - CBS

Thursday, June 30

10:00 p.m. - Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll - FX

July And August

Friday, July 1

9:00 p.m. - Killyjoys - Syfy

10:00 p.m. - Dark Matter - Syfy

Sunday, July 3

10:00 p.m. - Island Explorers - Travel

Wednesday, July 6

10:00 p.m. - Tyrant - FX

Sunday, July 10

9:00 p.m. - THE NIGHT OF - HBO

Monday, July 11

8:00 p.m. - Penn & Teller: Fool Us - The CW

9:00 p.m. - Whose Line Is It Anyway? - The CW

10:00 p.m. - Running Wild With Bear Grylls - NBC

Wednesday, July 13

8:00 p.m. - The 2016 ESPYS - ABC

9:00 p.m. -Suits

- USA 10:00 p.m. - Mr. Robot - USA

Friday, July 15

12:01 a.m. PT - STRANGER THINGS - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru - Netflix

Sunday, July 17

9:00 p.m. - Power - Starz

10:00 p.m. - Survivor's Remorse - Starz

10 p.m. - Ballers - HBO

10:30 p.m. - VICE PRINCIPALS - HBO

11:00 p.m. - LIFE'S A BEACH - Travel

Tuesday, July 19

10 p.m. - SHOOTER - USA

Friday, July 22

12:01 a.m. PT - Degrassi - Netflix

12:01 a.m. PT - BoJack Horseman - Netflix

Sunday, July 24

? p.m. - Survivor's Remorse - STARZ

Thursday, July 28

10 p.m. - Ripper Street - BBC America

Friday, July 29

12:01 a.m. PT - Tallulah - Netflix

Sunday, July 31

8 p.m. - Sharknado: The 4th Awakens - Syfy

Tuesday, August 2

8:00 p.m. - Bachelor in Paradise - ABC

Wednesday, August 3

12:01 a.m. PT - BEAT BUGS - Netflix

8:00 p.m. - CMA Music Festival - ABC

10:00 p.m. - Paranormal Witness - Syfy

Friday, August 12

12:01 a.m. PT - THE GET DOWN - Netflix

Sunday, August 21

9:00 p.m. - Fear The Walking Dead - AMC

Monday, August 22

10:00 p.m. - Cheer Squad - Freeform

Tuesday, August 23

9:00 p.m. - Halt and Catch Fire - AMC (will air at 10 in subsequent weeks)

10:00 p.m. - The Profit - CNBC

10:00 p.m. - BETTER LATE THAN NEVER - NBC

Wednesday, August 24

10:00 p.m. - Cleveland Hustles - CNBC

10:00 p.m. - Gomorrah - Sundance

Friday, August 28

? - MTV VMAS - MTV

10:00 p.m. - The Strain - FX

Wednesday, August 31

10:00 p.m. - You're The Worst - FX

Other Potential Summer Premiere Dates

Masters of Sex is getting a fall premiere date

Andrew Zimmern’s Driven By Food

Switched at Birth has been pushed back to 2017.

Continue To Fall Schedule >

Every year around this time, we put together a list of the top shows we feel really pushed above and beyond and had a year for the ages. As a TV fanatic who watches way more programs from start to finish than many people could probably imagine finding time for, this list is always difficult, but I can’t remember a year before this one where it was this difficult to cull together a top 10. There’s so much great TV out there—as FX President John Landgraf is fond of saying, there’s too much TV out there—and comparing a drama to a comedy and a new show to one that is struggling through a sophomore slump was especially difficult this year. So, without further ado, here are my top 10 TV picks for 2015. Among them are a couple of brazen comedies, a series that is quietly thoughtful, a few fantasy dramas with beautiful costumes and one USA series with one of the tightest first seasons I’ve ever seen.

If you don’t agree with my picks, maybe you’ll have a bit more luck with Nick’s.

10. South Park, Comedy Central

South Park typically has a few memorable episodes each season, but Season 19 actually features 10 carefully plotted and masterfully written episodes that poke and prod at PC culture and encourage plenty of laughs. South Park struck gold when the show started featuring more continuity between episodes, and Season 19’s repeated nods at Internet bullying, getting a Whole Foods in a small town, luxury condos, charity shaming and so much more are all timely and hilarious. If you haven’t caught South Park in a while, Season 19 is the one to watch.

9. Togetherness, HBO

Togetherness is a quiet but wildly emotional comedy that hits high and low notes and makes us chuckle as often as it makes us cry. Sounds really fun, right? (Sarcasm.) Actually though, it kind-of rocks, thanks to performances from Melanie Lynskey, Amanda Peet, Steve Zissis, Mark Duplass and more. What I like about Togetherness most is that it feels like it is about real people. Real people who take their kids to the beach and get drunk with friends while playing games in the park. They can be selfish, whiny and soul-searching people, but they ring true nonetheless. Plus, the cliffhanger Togetherness ended its first season on left me wanting more.

8. Ray Donovan, Showtime

I’m glad Showtime stuck with Ray Donovan despite the fact the series wasn’t perfect right off the bat. As it turns out, Ray Donovan gets better as it ages, and the Liev Schreiber series finally gets it right with its third season. Much of this is thanks to some heavy lifting by John Voight, who gets into a brand new business in Season 3, but the show is finally starting to get its titular hero, too, as Donovan is still generally a badass, but one who isn't invincible and even gets cornered into a gig he doesn't want to take. Ray Donovan’s third season is striking, and it deserves a place on this top 10 list.

7. Game of Thrones, HBO

Game of Thrones was certainly one of the most talked-about series of the year. The summer finale of the drama left us on several cliffhangers, and the one surrounding Jon Snow has kept the internet busy in the months subsequent. Luckily, Game of Thrones has as much prestige as it has popularity, and I’m still thinking about the complex politics behind that walk of shame and much more months later. Season 5 was certainly not the HBO drama’s finest, but it’s still one of the best scripted and most complex series on TV, and manages to be entertaining despite the lofty adjectives that can be ascribed to it.

6. Jane The Virgin, The CW

Now in its second season, Jane The Virgin has milked a love triangle for all that it is worth. This sounds incredibly cliché, but the thing about the CW drama is that it is always winking at what is cliché and spinning it into something else. The cheeky take on the telenovela that follows a young woman who is accidentally artificially inseminated and eventually has the baby that has been planted inside of her is one of the best comedies on television right now. Plus, the fact the CW gives the show an hour to flesh out its characters and story development gives the series some added oomph. Here’s to hoping 2016 is as wild for Jane as 2015 was.

5. Veep, HBO

A perennial favorite amongst critics everywhere, HBO’s Veep just absolutely dominated on HBO this season. Selina Meyer is the President through all of this season, and works pretty hard to accomplish things while trying to get together her reelection party and platform. This leads to some hilarious subplots, including finding a Vice President to run on her ticket—which ends up going to Hugh Laurie’s Tom James, who is amazing. She’s also dealing with a pretty huge data breach that could prove to be her downfall. This one also left us on a reelection cliffhanger, because that’s apparently how HBO rolls.

4. Outlander, Starz

Starz has been creating fun period dramas with plenty of flair for a while now, with Black Sails and (the former series) Spartacus both helping the subscription cable network to grow more prominent in the original programming game. But its newcomer series Outlander adds time travel and an epic romance to the already excellent period shenanigans. Season 1 is a standout drama with a standout cast, set in the wilds of Scotland (although the show will be heading into Paris for Season 2). It’s an incredibly feminine series, so it may not make everyone’s list, but it's also an epic saga with infinite potential. Give it a watch.

