Californication (TV series)
A novelist battles writer's block and temptation in Los Angeles.
Californication is an American comedy-drama television series created by Tom Kapinos that aired on Showtime from August 13, 2007, to June 29, 2014, spanning seven seasons and 84 episodes. The show follows New Yorker Hank Moody, a troubled novelist who moves to California and struggles with writer's block, while his drinking, womanizing, and drug abuse complicate his relationships with his longtime lover Karen and their daughter Becca. It won two Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy drama
- Creator
- Tom Kapinos
- Location
- California; New York (some episodes)
- Camera
- Single-camera
- Runtime
- 27–33 minutes
- Executive producers
- David Duchovny
- Tom Kapinos
- Stephen Hopkins (pilot only)
- Scott Winant (season 1)
- Gina Fattore (season 3)
- Producer
- Lou Fusaro (seasons 1–2)
- Gina Fattore (season 3)
- John H. Radulovic (seasons 4–7)
- Starring
- David Duchovny
- Natascha McElhone
- Madeleine Martin
- Evan Handler
- Pamela Adlon
- Madeline Zima
Facts from the source article.
Series overview
The show centers on Hank Moody, a novelist struggling with alcoholism and a persistent writer's block he attributes to everything from Los Angeles's excesses to his ex-girlfriend Karen leaving him. Hank repeatedly gives in to temptation, then must manage the fallout while convincing his family he can be a dependable father to Becca and a steady partner to Karen. Showtime ordered a second season on September 7, 2007. The first season ended with "The Last Waltz," a nod to Martin Scorsese's concert film, which aired October 29, 2007. Production on season two started in April 2008 and continued through June 2008; its first episode aired September 28, 2008. The debut season came out on DVD in the United States on June 17, 2008. A third season was greenlit and premiered on September 27, 2009, at 10 pm. Rock culture runs throughout the series, with frequent nods to Warren Zevon and a guest spot from Henry Rollins. Episode titles like "Filthy Lucre," "Turn the Page," and "The Land of Rape and Honey" reference songs or albums by the Sex Pistols, Bob Seger, and Ministry; others, such as "...And Justice for All" and "The Unforgiven," take their names from Metallica tracks. In season four, Hank's lawyer is named Abby Rhoads. His first three novels—South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss, and God Hates Us All—are all titles of Slayer albums. The books Crack the Sky and Blood Mountain, written by Richard Bates, share names with two Mastodon albums. The film adaptation of God Hates Us All, titled A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, borrows its name from the Queen song. The opening credits are preceded by the intro to The Stooges' "I Got a Right." Season one follows Hank and the main cast in the period before Karen's wedding to Bill, a Los Angeles publisher. Hank wallows in self-hatred after the release of A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, a commercially successful but heavily altered and diluted movie version of his novel.
Cast and characters
Henry James "Hank" Moody, played by David Duchovny, is an erratic but esteemed writer who frequently becomes embroiled in bizarre, scandalous situations; one reviewer likened his character to that of writer Charles Bukowski, and in the fourth season his daughter Becca notes that he behaves like a "poor man's Bukowski." Karen Van Der Beek, portrayed by Natascha McElhone, is Hank's long-term on-and-off girlfriend and the mother of his daughter; she works as an interior designer and architect. Rebecca "Becca" Moody, played by Madeleine Martin, is Hank and Karen's daughter, who is 12 years old at the start of season one and appears as a main character in seasons one through six and in episodes 11 and 12 of season seven. Charles Wolfgang "Charlie" Runkle, played by Evan Handler, is Hank's agent and best friend. Marcy Runkle, played by Pamela Adlon, is Charlie's wife, later ex-wife, then wife again, with whom he has a son named Stu; she appears as a recurring character in season one and as a main character from season two through seven. Mia Lewis, played by Madeline Zima, is Bill Lewis's teenage daughter who uses the pen name Mia Cross; in the pilot, Hank has a one-night stand with her, unaware of her age and identity, and she appears as a main character in seasons one and two and as a guest in seasons three and four. Bill Lewis, played by Damian Young, is Karen's ex-fiancé and Mia's father, appearing in seasons one and four. Other season-one characters include Meredith (Amy Price-Francis), Todd Carr (Chris Williams), Sonja (Paula Marshall), Michelle (Michelle Lombardo), Beatrice (Judy Greer), and Dani (Rachel Miner).
Reception
Critical reaction for the first season of Californication was generally favorable, with a weighted average score on Metacritic of 72 out of 100 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews." However, American critic Nathan Rabin gave the season an "F" rating on The A.V. Club, calling it "insufferable." The season-two finale on December 14, 2008, drew 615,000 viewers, with a combined total of 937,000 for the evening, retaining less than 50% of its lead-in from the season-three finale of Dexter. Season three steadily gained viewership, and the show was quickly picked up for a fourth season by Showtime. The show and lead actor David Duchovny were both nominated for Golden Globes in 2007; Duchovny won the lead actor award, but the award for best TV series in that category went to Extras. The series received multiple award nominations and wins: an American Cinema Editors nomination in 2007 for Best Edited Half-Hour Television Series; a BAFTA TV Award nomination in 2007 for Best International Programme; Casting Society of America nominations in 2007 and 2008; Emmy nominations in 2008 and 2009 for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, with wins in 2008 for Outstanding Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series (Peter Levy for "Pilot") and in 2009 for the same category (Michael Weaver for "In Utero"); Golden Globe nominations in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012, with Duchovny winning in 2008; a PGA Award nomination in 2010; a Prism Award nomination in 2009; a Satellite Award nomination in 2008; a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in 2008; and a Telekamery Tele Tygodnia nomination in 2010.
Lawsuit
The Red Hot Chili Peppers filed a lawsuit on November 19, 2007, against Showtime Networks over the series' name, which is also the name of the band's 1999 album and hit single. The lawsuit stated that the series "constitutes a false designation of origin, and has caused and continues to cause a likelihood of confusion, mistake, and deception as to source, sponsorship, affiliation, and/or connection in the minds of the public. The band pointed to Dani California, a character appearing in both the series and three songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as confusion when shopping for their album and the series soundtrack, and asked for unspecified damages and a new name for the show. Showtime Networks argued that the band did not create the term Californication, noting its appearance in print in Time magazine in 1972 in an article called "The Great Wild Californicated West," while show producer Tom Kapinos cited inspiration from a bumper sticker reading "Don't Californicate Oregon. Intellectual property lawyer Kim Walker stated that the band should have registered Californication as a trademark; the only application for such was filed in April 2007 in the US by Showtime, and the mark had not yet been registered. According to a 2011 article on TheWrap, the lawsuit was settled out of court.
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