Prime Video’s Bosch is often touted as one of the greatest crime thrillers of our time, and rightfully so. After its end, many shows have tried to fill the void it left behind in the genre. Unfortunately, only a few have come close. While Bosch‘s spin-offs seem like promising franchise additions to please the main show’s viewers, fans of the Titus Welliver TV show must watch another great crime thriller.

The show in question, Ray Donovan, premiered on Showtime in 2013. While it never achieved unanimous acclaim from viewers and critics like Bosch, it lasted for seven seasons, just like the Prime Video detective series. Similar to Prime Video’s Jack Ryan, the show was even followed up with a movie, which proved to be a worthy addition to the overarching franchise.

Compared to Titus Welliver’s Harry Bosch, Liev Schreiber’s Ray Donovan may not be as easily recognizable. However, the series is arguably as good as Bosch in some of its best moments. While the Bosch franchise will likely never have Titus Welliver as its lead again, viewers who miss him and his character must watch Ray Donovan.

Ray Donovan Has A Lot Of Similarities With Bosch

In both Bosch and Ray Donovan, LA is portrayed as the central setting where both shows look beyond the generic tourist spots of the city and give a glimpse of its sun-drenched underbelly. Similar to Titus Welliver’s Bosch, Liev Schreiber’s Ray Donovan is also portrayed as a stoic and disciplined investigator who subjects himself to immense isolation.

Even from a moral standpoint, Donovan is often as complex and conflicted as Bosch. He, too, does not shy away from operating outside the law and following his own personal code for serving justice. Ray’s whole characterization is also defined by his childhood trauma surrounding his relationship with his parents.

Like Bosch, Ray Donovan also does not follow a typical “case of the week” format. Instead, the long-running series strives to deliver slow-burn, season-long arcs that even end up bleeding into other seasons. While walking through their main characters’ investigations, both shows also highlight how political cover-ups and institutional rot hold them back.

Liev Schreiber’s fascinating portrayal of Ray Donovan ensues that the detective character gets a distinct identity of his own in the crime thriller genre. Still, Donovan seems reminiscent of Bosch in more ways than one, making the series the perfect Bosch replacement.

After 7 Seasons & A Movie, Ray Donovan Deserves More Respect As A Crime Drama

Ray Donovan experienced a gradual decline in critical reception as it progressed into new seasons. However, among viewers, the show seemed to consistently perform well. This explains why its average audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 85%, while its IMDb score is 8.3/10. During its run, the show even landed quite a few Primetime Emmy nominations.

While Ray Donovan is not as perfect as Bosch throughout its runtime, it deserves credit for keeping viewers hooked throughout its seven-season run. Even the show’s movie follow-up was far better than most TV films that succeed long-running shows. Liev Schreiber’s performance alone deserves a lot of appreciation because he plays a key role in carrying the show’s crime drama.

After all these years, Ray Donovan surprisingly remains relatively obscure compared to more mainstream crime dramas like Bosch. It does, however, deserve as much respect as some of the better shows of the genre.