‘Ray Donovan’ episode 2 grows versus premiere; ‘Dexter’ also rises

While Showtime may not have a single series yet at the ratings threshold of what many HBO programs reach, we still have a feeling that the premium cable outlet has to still be somewhat thrilled with some of the numbers that their summer lineup of “Dexter” and “Ray Donovan” are drawing.

Despite airing in the summer, the latter series staring Liev Schreiber just became the first original property ever on the network to grow in its second week from its series premiere, adding 210,000 viewers to go up to a total of 1.56 million. (Demo figures are not so important when there are no commercials to share.) To us, this is hardly a surprise; the “Ray Donovan” premiere was made available for free on YouTube in advance, so a good many people probably watched it there rather than staying put on TV after “Dexter.” We also imagine that this will all but guarantee a second-season renewal for the show, though the network may wait another week or two to announce it.

Meanwhile, “Dexter” also grew for the first time ever in its second week, drawing 2.52 million viewers (a small rise of around 40,000 people). What we’re most impressed at by Michael C. Hall and company is that they are doing this well despite being up against “True Blood,” which we personally think to be a show similar enough that it would share a little bit of an audience. That does not appear to be the case, however, and for the final few episodes of the season, it won’t really have to worry about this competition at all.

What do you think about the “Ray Donovan” ratings: Are you surprised in any way by the show’s runaway success right now? We want to hear more of your thoughts below, and you can click here to read our full review for Sunday’s episode, and check out a preview for next week.

Photo: Showtime