I almost forgot how sexy Liev Shreiber is, but thankfully Showtime created ‘Ray Donovan‘ to remind me.

Liev Shrieber plays the part of Ray Donovan, a Hollywood fixer to the stars, who is battling his own demons and trying to keep the law off his backsides. Ray’s father, Mickey Donovan, shows up in Hollywood and at his son’s doorsteps after being released from prison 5 years before the end of a 25 year sentence. And of course, Mickey shows up looking to settle old scores as well as re-open old wounds.

The still living members of the Donovan family includes Ray’s 3 brothers–Terry, Bunchy, and Daryll, all of whom have problems of their own.

Ray is the star of the show, at turns he is tough and vicious, at other times caring and empathetic. Like all of the best bad guys before him, you find yourself rooting for him because you see how fragile he really is, you see the demons in his psyche that he attempts to keep at bay. Ray is an Olivia Pope, the fixer from ABC’s show ‘Scandal’. But what differentiates Ray from Olivia is that he is all back office maneuvering, and isn’t afraid to break fingers or issue deadly threats when negotiation breaks down. And Ray is really an underling in the chain of command at his place of employment, he’s the guy who gets called in to do the dirty work when the suits fear soiling their perfectly-manicured hands.

While Ray is undoubtedly the star of the show, Mickey is the heart of it. You’re not sure whether Mickey is hell-bent on revenge, or if he only wants to see how far he can got until he does something that counts at the straw that breaks the camels break. Mickey may have been released from jail early, but such leniency came from the hand of an FBI agent intent on using Mickey for purposes not fully known.

Oh, and the love of Mickey’s life, the woman he refers to as his ‘one true love,’ is Claudette, a black woman with whom he fathered a love child before heading off to prison.

Mickey reconnects with Claudette upon returning to Hollywood and feels that even after all the years there may still be a connection between them.

Sheryl Lee Ralph as Claudette and Jon Voight as Mickey Donovan in Ray Donovan (Season 1, Episode 4). – Photo: Patrick Wymore/SHOWTIME

Will Claudette and Mickey get back together?

Will Mickey end up back in prison?

Will Ray be able to keep his head while all about him people are losing theirs?

Watch ‘Ray Donovan‘ on Showtime to find out. The show airs on Sunday Nights at 10PM ET/PT.
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Jamila Akil is a Senior Editor at Beyond Black and White. Chit chat with her on Twitter about Ray Donovan or anything else @jamilaakil