The Bag or the Bat [SEP] series
The Bag or the Bat
"The Bag or the Bat" is the pilot episode of the Showtime original series "Ray Donovan", and premiered on June 30, 2013. The series premiere was directed by Allen Coulter and written by series creator Ann Biderman. Prior to the premiere television airing, the episode was uploaded to YouTube by Showtime and was previewed over 150,000 times.
The pilot episode introduces all members of the main cast as well as a number of recurring characters. The titular character of Ray Donovan (
to 3.04 million, and became the highest-rated premiere airing of an original series in Showtime's history.
The high ratings for "The Bag or the Bat", in addition to the continued high ratings for the next 2 episodes, led the series to be renewed for a second season on July 16, 2013.
Reception Critical reception.
"The Bag or the Bat" received mixed to positive critical reviews after being released. Writing for IGN, Roth Cornet gave the episode an 8.5/10, praising the performances