The TV drama Ray Donovan features broken arms, drug-fueled ragers, baseball bat beatdowns – it sounds like the perfect storm, a good fit for Showtime’s summer roster. The series will premiere this Sunday, after he final season opener of Dexter. The title character in particular – the flawed Hollywood “fixer”, is an apt replacement, following in the tradition of troubled, complicated protagonists with questionable moral centers – Mad Men’s Don Draper and The Sopranos’ Tony Soprano come to mind as apt comparisons.

Liev Schreiber, G'Day USA Black Tie Gala

The series tells the story of Ray as Hollywood’s fixer – the man who swoops in on family drama, trouble with the law, relationships gone bad, all of it – and fixes the situation before the media gets wind. Naturally, being privy to the deepest, darkest secrets of Tinseltown, comes with a whole slew of problems for Ray’s life. The biggest of those, however, has nothing to do with Donovan’s secretive occupation – the plot twist comes when Donovan’s mobster father (John Voight) is unexpectedly released from prison.

Jon Voight, Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Voight steps in to play Donovan's mobster father.

Tony-winner Liev Schreiber is charged with the role of Ray. The actor (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Salt) explains why he was drawn to the role of Ray in particular. "That exploration of men in particular, fathers and sons, is something that was very compelling to me," Schreiber, 45, told Reuters. "The thing I like about Ray is, as horrible as he behaves, he seems to have a very moral epicenter."

"That exploration of men in particular, fathers and sons, is something that was very compelling to me," Schreiber, 45, told Reuters. "The thing I like about Ray is, as horrible as he behaves, he seems to have a very moral epicenter." It sounds like the team might be on to something with this one. Ray Donovan premieres this Sunday at 10PM ET.

Liev Schreiber, Critics Choice Awards
Shreiber is curious to explore the father-son relationship in the story.