3.The Grinder, Fox

While a lot of comedies take a few episodes to get rolling, The Grinder has known what it is from the very beginning. The comedy offers a fairly flawless pilot that capably sets up the series without any big mistakes and since that time has been able to add on to and improve its basic concept to create something a little more elevated. The last few episodes before winter break have been incredible, delving into backstory and the world of Hollywood along with the shenanigans from brothers Dean (Robe Lowe) and Stewart Sanderson (Fred Savage) that we are used to. With only nine episodes under its belt, The Grinder has already cemented itself as one of the best comedies on TV. Let’s hope it stays that way.

2. Mr. Robot, USA

The sharp new hacker drama Mr. Robot kicked off on USA—of all places—this spring. The series relies heavily on Rami Malek’s performance as Elliot, a young man who is dealing with dissociate issues and drug addiction, all while attempting to live a double live. He works at a corporation for a living. He hacks on the side. He’s weird and a little twisted, and his environment reflects that. Mr. Robot is a series about hacking, but ultimately it’s a series about a person’s psyche, much in the same way Mad Men was often more about Don Draper’s story than the advertising he dominated at. Its first season is compelling from start to finish and it deserves to be high on this list. Hopefully Season 2 will give us the same sort of experience.

1. Fargo, FX

Holy hell, am I happy I waited until this week’s fall finale of Fargo to write this top 10 list. To give you a gauge for how fantastic the setup for the Season 2 finale of the FX drama is, the episode was good enough to keep this one ahead of Mr. Robot on my list. The nods to the future, the dialogue between Peggy (Kirsten Dunst) and Lou (Patrick Wilson) and the way the series left off with Lou’s wife, Betsy (Cristin Milioti), all played out perfectly, wrapping up an already compelling and stylish series on the perfect note. By putting together another stacked cast and adding a touch of the absurd—no spoilers--Fargo has managed to exceed its first season in a lot of ways, and create a world that feels the same but also totally different at the same time. It is hands down the best 10 episodes of TV I engaged with this year. You betcha.

Close But No Cigar: The Americans, FX

Master of None, Netflix

Fresh Off The Boat, ABC

Black Sails, Starz

The Flash, The CW

Flesh and Bone, Starz

Banshee, Cinemax

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix

Photos courtesy of FX, USA, Fox, Starz, HBO, The CW and more.

We're nearing the holidays, which means a ton of big box sets have been appearing at various retailers over the last several weeks. It's a trend that will continue in December, as The Walking Dead fans, Marvel fans and more will see a few really cool sets hit shelves. A bunch of Digital releases are also out this month and while the new entries are thin compared to the last few months (which saw a bunch of this summer's hits get released), there's still a lot to choose from. You can take a look at the December 2015 stuff coming out soon, below.

December 1

Fear the Walking Dead: Season 1 Blu-ray

As a spinoff to one of the most popular TV shows currently airing, AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead had a built-in audience waiting to witness the origins of the outbreak that changed all of humanity. And though the show itself wasn’t as much of a game-changer as The Walking Dead proper, there is a lot to like about it, particularly the Los Angeles location and the mix of family drama with zombie action. As Madison Clark, Kim Dickens plays the mother of a sporadic addict (Frank Dillane) and an intelligent sorta-rebel (Alycia Debnam-Clark), and she’s dating Cliff Curtis’ English teacher Travis Manawa, whose family baggage includes a moody son (Lorenzo James Henrie) and a snappy but kindhearted ex-wife (Elizabeth Rodriguez). (Other characters include a troubled family led by Ruben Blades and Mercedes Mason.) Though it’s only six episodes, Season 1 gives audiences a good look at how rapidly things spiral into madness when incurable epidemics arise, and how humans are often just as dangerous as the undead in these situations. Unfortunately, the two-disc Blu-ray only comes with two special features that give generic background info on the show itself and the characters; a commentary or two would have been nice. Still, at least the show is good. Order it here.

Other December 1 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

The Walking Dead Season 5 Limited Edition Blu-ray

Amy

Mistress America

Goodnight Mommy

90 Minutes in Heaven

Grace of Monoco DVD

Some Kind of Beautiful

Cooties

Assassination

Zoo: Season 1

Mississippi Grind

Lost in the Sun

Tokyo Tribe

The Hunting Ground

Roger Waters The Wall

Amy Schumer: Live At The Apollo

Week of December 1 Digital Releases

Ted 2

Life (December 4)

Transporter Refueled

December 8

Minions Blu-ray

At its very core, a Minions movie shouldn’t work. The small, yellow villainous aids don’t really speak after all, and typically communicate via somewhat discernible voices. But thanks to a clever voiceover, numerous site gags and a few human characters, Minions is pretty fun. Now, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released the full Blu-ray for the hit animated flick, and if you grab the 3D Blu-ray, not only does it come with a fun 3D cover, but it also comes with a slew of extras directly aimed at fans of the Despicable Me franchise films. An interactive map is on the disc, which features fun animated work from the film and more, although it’s not really that kid friendly. The highly-touted 3 brand new Minions mini-movies are perfect for the kids, though. You might miss them if you are going through the other extras if you aren’t paying attention, as they are listed on the menu separately from the other bonus features, but that’s a small complaint. If you want an idea of what these mini movies are like, there’s a whole website dedicated to them. There’s hardly ever a time that bonus features are truly outstanding, but the min imovies really work; my favorite was "Cro Minion," but it’s a toss up. Order the Blu-ray itself over at Amazon.

Ant-Man Blu-ray

It’s hard to believe characters like Ant-Man and Star-Lord have managed to capture the collective hearts of audiences around the world, but here we are about to head into 2016 and both franchises are household names. Ant-Man, in fact, managed to bank more than 500 million worldwide at the box office, and should have a pretty good run on Blu-ray. The movie follows Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, a former criminal who has recently been released from prison and through a series of interesting coincidences he comes into contact with Marvel’s Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), is introduced to the Ant-Man suit and goes on a mission to save the world from a very bad villain, much like Marvel’s other movies. It’s all a bit different, however, considering the Ant-Man can shrink and has a bunch of ants to help him get in (and out of) tight spots

Anthony Mackie (reprising his role as Falcon), Lang’s buddy Luis (Michael Pena) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) are all nice additions to the cast, and if you haven’t caught Ant-Man yet, you should really give the movie a watch. Since you are checking this review, we are guessing you have, and you you’ll probably be happy to hear that Walt Disney Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray release of the film is worth checking out. There’s deleted scenes and the like, including one showing posing as a cable guy to get into Pym’s home. There’s a gag reel too—which fits since the movie is among the funniest Marvel has put out--and audio commentary that’s worth poking your head into if you are interested in Peyton Reed’s take on the film. .

At the end of the day, Ant-Man is also the movie closing out Marvel’s Phase 2, and it’s worth picking up. The Ant-Man Blu-ray, DVD and Digital release is available everywhere, today, and you can order it, here.

