Just finished Season 4 (I don't watch much TV during basketball season). Season 4 doesn't deserve it's own thread.
This show has basically become a Starz or Cinemax show. The violence is beyond ridiculous and has completely undermined the credibility of the show. Each death is a little less emotionally jarring than the one before it, and after a while, they don't really matter. I lost track with how many people Ray killed in season 4, but I am betting it was at least 10.
If Ray Donovan wants to be a straight up action show, then cut out all the brooding and backstory, make it funnier, and go with the action. If it wants to be a serious TV show, it needs to reduce the body count. Trying to do both doesn't make sense.
Other thoughts:
Lisa Bonet was wasted in a really interesting story line that was kind of dulled by the insanity of the rest of the season. This should have been the core plotline of the season.
Why was some old American dude cast as the Russian crime boss?
Why don't Avi and Ray work for Lena, since she seems to be 10x smarter and more capable than either of them?
Bunchy is barely tolerable as a dark comic relief, but making him into a gangster is just annoying.
How many murders has Mickey committed with the full knowledge of the FBI and still gotten out of jail? What is the dramatic point of him getting arrested if he can just walk out of jail at least once a season.
The show has moments, like Mickey's ping pong game, that make it entertaining and worth watching, but there is a growing amount of silliness between those moments.