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Ray Donovan 10 p.m., Showtime Showtime's hot summer series premieres, after the return of "Dexter" at 9, and it has a strong Boston element. Ray, played to calm perfection by Liev Schreiber, lives in LA, but he is from Southie, and so is the rest of his family. There are Boston accents, but most of them are pain-free. Ray is a "fixer" for powerful Hollywood types, but the one thing he can't fix is his revenge-filled father, played with Emmy promise by Jon Voight.( 06/29/2013 6:00 PM )
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The Lifetime movie, which premieres on Saturday at 8, has nothing to offer. It's storytelling at its most shallow and unsatisfying. Written by John Rice and Joe Batteer and directed by Mary Harron, "Anna Nicole" barely conveys the basic facts of Smith's life, nevermind any bigger ideas about her private terrors and our cultural demons. Bruckner is fine as Smith, and her prosthetic breastplate is quite impressive; but the script gives her nothing of substance or with resonance. The narrative leaps through a few milestones in Smith's life, without making any basic connections between them and skipping over a number of significant ones including her movie appearances.( 06/28/2013 6:00 PM )
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This fantastic new Showtime drama is that wonder of TV wonders, a low concept series that can't be easily reduced to a quick sentence. "Ray Donovan" is about many, many rich things, among them the PR underbelly of Hollywood stardom, the loathing between a man and his father, South Boston thugs on the wide streets of LA, the enduring injury of having been abused by a priest, a marriage in turmoil, and the lasting grief of the loss of a sister. Liev Schreiber plays Ray, a "fixer" who cleans up the messes made by his high-powered Hollywood clients. A blockbuster-movie hunk gets caught with a transvestite? Call Ray. He'll show up and take over, with the help of his loyal staff.( 06/28/2013 3:38 PM )
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Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert chatted with readers Thursday on Boston.com. Here are excerpts. Q. If the season finale was the last episode of "Mad Men," I'd be satisfied. Now I'm wondering where the show goes from here for the last season. A. It was a very, very satisfying finale. I agree. That look between Don and Sally: Priceless. I felt as though Don was coming out of the closet, in a way. He was finally revealing the truth about himself to his kids. It was lovely. Will he continue next season? That is the cliffhanger, I think. Q. I have to wonder if Don will end up in LA after all, and with Pete. A. I love the way the West Coast has become the cure-all on "Mad Men." That's a very 1960s idea.( 06/28/2013 6:00 AM )
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Dexter Sunday at 9 p.m., Showtime While the energetic "Ray Donovan" starts its life at 10 p.m., the played-out "Dexter" returns at 9 for its final season. The show picks up about six months after Deb shot LaGuerta to protect her brother, and she is not very happy with herself. Shame spiral alert. Meanwhile, a new psycho is on the loose in Miami, scooping out brains, and Charlotte Rampling shows up as a therapist. Friends marathon 8 p.m.-midnight, TV Land You can already watch it on Nick at Nite and TBS. But for some of you, that's not enough - you know who you are. As of this month, TV Land is also airing repeats of the sitcom all over the place, including this little marathon.( 06/27/2013 6:00 PM )