Other December 8 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 2 Collection

Hannibal: Season Three

X-Files: The Collector’s Set

The X-Files Complete Season Blu-rays Seasons 1-9

Under The Dome: Season 3

Aladdin Blu-ray (December 10)

The Transporter Refueled

Knock Knock

Family Guy Season 13

You Can't Take It With You Capra Collection Blu-ray

Week of December 8 Early Digital Releases

War Room

Pawn Sacrifice Hitman Agent 47 (December 11)

December 15

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Blu-ray

A lot of people dig the fantastic sets and cool wit within Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, but I’m happy to tell you the basic storyline works, too (as McQuarrie notes on the Blu-ray, he "jam(med) as much exposition as you can into small spaces.") Soon after we catch up with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), a mysterious entity known as the Syndicate becomes a major chess player in the game, wreaking havoc. Unfortunately, the IMF is disbanded and Hunt becomes the lone rogue who can save the day, maybe with a few of his old teammates helping out covertly. Former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) also joins Hunt on the adventure, which packs a complex story into 2 hours and 11 minutes. Bonus features within Paramount Home Media Distribution’s set include a look at the big plane scene from the beginning of the film—which has been everywhere in the time since. Cruise also actually sits down with writer/ director Christopher McQuarrie for the commentary, as well. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the fifth movie in the franchise may very well be the best Mission: Impossble. Judge for yourself when you nab the Blu-ray, DVD and Digital copy, here.

Ted 2 Blu-ray

Three years ago, Universal Studios brought us Ted, a raunch comedy that came right in the middle of the Mila Kunis trend and made more than half a billion dollars worldwide. Of course, that sort of success often leads to sequels, which is why Ted 2 is being released onto Blu-ray—sans Mila Kunis—this month. In the opening moments of the Seth MacFarlane directed movie, Ted (also Seth MacFarlane) is moving forward with his life, marrying his sweetheart Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). However, Ted’s happiness is short-lived as his personhood comes into question and he has to fight to get his life back after being declared property. His pal, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), joins him on the journey but ends up involved in his own romantic subplot with Sam L. Jackson (Amanda Seyfried), instead. The movie has its moments but is ultimately uneven; the extras on the disc are also uneven, but the unfinished deleted scenes are still worth a watch and at one point features MacFarlane slinging insults at the characters played by Wahlberg and Seyfried. Most importantly, if you wondered how the impressive Comic-Con set was constructed and worked out without actually being shot at Comic-Con, there’s actually a couple of short segments on that available in the special features. You can order Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray set, which includes a DVD and Digital copy, over at Amazon.

Other December 15 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Fantastic 4

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation –The Finale DVD

Extant: The Second Season

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

He Named Me Malala

Mission Impossible: The Ultimate Collection

Time out of mind

December 22

Pan Blu-ray

Director Joe Wright has been known for his large set pieces and interesting staging for some time. His new film Pan takes a cue from his last film Anna Karenina in terms of a unique look and perspective, and is equally memorable. However, the story told in Pan is less so. This reimagining of the classic J.M. Barrie novel has little in common with Barrie’s work. Instead it’s an origin story set in WWII, featuring pirates who snatch orphans and stow them on a boat in the sky, including Peter (Levi Miller), who later earns the nickname Pan. The characters seem new in this version; Smee and Hook are both much younger men (Adeel Akhtar and Garrett Hedlund) and the real ruthless villain is none other than Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman). Once in Neverland, it’s all pretty fanciful and looks great on my home TV, but the story isn’t quite there. At least there are some musical moments that are odd but perfect (like Nirvana rendition near the beginning). Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set is available on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and Digital, and a slew of extras make their way onto the disc—at least if you purchase the Blu-ray copy. Fans of Joe Wright will be pleased to see director’s commentary with the set, and other extras look at the elaborate look at Neverland, early concept art and how Pan was inspired by J.M. Barrie’s original works. Producer Greg Berlanti pops up in some of these extras and I half expected him to go all Arrow on us, but he behaves himself. Overall the bonus features are a B+. If you liked the pirate weirdness, you can order Pan over at Neverland Amazon.

December 22 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Pawn Sacrifice

War Room

Pan

Nasty Baby

Dragon Blade

Defiance: Season Three

Dominion: Season Two

Week of December 22 Early Digital Releases

The Martian

Everest

December 29

December 29 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Ray Donovan: Season Three

The Intern

The Perfect Guy

Walk In The Woods

Hitman Agent 47

Jenny’s Wedding

Shameless: Season Five

Heist

Bone Tomahawk

It feels as if it was only yesterday that Showtime’s older originals like Weeds began phasing out, leaving room for the likes of Masters of Sex and Ray Donovan to air in the schedule. It wasn’t exactly yesterday, however. Today, Showtime announced it is renewing both Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex for Season 4.

The announcement was made this morning during the Television Critics Association summer tour and was quickly confirmed on both the Masters of Sex and Ray Donovan’s social media accounts.

The renewal has actually come pretty early this year. The two shows air together as part of Showtime’s summer TV schedule, and both shows just began airing their third seasons in July. New episodes will continue to hit the schedule through this September, so there is plenty of content left to air this season. Still, it's nice to know both shows will be back next summer.

Interestingly, while Masters of Sex and Ray Donovan have both found critical favor, with both shows earning a couple of Emmy nods this year, they aren’t huge ratings bringers for the subscription cable network. (Donovan's fixer premise does attract more eyeballs than the more scientific Masters of Sex.) On the bright side, the Showtime dramas don’t have to worry as much about the Live + same day numbers, as subscribers are welcome to tune in anytime they want. On the other hand, it would be nice if Showtime could nab another drama that brought in big total viewership along with the critical acclaim.

Coming up, Showtime has new episodes of Homeland and The Affair hitting the schedule, while Penny Dreadful has also been renewed. Recently, the subscription cable channel also released the new trailer for its upcoming drama Billions, which will star Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis (formerly of Homeland). Finally, the network is also working on and adaptation of Patti Smith’s memoir Just Kids.

There’s a lot of good stuff coming up, but for now you can catch Ray Donovan on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET. Masters of Sex follows on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET. In the meantime, you can catch the midseason preview for Masters of Sex, released today, below.

If you’re looking ahead, here’s the full fall TV schedule.

July 4th is a great time of year to celebrate the birth of our great nation and appreciate Independence, democracy and our troops whilst filling our stomachs with barbecued goodies and feasting our eyes on fireworks displays. Or we can stay inside and watch non-stop The Walking Dead episodes back to back to back! I mean, maybe it's raining. Or maybe zombies are how you want to acknowledge Independence Day. The point is, TV has plenty to offer those who prefer the comfort of their living rooms to outdoor festivities.

We've begun the process of rounding up the various Fourth of July TV marathons. We'd be happy to add to the list as more runs of TV shows (or movies) are brought to our attention. In the meantime, here's what we've gathered thus far for the 2014 July 4th weekend, which begins this Friday:

Syfy- Twilight Zone marathon begins at 8 a.m. on Friday, after which it resumes on Saturday at midnight (airing 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. Saturday night).

Starz - Episodes 1-4 of Power will air on Friday night beginning at 9:00 p.m.

Showtime - Masters of Sex Season 1 will begin airing Friday at 6:00 p.m. The marathon is followed by Ray Donovan Season 1, which begins airing Sunday, July 6.

AMC - All four seasons of The Walking Dead will air back to back, beginning Friday at 9:00 a.m. Catch a preview special for TWD Season 5 hosted by Chris Hardwick (featuring Scott Gimple and Aisha Tyler) on Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Hub - Hub's celebrating Transformers' 30th anniversary by airing Transformers Rescue Bots, Transformers: The Animated Movie, Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Predacons Rising, beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Friday.

MTV - MTV has an Awkward marathon starting Friday at 11:30 a.m. There's a run of Catfish episodes beginning at 6:00 p.m., and then a Ridiculousness marathon beginning Friday night at 10:00 p.m. and airing all the way through most of Saturday.

