Review: Showtime’s Ray Donovan series premiere

If you were at all interested in Showtime’s new series Ray Donovan, chances are that you already saw the series premiere on YouTube (embedded below). But just in case you didn’t, or don’t have time, the series officially premieres tonight.

Sunday is a crowded night — yes, even in the summer, for reasons I cannot possibly fathom. Dexter is premiering tonight (on the same network, so it won’t interfere but it can still contribute to fatigue). About a month from now, we’ll have critically acclaimed Breaking Bad, and currently we have guilty pleasures True Blood and Big Brother among others.

The problem, then, is that Ray Donovan doesn’t know which show it wants to be. Does it want to be that typical guilty pleasure or does it want to be one of those gritty cable dramas we get during the summer months? Actually, it’s both. And subsequently, it’s neither.

At a first glance, it appears as though Ray Donovan wants to make a statement on the culture of Hollywood elitism. But then it shifts gears, carving depth in its titular character’s backstory for no other purpose than to satisfy its cable gritty cravings. Then it jumps into scandalous soap opera territory with the potential for a love affair with a mistress who is a borderline stalker. Plus, there are siblings thrown in with tension for good measure.

The shifts in tonality here are turned on and off like a light switch. Eventually, it becomes a mashup of its own that’s not blended all too well. And in the end, it’s just okay.

There are some things working in its favor, though — namely, Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight, who give great performances. Otherwise, considering the timetable this is premiering in especially, there just isn’t enough here to give a meaningful look … nor is there less as to make it a thrillingly good time.