Sins of the father – the return of Ray

Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber) doesn’t have a healthy relationship with his dad Mickey (Jon Voight). He never has and never will in drama series Ray Donovan (2013-current; Seasons 1-6 are now available on Showmax). That’s one of the forces driving the series: Hollywood fixer Ray’s desire to give his family the things he never had growing up in Boston, such as money, a mansion, food on their tables and a loving dad.

But it doesn’t always work out that way, especially because of Ray’s job cleaning up behind celebs and rich folk (like in the very first episode when he makes a dead woman’s body disappear from a pro athlete’s hotel room). He’s on call 24/7 and that takes him away from his wife Abby (Paula Malcomson), rebellious teen daughter Bridget (Kerris Dorsey) and wanna-be tough-kid son Conor (Devon Bagby).

Ray also has to play father-figure to his two brothers – elder Terry (Eddie Marsan), who is a boxing coach suffering from Parkinson’s, and younger Bunchy (Dash Mihok), who was molested by a Boston priest and is struggling to be a normal member of society.

Worse is still to come, thanks to Mickey being paroled early and finding his way to Los Angeles to be with his boys. “The family don’t want me, as bad things happen wherever I go,” says Jon about his character. But Liev adds, “Ray is going through a midlife crisis. One aspect of his pain is certainly articulated in that, having to clean up his family’s messes – especially his father Mickey’s.”

Catch up on all of Ray and Mickey’s fatherhood follies by streaming Seasons 1 to 7 of Ray Donovan on Showmax.