USA - USA has NCIS set to air Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., And then a run of Modern Family episodes airing Friday from 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

E! - E! has Sex and the City episodes airing on Friday from 2:00 p.m. ET to Midnight.

Comedy Central - CC has five episodes of South Park airing at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. And then there's a big Futurama marathon airing Sunday starting at 4:30 p.m.

TNT - Find all three Lord of the Rings movies (Fellowship of the Rings, Two Towers and Return of the King) airing on Sunday starting at 9 a.m.

Food Channel: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives will air on Friday, starting at 6:30 p.m. all the way through to 4:00 a.m. Friday night (or technically very early Saturday morning.) The series will return for another late night run, beginning 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evening. The Pioneer Woman has a run of episodes lined up on Sunday starting at 1:30 p.m.

A&E: Get your fill of Dog the Bounty Hunter from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, then it's non-stop Criminal Minds from 4:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.

TLC: TLC has a Duggar family marathon going on starting Friday at 6:00 a.m. with episodes of 17 Kids and Counting, leading to A Very Duggar Wedding at 8:00 a.m. and then 18 and 19 Kids and Counting airing all day (until 7:00 p.m.) on Friday, starting at 9:00 a.m., after which TLC shifts to lots and lots of Say Yes to the Dress. There's more of Say Yes to the Dress on Saturday (1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.) airing after a run of Extreme Couponing (9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.).

Travel Channel - Food Paradise will air Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Discovery - There's plenty of Fast N' Loud airing Friday 3:00 p.m. to 2 a.m.. Then on Saturday at 11:00 p.m. Alaskan Bush People will air a run of episodes. At 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, you'll find plenty of Deadliest Catch.

IFC - Starting at 6:00 a.m. Friday, IFC will air the original Batman TV show.

National Geographic - Nat Geo has Life Below Zero marathoning starting at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and airing all day. On Saturday, they're marathoning Alaska State Troopers. And then on Sunday at noon, they'll start airing The 80s: The Decade that Made Us all day leading up to the premiere of the first part of their miniseries The 90s: The Last Great Decade.

Netflix - Obviously, Netflix has no shortage of binge-watchable material. But if you haven't gotten caught up on Orange is the New Black or House of Cards, both are well worth a look and each series has two seasons already!

We'll be sure to update with more marathons if we hear about them! Know of a great TV marathon airing this weekend? Feel free to drop it in the comments!

Two of Showtime’s most successful freshmen series, Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex are finally returning to our small screens. And you won't have to wait until the pesky fall for their arrival. Both sophomore series will make summertime debuts with 12, one-hour episodes on Sunday, July 13th.

Kicking off the evening at 9PM will be Ray Donovan. The Liev Schreiber-starrer stands as Showtime’s highest-rated freshman series ever, garnering Golden Globe nominations for its stars. Both Schreiber and his father (portrayed by Jon Voight) will serve as a lead-in to critical darling Masters of Sex at 10PM.

For those unaware, Schreiber stars as the titular Ray Donovan, Los Angeles’ “best professional fixer.” Donovan is the sort of fella celebrities, athletes, and even well-to-do business moguls call to make their, uh, complicated and messy situations go byesies. And surely, after the season one cliffhanger, the fallout surrounding Boston mobster and fugitive Sully’s (James Wood) murder, will be compelling to watch. Season two is said to “explore the fallout of his murder for Ray, his father Mickey (Voight) and the FBI, headed by LA Bureau Chief Cochran (guest star Hank Azaria).” The cast also includes Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Dash Mihok, Steven Bauer, Katherine Moennig, Pooch Hall, Kerris Dorsey and Devon Bagby. Oscar-nominated actor Elliott Gould will return as a special guest star, in addition to Gould and Azaria, alongside an impressive line-up of additional guest stars, including Ann-Margret, Wendell Pierce, Sherilyn Fenn, Vinessa Shaw, Brian Geraghty, Heather McComb and Kip Pardue. Last year Ray Donovan saw an average of 5.7 million weekly viewers.

And as for one of our favorite new dramas of last year, the incomparable Masters of Sex, the series will maintain a 10PM timeslot on Sundays, will again focus on Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) as the real-life sexuality pioneers that ultimately lead to the sexual revolution of the 1960s — largely thanks to their work in the field of documenting human sexual response. The scientific and saucy series will continue to chronicle the curious lives, romance, and research that led to the duo’s pop culture infamy and acclaim. The series, an adaptation of Thomas Maier’s book of the same name, will see new and returning faces in its upcoming second season.

Averaging 4.8 million weekly viewers, Masters of Sex will see the return of several of its season one stars — including Caitlin Fitzgerald, Teddy Sears and Annaleigh Ashford — in addition to the exciting cast additions we wrote about yesterday, Breaking Bad’s Betsy Brandt and Keke Palmer, who will guest star for the season. The series was created and executive produced by the brilliant Michelle Ashford.

Ray Donovan made a big splash when it debuted on Showtime earlier this month, setting the record as the network's most-watched series premiere ever. If you were paying attention back then, it probably doesn't surprise you to hear now that the show has been renewed for a second season. The network made the announcement today, with the detail that the second season is scheduled to debut in 2014. Here's what Showtime's President of Entertainment David Nevins had to say about the renewal:

If you haven't caught an episode yet, here's the skinny: Schreiber stars as the titular character, a "fixer' operating out of Hollywood who's called in to clean up when his wealthy clients get into a fix. A Boston native with the kind of colorful family that movies and TV shows always seem to want to associate with the region, Ray Donovan gets in even deeper with his family when his father (played by Jon Voight) is unexpectedly released from prison, "setting off a chain of events that shakes the Donovan family to its core," according to the Showtime boilerplate.

Though the show has gotten strong enough ratings to compete with its network sibling Dexter-- it actually had more viewers for its second episode, the first time that's ever happened for a Showtime drama-- the critical response has been a little more muted. In our review Jesse called it out for a "signature lack of subtlety" endemic to Showtime as a whole, though he did at least admit that it showed "glimpses of greatness and potential for improvement." Here's more of what he had to say:

If you like what you've seen from Ray Donovan so far, let us know in the comments. And for a look at the season ahead, here's the extended trailer for Season 1.

Ray Donovan may not yet be a household name like Dexter or Homeland's Carrie Mathison, but he's well on his way to being one of the most famous names in the Showtime stable. The new drama series, fronted by Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight, debuted last night to massive ratings-- according to Variety it's the biggest premiere for any Showtime series ever, with 1.35 million audience tuning in. Add in the people who caught the show in preview "samples" and those who tuned in for the re-run late last night, more than 3 million people have watched Ray Donovan already.

Its numbers were still eclipsed, naturally, by the season premiere of Dexter, which brought in 3.2 million people overall to catch the start of its eighth and final season. If you weren't one of those 3.2 million, it's not too late-- you can watch the full episode here and discuss it, or look ahead to our review of the episode's first few seasons. Here's a bit of what Kelly had to say about it-- she thinks this new season has the potential to live up to Dexter's glory days:

As for Ray Donovan, Jesse wasn't quite as wild about it in his review of the premiere episode, which he said suffered from a serious lack of subtlety. Then again, on a network that still reveals in the many antics of Shameless and House of Lies, that's not necessarily a bad thing. You can also watch the show's full premiere episode here, and for a look at what's ahead in the season to come, check out the intense extended trailer below.

