Showtime announced today it has given the green light to the third seasons of “Ray Donovan” and “Masters of Sex. The announcement was made by David Nevins, President, Showtime Networks Inc. Both series will receive 12 one-hour episode orders, and will begin production in early 2015.
“Both ‘Ray Donovan’ and ‘Masters of Sex’ are quintessentially Showtime: bold, provocative, premium television with production values at the top of the food chain,” says Nevins. “These acclaimed shows are filled with complex and interesting characters and settings that will no doubt give audiences compelling television to invest in for seasons to come.”
“Masters of Sex” scored five Emmy Award nominations this year, including nods for actors Lizzy Caplan, Beau Bridges and Allison Janney, who was honored this past weekend with an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Margaret Scully. “Ray Donovan’s” Jon Voight is also an Emmy contender, receiving his first ever series nomination for his role as Mickey Donovan.
Set in the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, “Ray Donovan” stars Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Liev Schreiber as L.A.’s best professional fixer, the man called in to make the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls’ most complicated and combustible situations go away. As the season unfolds, Ray continues to seek balance between the demands of his family, including his volatile relationship with Mickey (Jon Voight), and the demands of his Hollywood clients. The cast also includes Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Dash Mihok, Steven Bauer, Katherine Moennig, Pooch Hall, Kerris Dorsey and Devon Bagby. “Ray Donovan” is created and executive produced by Ann Biderman.
Starring Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Michael Sheen and Emmy nominee Lizzy Caplan as real-life pioneers of human sexuality, William Masters and Virginia Johnson, “Masters of Sex” chronicles their unusual lives, romance and pop-culture trajectory. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a mid-western teaching hospital in St. Louis to the cover of Time magazine. The series is an adaptation of Thomas Maier’s book “Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, The Couple Who Taught America How To Love.” Season two also stars Caitlin FitzGerald, Teddy Sears and Annaleigh Ashford. Beau Bridges, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson, Betsy Brandt, Sarah Silverman, Keke Palmer, Courtney B. Vance, Rene Auberjonois, Jocko Sims, Greg Grunberg, Barry Watson and Christian Borle guest star. “Masters of Sex” was developed for television by Michelle Ashford (“The Pacific”) who also serves as an executive producer.
