‘Ray Donovan’ season 2 official as Showtime renews Liev Schreiber series

You can officially write “Ray Donovan renewal” down in “TV announcements we all saw coming.” After premiering after “Dexter” to the strongest series premiere numbers that Showtime has ever seen, the network only waited for two more weeks before deciding that the Liev Schreiber series about a “fixer” and his complicated life in Los Angeles was worth another airing next year.

In a statement announcing the news, network president David Nevins was quick to gush over just about every element of the show that he possibly could:

“Ray Donovan is on track to be our biggest Season 1 show ever. [Series creator] Ann Biderman and the extraordinarily talented creative team, coupled with the brilliant ensemble cast led by Liev Schreiber, have produced one of the hottest new dramas of the year. We are proud and excited to pick up another season.”

At this point, it would have been unusual had Showtime waited a little bit longer to renew the show. Premium cable networks have developed a pattern over the past several years of giving shows early pickups, mostly because they realize the correlation that comes between time and quality; the longer that the writers have to be comfortable and to think up ideas for the new season, the better off their programs are going to be at the end of the day.

Showtime has a chance to launch another new series successfully a little later this year, when “Masters of Sex” premieres following “Homeland” season 3 on September 29. Based on early buzz for this show, it should have no problem at all earning a pickup.

What is your reaction to this news, and are you hoping to see much more of “Ray Donovan” in the future? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and you can read some more news related to the show here.

Photo: Showtime