Showtime’s Ray Donovan kicked off on Sunday night with an introduction to a fixer and his messy family dynamics, as well as to the seedy side of the Hollywood clientale he serves. With Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight headlining an extensive cast, the series showed promise in its first episode. If you found the show gripping enough to continue, Showtime has now released an extended trailer giving audience a few glimpses into what is yet to come.

There’s some great moments where Schreiber actually shows us how scary he can get when he gets angry but his face remains impassive. While most of the trailer is disturbing and violent, I especially love it when we get a break from that stuff and Donovan's client describes a kid as “the black Justin Bieber,” as if what Hollywood needs in this very moment is another Bieber-type. Then, there’s Jon Voight’s Mickey, who already seems up to his old antics after getting out of prison. Additionally, I’m starting to love Donovan’s wife in the series. She’s got a lot of the typical social climber and nagger in her in the series, but her passion and her fervor make a nice foil for Donovan’s control.

Since the dark tone and threats permeating the series don’t make for quippy cut-to’s, this trailer is overly heavy-handed and doesn’t give us enough big moments with our main characters to really invest in what we're watching. Luckily, I've already caught the premiere and will probably continue, regardless of the extended trailer. if you missed Sunday’s premiere, Showtime has already put together some nicer, lengthier clips of the pilot episode that will give potential audiences more of an indication regarding what they are about to delve into. Additionally, even if you don’t subscribe to Showtime, the pilot episode is currently available online.

Reviews for the pilot episode have been generally positive, and while I felt the episode was a little clunky at times, it made enough inroads to give me a reason to return next week. While I liked the pilot, not everyone at TV Blend feels the same way. Luckily, since pilots are notoriously clunky, this one will get the opportunity to work out the kinks over the coming weeks, and I really hope Ray Donovan ends up hitting a smooth stride and finding a nicely sized audience (which can be difficult on Sundays, even during the summer) by the end of its first season.

Ray Donovan airs on Showtime on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET.

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"You think you're the first person I've dealt with who woke up in bed with a dead body?"

Of the several new series debuting this summer, Ray Donovan looked among (if not) the most promising. Then again, the same could have been - and likely was - said about House of Lies, Showtime's big premiere the previous year, and the racy dramedy turned out to be a huge disappointment. Sure, its renewals may suggest otherwise but that's not always the best barometer for quality. Perhaps the success of that series, not to mention the network's propensity to produce shows 'turned up to 11,' should have served as a warning sign that Ray Donovan would likely also lack any hint of subtlety, however, the stellar talent behind the crime drama had me holding out hope for an outlier similar to the first season of Homeland. Nope. As many other reviews have probably said by now, the new series needs to call in a fixer.

Created by Southland showrunner Ann Biderman, Ray Donovan is about a ‘fixer’ solving the seedy problems of Hollywood’s rich and famous. For those who haven’t seen Michael Clayton (first, you should), a fixer is someone who’s paid to clean up whatever mess his wealthy clients may have gotten themselves into and ensure that no details make their way into the press. Unless, of course, they are the details that you wanted leaked. It’s all explained quite well in the first quarter of the episode as we watch Ray (Liev Schreiber) go to work on what must be the most cliched situation imaginable for this scenario. Like we all haven’t dealt with someone who woke up next to a dead body. On-screen, of course. Unfortunately the situations and characters don’t get any less stock than that as the pilot progresses but at least they are handled almost as over the top as possible.

Again, I think it's a symptom of Showtime's development process where I imagine the voice-box from Dude, Where's My Car? constantly asking "and then?" during every pitch. One of the things that made Michael Clayton so interesting was the juxtaposition between his family life and his job, mostly how the despicable nature of the latter was keeping him from finding happiness in the former. His brother's perfect family was a symbol of what he could be had he not gone down the wrong path and also made everything he fixed seem even more interesting. Ray Donovan, on the other hand, seems to be trying to outdo the craziness of his job with an even crazier home life which only serves to undermine the effect of both. When the show is always at 11, it's hard to engage emotionally. The television equivalent of a blockbuster. All spectacle. And this attitude pervades not just the storytelling and characterization but also seeps into many of the performances.

Jon Voight hasn't been very good in years but his Mickey Donovan is still one of the worst in recent memory. The man hasn't met an accent he didn't like. Or could do. And Elliot Gould, the other living legend in the cast, is similarly cartoonish. I'm also usually a big fan of both Eddie Marsan and Dash Mihok but their characters (Donovan brothers, Teddy and Bunchy) are exactly what I'm talking about with the 'and then' amplification of every aspect of the show. Bunchy has a history worthy of three series of his own. On the bright side, Liev Scheiber as Ray is fantastic as always as is Paula Malcolmson (Deadwood) as his wife Abby. Somehow the pair are able to rise way above the material and every second they share the screen is incredibly watchable. Oh, and Ambyr Childers is mesmerizingly beautiful, which might be enough to pull off her part. Finally, Katherine Moennig (The L Word) plays Ray's lesbian colleague Lena and the economy and skill with which they handled her introduction is another (albeit brief) bit of the pilot that gives me hope the series will improve with time.

A lot of my complaints and criticisms might simply be a the result of a pilot episode simply trying to do too much, which is certainly not out of the ordinary as many series struggle to find their footing. And for all the bad-mouthing I just did, Ray Donovan does at least show glimpses of greatness and potential for improvement. The show looks great (the blues of Boston versus the bright lights of Hollywood), moves fast and features a fantastic leading man and woman (Schreiber and Malcolmson), Biderman and company just need to find a way to tone down the delivery. It's weird to tell a series to scale back on the drama but Showtime needs to take a cue from some of HBO's most critically acclaimed shows (whether it's The Sopranos, The Wire or even Boardwalk Empire) and be brave enough to do less. Or at least less all at once. For all its initial faults, at least Ray Donovan will have me tuning in to see if the Showtime series can be fi... improved.

"Don't let the wolf in the gate..."

Ray Donovan premieres tonight at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime. Or watch it HERE. Created by Ann Biderman, the series stars Liev Schreiber, Paula Malcomson, Jon Voight, Elliot Gould, Eddie Marsan, Katherine Moennig, Dash Mihok and James Woods.

The line between good guys and bad guys has gotten grayer and grayer among some of the more complex and compelling TV shows airing these days. Those looking for a male character who's a beacon of hope, goodwill and high morals can head into theaters this weekend to catch the highly anticipated Man of Steel. Those looking for more of a dark side in their hero (or anti-hero) have only to turn on the television in the coming weeks. We looked over the Summer TV line-up and found that this year's scripted programming has a pretty fantastic selection of bad-boy characters looking primed to cause some trouble.

Whether they're villainous, mischievous, dangerous or simply trouble-making, here are eight TV bad boys headed for the small screen this summer (ordered by series premiere date).

Ben "The Butcher" Diamond - Magic City

Magic City presents Miami in the fifties, a city of bright colors, glitz and glamour, with cool costumes and even cooler cars. On the surface, Miami is a picturesque but fast-paced town, but at its heart, the city is hopping, thanks to gangsters and gamblers and men willing to cut and make under-the-table deals. In Magic City, the best of the worst is Ben Diamond, a high-end city mobster who skillfully negotiates (read: bribes) the police, doesn’t take crap from anyone, and has managed to carve out a kingly niche for himself in Miami.

