The new Showtime series "Ray Donovan" scored a first for the cable network. Deadline.com reports that the second episode of the drama series increased its audience from its premiere week — a first for a freshman drama series on the pay-cable channel.

Sunday night’s episode drew 1.56 million viewers at 10 p.m., while the previous week drew 1.35 million viewers, the piece notes. Including replays that same night, the show drew 2.2 million viewers. Meanwhile, "Dexter," which aired as the lead-in to "Ray Donovan," also improved its second-week viewership numbers, the first time the serial-killer drama has improved in its second week of a season, the story adds.

"Dexter" rose from 2.48 million viewers for the season premiere to 2.52 million for its 9 p.m. airing in week two.