‘Ray Donovan’ premiere: Watch the full pilot for Showtime’s drama now!

While it may not be receiving anywhere near the same sort of publicity at the moment as some of Showtime’s other series, the network is doing more than just airing the final-season premiere of “Dexter” tonight: They are also debuting what they are clearly hoping will be an heir apparent for them as a hit drama in “Ray Donovan.”

We still think that this series is almost a little bit like a baby born between “Burn Notice,” “Scandal,” and “The Bourne Identity,” as the show revolves around the title character (Liev Schreiber), a “fixer” responsible for bailing out any and all problems for Hollywood’s rich, famous, and notorious. Unfortunately for him, he also has some problems of his own as his father Mickey (Jon Voight) is released from prison, and he thus has to try to find a way to balance a difficult job with a very difficult family member. There’s action, pretty visuals, and then more action. This is by far the most action-oriented original drama we’ve seen Showtime do, and it also has some of that dark and gritty factor that you were probably expecting.

Just in case you don’t want to wait until 10:00 p.m. Eastern tonight to watch the show, you can check out the full episode courtesy of Showtime’s YouTube page below. The only problems are that you have to be in America to see it (sorry, international folk), and that some of the racier footage has been edited it out to make it safe for YouTube. We’re going to wait to share our full opinion on the show until later tonight, but it has some things working both for and against it for the time being. Remember, though, that this is a pilot, and you cannot fully judge a series until you get to the second or third episode (unless you’re “Under The Dome” where you debut to monster ratings.)

Want more video featuring Showtime’s Sunday-night lineup? Then click here, as we’ve got a sneak peek video of the “Dexter” premiere to go along with this episode.

Photo: Showtime