Diamond isn’t your usual bootlegging thinking man. Known as “The Butcher,” he’s brilliant and cruel, and while he sometimes sends henchmen to do his dirty work for him, he more often than not is perfectly happy to get his hands messy, as well. Nothing was as frightening and impression-forming as watching Diamond kill his own dog while it was playing with his wife by the pool in Season 1, and with so many unresolved plotlines and so much promised intrigue ahead in Season 2, he’ll be the biggest baddie around this summer.Magic City returns Friday, June 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET on Starz.

Bill Compton - True Blood

It’s a strange world that sees True Blood’s Bill Compton on this list. Compton’s a vampire, true, but he’s also a fine southern gentleman, Sookie’s former lover and a man with true power and esteem in his community. Bill has a shown the ability to be absent emotion and even nefarious, however his brand new path as a god-beast full of religious vampire fervor has made it clear the man will be a straight-up bad boy moving forward. In truth, there’s nothing else many fans would rather see.

Instead of the dully romantic Sookie-Eric-Bill love triangle, all previews indicate that Season 6 of True Blood will have some real stakes, both for humans and for the supernatural communities. At the heart of this is Bill’s new form and capabilities, which HBO’s teasers have indicated, includes an ability to walk in the daylight. That should make him uniquely capable of playing an integral part in setting up the war between vampires and humanity that’s coming, and given his newfound outlook, we can only guess how bloody the battles will be. True Blood returns Sunday, June 16 on HBO.

Bender - Futurama

"Bite my shiny metal ass!" You can't have a list of bad boys without Bender Bending Rodriguez, the baddest bot in the universe. Well, baddest bending-unit in the universe, he's no Robot Devil or Santa or anything. But with Futurama gearing up for their final season on Comedy Central, expect all out, no holds barred debauchery from Bender. Not that he ever really held back, smoking, boozing and stealing his way through his time as a member of the Planet Express crew. Oh, he also occasionally calls for the death of all humans. You know, just your average lovable tramp.

In Season 7A alone the surly robot fathered an illegitimate son, served his best friends as sausage (or so he thought) and became a paparazzo. And we've already gotten a glimpse of a few of the baseless acts that Bender gets up to during the (second half of the) seventh season with the first trailer showing the robot, voiced by John DiMaggio (an added bonus for Adventure Time fans is getting to hear a foul mouthed Jake) at his worst, whether it's trying to mug his best friends at carrot-point, desecrating some bones or simply tap dancing on all of their heads. Looks like good fun! Futurama returns with special back-to-back episodes starting at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 19 on Comedy Central.

Wilfred - Wilfred

Wilfred might be the only one on the list that actually gets called a ‘bad boy.’ The phrase is just something owners have to occasionally say to man’s best friend, even (or especially) if that man’s best friend is a man in a dog suit. Technically, Wilfred’s ontological status is more a matter of perception and certainly up for debate but his depravity on the other hand is unquestionable. Jason Gann’s titular canine is one sick puppy and it’s always a lot of fun watching him get Elijah Wood’s Ryan in over his head. Or just hanging out on the couch in the basement smoking a bong, scratching himself and shooting the shit.

And the bad boys are coming back to FX just in time for the dog days of summer with the third season of the existential comedy starting next week. It seems impossible that the two could possibly get into more trouble or engage in any more disgusting(ly hilarious) behavior than they have these last two years - one especially intimate encounter resulted in the owner getting doused in doggy ejaculate - but let’s hope the new showrunners can somehow unleash even more twisted laughs. Wilfred returns with special back-to-back episodes starting at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 20 on FX (surprisingly not FXX). Things should get ruff.

Big Jim Rennie - Under the Dome

Assuming his Under the Dome character Big Jim Rennie is anything like the character featured in Stephen King's novel, we should expect to see a darker side of Dean Norris come June 24 when the CBS series makes its debut. Big Jim's not just a big fish in the small pond that is Chester's Mill, he's the big fish, and when that pond becomes a fishbowl, Jim's thirst for power expands. The novel's version of the character is successful in business and politics, manipulative and cunning, and worst of all, he's convinced that his way is the right way. He presents himself as an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, while in truth, he's anything but.

Those of us who know Dean Norris from his role as DEA Agent Hank Schrader in Breaking Bad know that the actor can play up the good-guy law enforcer type beautifully, and that may serve him well in his portrayal of Big Jim when the character is showing his good-guy face. But there's a dark side to this character and one Norris may be just as perfectly suited to reveal. Big Jim's not the kind of guy you want to get on the wrong side of, and when the dome drops down, make no mistake, he wants to be calling the shots. And he's not the only bad boy under the dome. We'll also want to keep an eye out for Big Jim's son Junior (Alexander Koch), who has his own dark side to hide.

Dexter Morgan - Dexter

Dexter Morgan’s life was once a serial killer’s compartmentalized dream. With the occasional exception, he murdered those who wouldn’t be missed or those who good-hearted people knew they shouldn’t look for. That code has slowly gone out the window over the years, but at no point has there ever been more loose ends than at this very moment. One of those famous Miami hurricanes is about to descend on the entire homicide department, and it’s hard to imagine how Dexter is going to be able to kill his way out of it.

Maybe he’ll head for Argentina. Maybe he’ll walk into a police station to save those he loves. Maybe he’ll go on a murderous tear unlike anything we’ve ever seen. There is an incredible number of possible ways the writers could choose to end Dexter’s thrilling eight season run, and in Michael C. Hall’s capable hands, there’s no reason to think we won’t all be glued to the television for every last gory, pulsating and macabre detail. As bad boys go, this blood spatter analyst is truly the most sociopathic. Dexter's final season premieres Sunday, July 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET on Showtime.

Ray Donovan - Ray Donovan

Of all of these bad boys, Ray Donovan may be the biggest mystery, given that this is a new show, which hasn't actually premiered yet. But we've gotten a peek at Showtime's new series and there's definitely a dark side to Liev Schreiber's character. Ray Donovan is a man who lives by his own moral code, making a living in Los Angeles by fixing the problems and cleaning up the messes of his wealthy clientele. On the surface, he's as cool as a cucumber and reserved enough to fit in among the sophisticated Hollywood elite, but behind that stubbled face and soothing deep voice is a guy from south Boston who knows how to crack his knuckles and get the job done.

Ray Donovan certainly has the bad-boy edge, but he's also a husband and father trying to do right by his family. And he's not numb to the things he's dealing with. That adds a layer of depth to the character and this series. Jon Voight's character Mickey, Ray's father, also has a dark side, though he's well versed at concealing that with his charismatic personality. Both Schreiber and Voight's performances as dark male characters are two reasons to keep an eye out for Ray Donovan when it premieres on Showtime on Sunday, June 30 after the Dexter premiere.

Walter White - Breaking Bad

When Breaking Bad began, Bryan Cranston’s Walter White was an incompetent, bumbling wannabe criminal with some science knowhow, serious money problems and a worrisome expiration date. Now he’s a cold-hearted, scary and largely unsympathetic bastard who sports both a body count and more money than he can launder. Watching that transformation has been nothing short of incredible, but it has also left an uneasy lingering feeling that this won’t end with anything other than destruction. Walt/ Heisenberg has come too far to simply trot into the sunset with his riches and his family.

