Ray Donovan is an American television crime drama series created by Ann Biderman for Showtime. The twelve-episode first season premiered on June 30, 2013. The pilot episode broke viewership records, becoming the biggest premiere of all time on Showtime. Showtime renewed the show for a fourth season, which premiered on June 26, 2016. On August 11, 2016, Showtime renewed the show for a fifth season, which premiered on August 6, 2017. On October 23, 2017, the series was renewed for a 12-episode sixth season, to be filmed in New York City and debut in 2018.

Cancellation and feature-length film

On February 4, 2020, Showtime cancelled the series after seven seasons.

The series was cancelled without any advance warning, leaving fans and showrunner, David Hollander, in shock. Season 8 was supposed to have been the final season, and Hollander already had a plan in place creatively for the story.

A week later, Liev Schreiber wrote on his Instagram account that due to fans' support and activity in media, there was a possibility for Ray Donovan to return.[15] The decision to cancel the series was reportedly for political reasons amid the recent merger between CBS, which owns Showtime, and Viacom, which "did not recognize the power of the fan base and social media".[16] On August 19, Schreiber commented on his Instagram that "an RD finale/movie" was being written.

On February 24, 2021, Showtime announced a feature-length film to conclude the storyline, to premiere in 2022, with David Hollander directing it and co-writing with Schreiber. The network brought them the idea of a movie after fans' outrage. With a film's larger budget, they'll be "able to work in very cinematic language".