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Ray Donovan: Season 1  Review by Suzanne Lanoue 5/26/14

This is a really good show, but the DVD is disappointing. There are no features or extras aside from some text biographies. Tsk tsk. I was really hoping for a behind-the-scenes or making of feature.

The show is about a guy, Ray (Liev Schreiber), who fixes things or situations for Hollywood people, working for these two lawyers. His father, Mickey (Jon Voight) went to jail for murder, and he gets out in the first episode. Not only was Mickey a gangster, but he was a terrible father. He pretends to want to make up with his family, but Ray knows better. His family is all from South Boston, even though they all live in L.A. now.

The characters are very interesting. Ray is kind of a thug, but he has morality. He's almost like a superhero at times. The show is filled with colorful and interesting 3-dimensional characters, the type you rarely see on TV. There are many layers to the story and to the relationships. It's also got a lot of humor with the drama.

Make sure you watch the show, even though the DVD set is flimsy. I can't wait for the second season on Showtime! 

MORE INFORMATION:

Starring Golden Globe award nominee Liev Schreiber in his first lead television role, RAY DONOVAN: THE FIRST SEASON debuts on Blu-ray and DVD June 10 from Showtime Networks, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution.

The network’s highest-rated freshman series (with over 5.7 million viewers per week) is also “the most testosterone, rough and intelligent drama in ages” (The Hollywood Reporter). Set in Los Angeles, the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, RAY DONOVAN centers on the man called in to make the most complicated and combustible situations from the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls go away. At his side are Avi (Steven Bauer), an imposing Israeli, and Lena (Katherine Moennig), a laconic, hard-boiled lesbian. Most of his work is for Goldman/Drexler, the most powerful law firm in town led by his confidante and mentor Ezra Goldman (Elliott Gould) and Lee Drexler (Peter Jacobson).

The only problems he can’t fix are those involving his own damaged South Boston family including brothers Bunchy (Dash Mihok) and Terry (Eddie Marsan), along with his wife Abby (Paula Malcomson), daughter Bridget (Kerris Dorsey) and son Conor (Devon Bagby). To Ray, all of their problems can be traced back to one person: his father Mickey (Voight), a gangster with the Irish mob who never protected his family. But everything is turned upside down when Mickey, after twenty years in jail, makes his way to Los Angeles and is hungry for revenge. He wants money, a new life, and his place at the head of his family.

“Sharply written” and “sophisticated even at its most melodramatic,” (Wall Street Journal), RAY DONOVAN: THE FIRST SEASON makes its home entertainment debut just in time for the broadcast premiere of the second season this summer. The collection includes all 12 episodes of the first season, and is priced $76.99 U.S. / $84.99 CAN for the three-disc Blu-ray set and $65.99 U.S. / $68.99 CAN for the four-disc DVD. The Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English TrueHD 5.1, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 2.0 Stereo and English SDH subtitles. The DVD is presented in widescreen 16:9 with English 5.1 Surround, French 2.0Stereo, Spanish 2.0 Stereo and English subtitles.

RAY DONOVAN: THE FIRST SEASON is Not Rated in the U.S. and rated 14A in Canada. With a total running time of approximately 10 hours, 32 minutes, the disc breakdown is as follows:

Episodes:

• The Bag Or The Bat
   
• A Mouth Is A Mouth
   
• Twerk
   
• Black Cadillac
   
• The Golem
   
• Housewarming
   
• New Birthday
   
• Bridget           
   
• Road Trip
   
• Fite Nite
   
• Bucky F**kin’ Dent
   
• Same Exactly

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Page updated 5/26/14