There are three types of bad guys. Those who do some reckless shit but are basically good-hearted (like Fonzie), those who are straight up evil and villainous in damn near everyway (like Russell Edgington) and those who occupy some middle ground in which they sometimes display a good heart and are sometimes horrendous human beings (like Tony Soprano). Walt started as that first category, but over the years, he’s most definitely tumbled into the third category. If nothing else, these final episodes beg to be a battle for our hero’s soul. Will he continue the descent into villainy, or will he start thinking like a science teacher again? We’ll see. Breaking Bad returns Sunday, August 11 on AMC.

The summer TV season has begun, as most of the Midseason series have wrapped up and we're starting to see the networks roll out their summer offerings. Once upon a time, summer was the down season for TV, but in this day and age, cable and network television offer a nice variety of scripted and unscripted programming to fill the gap between spring and fall. This year, that includes the return of Falling Skies, Burn Notice and Drop Dead Diva, as well as the premieres of new series like Under the Dome, Devious Maids and The Hero.

Here's the summer schedule, thanks in part to TVline. Dates are subject to change, and we'll continue to update additional premiere dates as they come in. In the meantime, if there's a summer show that you don't see on here, let us know in the comments and we'll see if we can dig up the date!

Sunday, June 2

8:00 p.m. The Killing - AMC

Monday, June 3

9:00 p.m. The Fosters - ABC Family

10:00 p.m. Mistresses - ABC

10:00 p.m. Teen Wolf - MTV

Tuesday, June 4

9:00 p.m. America's Got Talent - NBC

9:00 p.m. Total Blackout - Syfy

10:00 p.m. Exit - Syfy

Thursday, June 6

8:00 p.m. The Hero - TNT

9:00 p.m. 72 Hours - TNT

9:00 p.m. Burn Notice - USA

10:00 p.m. Graceland - USA

Friday, June 7

10:00 p.m. Continuum - Syfy

Sunday, June 9

9:00 p.m. Falling Skies - TNT

Monday, June 10

8:00 p.m. Switched at Birth - ABC Family

9:00 p.m. Major Crimes - TNT

10:00 p.m. King & Maxwell - TNT

Tuesday, June 11

8:00 p.m. Pretty Little Liars - ABC Family

9:00 p.m. Twisted - ABC Family

10:00 p.m. - Chopped - Food Network

Wednesday, June 12

9:00 p.m. Royal Pains - USA

10:00 p.m. Necessary Roughness

Thursday, June 13

10:00 p.m. Sullivan & Son - TBS

Friday, June 14

9:00 p.m. Magic City - Starz

Sunday, June 16

9:00 p.m. True Blood - HBO

Wednesday, June 19

9:00 p.m. Franklin & Bash - TNT

10:00 p.m. Futurama - Comedy Central

10:00 p.m. Hot in Cleveland - TV Land

10:30 p.m. The Exes - TV Land

11:00 p.m. Soul Man - TV Land

Thursday, June 20

10:00 p.m. Wilfred - FX

Sunday, June 23

9:00 p.m. Drop Dead Diva - Lifetime

9:00 p.m. Whodunnit - ABC

10:00 p.m. Copper - BBC America

10:00 p.m. Devious Maids - Lifetime

Monday, June 24

10:00 p.m. Under the Dome - CBS

Tuesday, June 25

9:00 p.m. Rizzoli & Isles - TNT

10:00 p.m. Perception - TNT

Wednesday, June 26

9:00 p.m. Big Brother - CBS

Sunday, June 30

9:00 p.m. Dexter - Showtime

10:00 p.m. Ray Donovan - Showtime

Monday, July 1

8:00 p.m. American Ninja Warrior - NBC

10:00 p.m. Siberia - NBC

Monday, July 8

9:00 p.m. Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls - NBC

Wednesday, July 10

10:00 p.m. The Bridge - FX

10:00 p.m. Camp - NBC

Thursday, July 11

Orange is the New Black - Netflix

Sunday, July 14

10:00 p.m. The Newsroom - HBO

Tuesday, July 16

8:00 p.m. Whose Line Is It Anyway? - CW

9:00 p.m. Covert Affairs - USA

9:00 p.m. Perfect Score - CW

10:00 p.m. Suits - USA

Monday, July 22

9:00 p.m. Breaking Pointe

Tuesday, July 23

Who Do You Think You Are? - TLC

11:00 p.m. Web Therapy - Showtime

Sunday, July 28

9:00 p.m. Unforgettable - CBS

Wednesday, July 31

9:00 p.m. The Hunt - CW

Saturday, August 3

9:00 p.m. Hell on Wheels - AMC

Saturday, August 10

9:00 p.m. The White Queen - Starz

Sunday, August 11

9:00 p.m. Breaking Bad - AMC

10:00 p.m. Low Winter Sun - AMC

11:00 p.m. Talking Bad - AMC

That's a wrap! Wait, no, let me try that again. Dexter will wrap up its series run with the upcoming eighth and final season. After a teaser that hinted at a possible "dead end" for Dexter, the new key art for Dexter's last season isn't exactly instilling much confidence that our anti-hero will survive the series. There are a few ways this show could end, and one of the scenarios could very well see Dexter joining this series very high body count. Would death be poetic justice for a man who's spent seven seasons killing murderers and other criminals? It's kind of hard to argue against that outcome. Dexter does kind of fit his own code, though he may argue the point that he doesn't kill innocents. But that's really a technicality, isn't it?

The new poster came with a new teaser for Dexter, which includes footage from Season 8 and also teases Showtime's upcoming new series Ray Donovan, which may take over for Dexter in being one of the more violent series on Showtime.

The teaser gives us a look at Dr. Evelyn Vogel, who's played by Charlotte Rampling. We learned previously that she's a neuro-psychiatrist who specializes ins irking with young psychopaths and profiling criminals in unorthodox ways. In the tease, we see Dexter saying he doesn't trust her and then he's confronting her rather roughly and asking her what she's looking for. Could this woman be Dexter's undoing in the end? The more we see of Season 8, the more concerned I'm getting for Dexter's fate.

Dexter Season 8 and Ray Donovan's series premiere are scheduled to debut Sunday, June 30 on Showtime.

One thing is clear from the newest video released by Showtime. Things are going to be looking very violent for the pay cable network's Sunday night line-up of dramas, come late June. Ray Donovan is poised to make its debut, alongside Dexter's return for its anticipated eighth - and possibly final - season. The new video not only teases the new series coming to Showtime, but also gives us our first real look at Season 8 of Dexter.

We get a couple of great snippets from Dexter, one of which shows us Dexter attempting to recreate the blood spatter from a head wound in his white room. I also thought we got a peek of him with an electric knife or a drill or something. But the really interesting tease involves Deb. One snippet shows her suggesting she shot the wrong person in that trailer - a reference to the Season 7 finale, during which she had the choice to take Dexter down or kill LaGuerta. She chose the latter, but is she having regrets?

We also see what appears to be a very emotional scene, in which she points out that when she thought she needed him, it was the other way around. Has Deb reached her breaking point? And has Dexter pushed her too far? It seems obvious that there will be some major fallout over what happened with Deb and Dexter in that trailer, but how big will it be and what will it mean for their relationship? That's something fans are likely eager to find out. And we will find out when Dexter returns on June 30.

And then, of course, there's Ray Donovan, the new drama starring Liev Schreiber, who plays the title character, a "fixer" living in Los Angeles. Showtime has already given us a look at Ann Biderman's new series. Given the violent glimpses we've seen from the new series, I'm thinking it'll be a good fit next to Dexter.

