Ray Donovan Canceled by Showtime

Ray Donovan has been cancelled by Showtime after seven seasons on the premium cable network. TV Line broke the news of Ray Donovan‘s cancelation, and got the following statement from Showtime: “After seven incredible seasons, RAY DONOVAN has concluded its run on SHOWTIME,” the cabler said in a statement. “We are proud that the series ended amid such strong viewership and on such a powerful note. Our deepest thanks go to Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, showrunner David Hollander and the entire cast and crew, past and present, for their dedicated work.” This news, while surprising, wasn’t a total out-of-left-field shock: Ray Donovan star Liev Shreiber had dropped an ominous tease on social media in late January, hinting that the show had been canceled:

“What an amazing journey it’s been,” Schreiber posted. “I’ve been reading your comments, and the outpouring of love and support for our cast and crew has been truly overwhelming. I know the big question on everyone’s mind is whether there will be a season 8. Truth is it’s in the networks hands. So if you want more, reach out to them at @showtime, @raydonovan, and @cbstv and let them know how you feel. Either way it’s been an amazing ride and we have all of you to thank for it.
xo
Liev”

This news will be a kick in the gut of Ray Donovan‘s dedicated (if not large) fanbase – especially after recently seeing that season 7 finale episode, which ended things on a major cliffhanger. Ray had discovered that his new employer (and father of his new love interest), James Sullivan (Peter Gerety), was the man that drove Ray’s late sister Bridget to commit suicide, after becoming pregnant with James Sullivan’s baby – something the irish crime boss would not openly acknowledge. Ray murdered James in cold blood, leaving his new girlfriend Molly Sullivan (Kerry Condon) with the horrible feeling that her actions put Ray on the path to kill her father. Meanwhile, Ray’s daughter Bridget didn’t yet know her husband Smitty was killed; Terry Donovan was thinking of killing himself; while it was uncertain how long characters like Bunchy and Daryll Donovan could keep going with the spiritual toll of the ‘family business.’

And of course, the final question on the table was whether or not Ray would finally kill his own father, Mickey (Jon Voight) or if Ray would somehow find forgiveness for Mick, and thereby do one last job as a fixer: Fixing his own wounded soul.

Ce’st la vie, we shall now never know the answer to these questions about the Donovan family, but it was good while it lasted.