‘Ray Donovan’ Showrunner on Possibility of Revival After Cancellation: ‘The Mechanisms Are in Place’
“I would never say never,” David Hollander told CinemaBlend
Margeaux Sippell | February 10, 2020 @ 9:12 AM
Last Updated: February 12, 2020 @ 1:30 PM
Showtime
Showtime may have canceled “Ray Donovan” before the drama series could tie up all of its loose ends, but showrunner David Hollander says he would “never say never” to a possible revival.
“I never know. This is a big show,” he told CinemaBlend of the possibility of bringing the show back to make its intended eighth season.
“To be fair to our bosses, ‘Ray Donovan,’ for the Showtime model, was a very expensive show. We were going into our eighth season with salaries and all the step-ups for union. And the move to New York was extraordinarily expensive, so there’s that,” he continued.
“Is there an audience that wants to see this, that will create a demand cycle where someone will absorb the risk? I would never say never. It is much easier to do in the now. The sets are still standing. The people are still contracted. The mechanisms are in place. Once we tear down the sets and put the costumes away… it’s a lot of actors who are in demand.”
The drama, which starred Liev Schreiber as an elite Hollywood fixer, wrapped its seventh and now final season on Jan. 21. Showtime announced its decision to cancel it last week.
“After seven incredible seasons, Ray Donovan has concluded its run on Showtime,” Showtime said in a statement at the time. “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.”
“We were used to being a show that was not canceled. We never thought we would be canceled,” Hollander said of the nay-cable network’s surprise decision in an interview with Vulture published last week.
The showrunner said he was given “no indicator” that the show’s fate was in danger.
“We were behaving creatively as though we were in mid-sentence. And so, there was no sense that this was going to be a completion. This was in no way a series finale.”
18 New Midseason TV Shows Ranked by Premiere Viewers: From 'Broke' to 'Listen to Your Heart' (Photos)
When it comes to broadcast TV, winter is typically no fall -- but a few of this year's new midseason shows could have made the cut for an earlier start, ratings-wise. TheWrap has ranked all of 2020's midseason series premieres -- so far -- by their "live" total-viewer tallies. Spinoffs of Fox's "9-1-1" and CBS' "FBI" had impressive starts, The CW's "Riverdale" offshoot and ABC's "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart" did not. Scroll through our gallery for the Nielsen returns for the 18 midseason shows that have debuted this season and check back for updates as more premiere. Least-watched is first, most-watched is last. Readers can find our Fall TV version of these rankings here.
Rank: 17 Show: "Duncanville" Net: Fox Total Viewers: 1.5 million
Fox
Rank: 16 Show: "Flirty Dancing" Net: Fox Total Viewers: 1.8 million* (*Time period premiere. Special post-NFL doubleheader series debut, which aired live across all timezones, earned 3.2 million viewers)
Fox
Rank: 15 Show: "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist"* Net: NBC Total Viewers: 2 million* (*Time period premiere. Sneak-peek preview of first episode got 2.7 million viewers)
NBC
Rank: 14 Show: "Indebted" Net: NBC Total Viewers: 2.1 million
NBC
Rank: 13 Show: "The Baker and the Beauty" Net: ABC Total Viewers: 2.6 million viewers
ABC
Rank: 12 Show: "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart" Net: ABC Total Viewers: 2.97 million
ABC
Rank: 11 Show: "For Life" Net: ABC Total Viewers: 3.178 million
ABC
Rank: 10 Show: "Outmatched" Net: Fox Total Viewers: 3.202 million
Fox
Rank: 9 Show: "Council of Dads" Net: NBC Total Viewers: 3.9 million
NBC
Rank: 8 Show: "Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector" Net: NBC Total Viewers: 4.4 million
NBC
Rank: 7 Show: "Deputy" Net: Fox Total Viewers: 4.6 million
Fox
Rank: 6 Show: "Tommy" Net: CBS Total Viewers: 4.787 million
CBS
Rank: 5 Show: "Lego Masters" Net: Fox Total Viewers: 4.837 million
Fox
Rank: 4 Show: "9-1-1: Lone Star" Net: Fox Total Viewers: 5.8 million* (*Time period premiere. Special post-NFC Championship series debut earned 11.5 million viewers)
Fox
Rank: 3 Show: "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Net: ABC Total Viewers: 6.3 million viewers
ABC
Rank: 2 Show: "Broke" Net: CBS Total Viewers: 7.05 million
CBS
Rank: 1 Show: "FBI: Most Wanted" Net: CBS Total Viewers: 7.19 million
CBS
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Two spinoffs started off strong — two did not
When it comes to broadcast TV, winter is typically no fall -- but a few of this year's new midseason shows could have made the cut for an earlier start, ratings-wise. TheWrap has ranked all of 2020's midseason series premieres -- so far -- by their "live" total-viewer tallies. Spinoffs of Fox's "9-1-1" and CBS' "FBI" had impressive starts, The CW's "Riverdale" offshoot and ABC's "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart" did not. Scroll through our gallery for the Nielsen returns for the 18 midseason shows that have debuted this season and check back for updates as more premiere. Least-watched is first, most-watched is last. Readers can find our Fall TV version of these rankings here.