I never thought there might be a world where Shark’s James Woods would get to be in a program with X-Men Origins: Wolverine actor Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight. However, Showtime has created that world with Ray Donovan and I am very pleased the subscription cable network is bringing its project to series so fans of those heavy-hitting actors will get to see it. Woods has signed on to Ray Donovan to play a man with ties to the Donovan family in a recurring role.

Showtime’s upcoming drama follows Ray, a hardworking individual who lives for making prominent people’s problems disappear into thin air, whether that means keeping celebrity names out of the paper or fixing issues before they become legal problems. Schreiber’s Mr. Fix It may be good at dealing with stranger’s problems, but he’s terrible when it comes to dealing with his own. According to Deadline, Woods is signed on as someone who might be causing a headache for Ray. The veteran actor will play Sully, a rough and tumble man from South Boston who the outlet says has a “complicated history” with Ray’s family, and more likely Ray’s father (Voight), who only recently got out of prison.

We first heard about Ray Donovan way back in 2011. It took a while to get the project out of the gate, and despite some comparison to Michael Clayton (any fixer character would probably get that), the previews and extended trailer for Showtime’s new series have been nothing short of satisfying. Ray Donovan is set to premiere this summer on June 30 and will run through the summer alongside Dexter.

Ray Donovan is the kind of man who deals with people who have woken up in bed with a dead body. The trailer above reveals that in the first thirty seconds. "This is Ray." He's a professional fixer in a town that needs lots of fixing, apparently. And he can solve any problem… except his own. As the trailer reveals, things only seem to be getting more complicated in Ray's life, as his father is getting out of prison and it doesn't look like these two guys get along so well.

Created by Ann Biderman, Ray Donovan stars Liev Schreiber as a "fixer" living in Los Angeles with his family and trying to juggle his own personal drama with the various catastrophes of his desperate clients. As the trailer indicates, that can include a guy who wakes up next to a dead woman, or a guy who wants to find out if his woman is cheating on him. Jon Voight plays Ray's father Mickey, who gets out of prison early and returns to Ray's life. Also among the cast are Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Katherine Moennig, and it looks like we'll be seeing Elliott Gould as a recurring character.

Ray Donovan is set to debut along with the eighth (and possibly final) season of Dexter on June 30.

One series that definitely seems worth seeking out this summer is Showtime's Ray Donovan. On paper, the new series sounds as promising as pretty much any television premiere this upcoming season, overflowing with talent both behind and in front of the camera. Created by Southland's Ann Biderman and directed by House of Cards' Allen Coulter, Ray Donovan also features a stellar cast that includes Liev Schreiber as well as legends like Jon Voight and Elliott Gould. Here's the extended trailer. It looks as good as it sounds.

Very much just an extended version of the previously released teaser (the beats are the same, just flushed out a little more), it does't necessarily drum up any new excitement for the series instead of merely reassuring that my confidence was not misplaced. It's nice to see a bit more of the rest of the great ensemble that includes Deadwood standout Paula Malcomson (rad) and Kerris Dorsey, Brad Pitt's adorable daughter in Moneyball.

The Michael Clayton-esque fixer character balancing his family life is perfect for Schreiber, even if the Hollywood setting seems plenty of times before. Of course, the same could be said for police dramas and yet Biderman managed to craft an interesting take on that tired genre so I'm hopeful she can do the same with the gritty-looking Showtime series. "Don't let the wolf in the gate." Ray Donovan premieres Sunday, June 30 at 10 p.m. ET on Showcase. Created by Ann Biderman, the series stars Schreiber, Voight, Gould, Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Katherine Moennig and Dash Mihok.

Showtime decided to combine their first look at Masters of Sex with their first look at Ray Donovan, two promising looking series that, when presented back to back against one another, have noticeably different tones. One is risqué and sexy, the other suspenseful and a little violent. Both look like they could be great new series for the premium cable channel.

Based on Thomas Maier's book Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, Masters of Sex stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan as Masters and Johnson, two characters based on real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality.

Meanwhile, Ray Donovan is set in Los Angeles and stars Live Schreiber in the title role as "the go-to guy who makes the problems of the city's celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls disappear." Showtime describes the show as a powerful family drama, and that comes through in the second part of the trailer below.

As the trailer shows, part of Ray Donovan's plot involves Jon Voight's character, Donovan's father Mickey, getting out of prison and "setting off a chain of events that shakes the Donovan family to its core." Also among the cast are Elliott Gould, Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan and Dash Mihok.

Both series have a lot going for them, including fantastic casts. Masters of Sex also has the sexy appeal, added to the potential for some fascinating dialogue on the subject of sex from a scientific perspective, and the period element. And Ray Donovan seems to be aiming to combine crime, suspense and family drama, which could work really well. We'll have to see how both of these shows look when they arrive next year.

There is an ever increasing trend that has seen several Hollywood veterans flock to premium television. From Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte trying their Luck to Chris Cooper and Dianne Wiest boarding The Corrections (both at superstar network HBO), stars in the twilight of their careers are finding juicy parts on the small screen. Now, two more legends, Jon Voight and Elliott Gould, are also making the transition off the big-screen to join Ray Donovan at Showtime.

The Wrap reports that the Oscar winner and nominee (Voight won for his fearless performance in Coming Home while Gould was nominated for his work in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice) are joining Liev Schreiber in the Showtime pilot Ray Donovan, or what seems like a TV adaptation of Michael Clayton. Sorry, not to sound like a jerk but after reading the synopsis (coupled with that oddly similar title), I can't help but make a comparison. Showtime's Ray Donovan is about a 'fixer' or 'troubleshooter' who cleans up messes for an L.A. law firm. See, Michael Clayton.

Voight has been brought in to play Scheiber's father Mickey Donovan, an ex-con who makes the trip out to Los Angeles to reconnect with his family among some other shady dealings. Gould will play Ezra Goodman (the Tom Wilkinson role), Ray's mentor suffering from dementia who is also a senior partner at a law firm. Even though this sounds like an 'homage' (rip-off of) to Terry George's Academy Award nominated film, it still has such a stellar ensemble shaping up that it will be hard not to tune in - especially since Ann Biderman, the mind behind the woefully underrated Southland, is the creator and executive producer. Well, they say if you're going to steal, steal from the best... And besides "the truth can be adjusted."

The siren song of pay cable has lured in another big talent who has traditionally stuck to the big screen. Deadline is reporting that Liev Schreiber has signed on to play the lead in Ray Donovan, a dramedy pilot for Showtime. This will be the first TV series job for Schreiber since a four-episode run on CSI back in 2007, in the aftermath of William Petersen's departure.

Schreiber will play the title character, a Hollywood "fixer" who gets called in to solve embarrassing problems, like dead hookers or action heroes getting busted while coked out of their mind and attempting to couple with inanimate objects. He's the guy that keeps people's names out of the papers, pays off those who need to be payed off, and generally tries to keep the world from noticing the thick sheen of filth under Hollywood's glitz and glamour. Unfortunately, his knack for problem-solving doesn't extend to sorting out his own dysfunctional family.

Schreiber had previously played down the likelihood of him ever taking on an ongoing series role. When he took on the short CSI gig, he said that "I hadn’t done any television, not because I was against television, but mostly I was afraid of the contracts. I have kind of a two-month attention span and I figured if I get locked into one of those, I would be dead.” Obviously he's overcome his paralyzing fear of contracts, and it's a good thing, because this sounds like a great role for him.

Ray Donovan was created and exec produced by Ann Biderman (Southland). TV and film producer Mark Gordon (Criminal Minds, Source Code) is also an executive producer on the series.