9 Shows to Watch If You Miss Ray Donovan

Showtime's Ray Donovan ran for seven seasons and movie that were as solid as the wood of a Louisville Slugger. It followed the titular fixer, played with world-weary, gravel-voiced gravitas by Liev Schreiber, as he solved sensitive problems for wealthy clients while also trying to deal with his own problems, a lot of which had to do with his ex-con father Mickey (Jon Voight). Ray Donovan knew how to rock a suit and swing a baseball bat, which made him one of TV's most reliable anti-heroes during the show's long lifespan.

So if you're looking for a new guy like Ray, what should you watch next? Allow us to "fix" that for you with this list of shows like Ray Donovan, whether they feature brooding protagonists, criminal underworlds, or the dirtier side of Los Angeles.

Ray Donovan Watch on Showtime

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The Terminal List

If what you like about Ray Donovan is watching a highly competent professional get dirty work done, you might get a kick out of The Terminal List, a Prime Video action thriller about another well-trained anti-hero. Chris Pratt stars as Navy SEAL James Reece, a man whose job is doing violence. And he's really, really good at it, as he demonstrates when he goes on a revenge mission against the people who took everything he holds dear from him as part of a sinister military conspiracy. The Terminal List is more single-minded on James Reece's story than Ray Donovan is on its titular character — Ray's family is (mostly) still alive — but it pushes the same buttons of badassery. -Liam Mathews

Reacher

Ray Donovan gets stuff done. As a fixer, his job is to assess the problem, find the clues, and execute the solution in his own way. There's a new man in town who does the same thing in a similar fashion. His name is Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson), a former Army military policeman who wanders the country fixing problems that find him. Based on Lee Child's book Killing Floor, Reacher's first season sees Reacher help solve a murder in a small Georgia town, uncovering corruption and battling South American hitmen. Though not as much of an intricate multi-season story as Ray Donovan — Reacher seems like it's going to have self-contained seasons rather than series-long arcs — Reacher will give you your fill of a tough dude getting things done his way.  

Billions

Ray Donovan and Billions aren't about the same things — Ray Donovan's about a fixer for the rich and Billions is about the rich fixin' to get more rich — but when you're talking about energy, the two Showtime shows definitely come from the same machismo. Ray Donovan's swagger can be felt in Billions, which is one of TV's most masculine shows. Billions follows United States Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) as he watches rule-bending hedge fund manager Bobby "Axe" Axelrod (Damian Lewis) like a hawk for any illegal dealings while Axe flaunts his billions of dollars in Chuck's face. It's a dick-measuring contest between characters who aren't entirely likable, and that's exactly the point. Lewis left the show after after Season 5, and Chuck's new nemesis is shady investor Michael Thomas Aquinas Prince (Corey Stoll). 

Perry Mason

Ray Donovan is a twist on dramas of yore, where a complicated tough guy puts every ounce of his being into solving a problem, whether it be a detective working on an investigation, a sheriff keeping the law, or a lawyer taking on a tough case. HBO's Perry Mason takes a similar approach, going to the next level: It's a remake of the classic '50s series Perry Mason, but it updates his character for modern audiences by making him a hard-drinking, pugnacious war vet who happens to be a fantastic private eye (and later in the series, a lawyer). Like Ray, Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) treats rules merely as suggestions, making him a protagonist you don't always respect but can't help to admire. And both are more than willing to swing a baseball bat to great effect. 

The Shield

As mentioned above, Ray Donovan is one of TV's great anti-heroes: a smart guy dabbling in criminal activity who we can't help but root for. If you're looking for more great anti-heroes, you have to start with arguably the greatest of all-time (with apologies to Breaking Bad's Walter White): Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) of The Shield, FX's legendary police drama that aired from 2002-2008. The series follows a unit of the Los Angeles Police Department known as the Strike Team who use rather questionable methods to maintain peace (or their version of peace) in a gang-ridden district. Corruption among the cops is rampant, with excessive force and evidence tampering normal procedure as means to an end. And like Ray, Mackey considers himself a family man, though not everyone would agree. 

Bosch

Second billing after Ray Donovan's title character goes to the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles, which lies in the shadows of Hollywood's glitz and glamour. Amazon Prime Video's Bosch explores that same gritty part of the City of Angels, bypassing celebrity and following detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) as he cleans up the streets and battles his own demons. Bosch is much more of a cop show than Ray Donovan, but like Showtime's drama, it's not always easy to tell who the good guys are as Bosch is frequently the subject of internal affairs investigations for things he may or may not have done. And if you were drawn into Ray Donovan because of Liev Schrieber's commanding performance, wait until you see what Welliver can do. 

Animal Kingdom

If there's one show on this list that exists in the same universe as Ray Donovan (the heretofore named Donoverse), it's the SoCal-set crime drama Animal Kingdom, which debuted on TNT in 2016. The show stars Ellen Barkin as Janine "Smurf" Cody, who heads a family of criminals that include her three sons and the newest member of the gang, her estranged 17-year-old grandson. Things are as dramatic at home as they are on the job, as each family member has their own issues to deal with, resulting in clashes as everyone struggles for power.

Banshee

Ray Donovan lovingly wallows in the grit and grime of the crime drama genre, where tough guys puff out their chests and faces get punched. Well, if you like seeing faces get punched, then you need to watch the noir series Banshee, which ran from 2013 to 2016 on Cinemax but is now finally easy to watch now that it's found a streaming home on HBO Max. Antony Starr (The Boys' Homelander) stars as Lucas Hood, a criminal on the run who finds a new life while pretending to be the sheriff of a small town in Pennsylvania. There, he continues his criminal streak undercover while also evading the ghosts of his past. Banshee is well known for its skin and sin, but beneath that, you'll find a pulpy action show with some incredibly fun and outlandish characters. 

Mr. Inbetween

FX's Mr. Inbetween makes this list as the show for Ray Donovan fans who are looking to lighten up. But don't think the Australian comedy about a hitman is only here for chuckles. This under-the-radar gem was created by and stars Scott Ryan as assassin-for-hire Ray Shoesmith. Like that other Ray, this Ray's occupation makes good use of his natural violent tendencies, which only cause problems in his personal life as he tries to be a good father to his daughter with his ex-wife while also caring for his sick brother. Mr. Inbetween has all the dark comedy that you'd expect in a show about a hitman — there is plenty of laugh-out-loud violence — but also has a tremendously huge heart as Ray works on becoming a better man to his family.