In this painfully slow summer of filler television, viewers often scramble to catch up on old favorites or get introduced to new hits through DVDs and re-runs. If you find yourself stuck in the mindlessness that is Wipe Out or Living Lohan, fear not, there is salvation. Californication, a Showtime original series, is there for you.
Showtime has surpassed HBO in the last few years in terms of the quality of their original series. While HBO has seen its most hyped shows (Big Love) fall flat, it has had its share of silent hits (Flight of the Conchords). However, Showtime has sprinted past HBO with many critical and commercial successes. One of these is the best show on television you’re not watching.
Californication is the story of Hank Moody (David Duchovny), a visionary writer suffering from an awful case of writer’s block. After writing a hit novel, “God Hates Us All,” which was turned into a horrible movie, Moody finds himself in California chasing his former girlfriend all the while trying to be a good father to his pre-teen daughter. Moody’s character is one of the finest on television today. While Duchovny could easily let his character slip into the stereotype of a troubled writer, he is able to keep Moody out of this trap through his relationship with the two things that make him the happiest: his daughter, Becca, and former girlfriend, Karen.
The first season follows Moody as he fights through his writer’s block by taking a job blogging for “HelLA magazine,” works out his female issues by sleeping with seemingly every woman in Los Angeles, fights to get Karen back and works on being a better father for Becca.
While Duchovny is able to keep his character out of the stereotype trap, other characters are not to lucky. There is Moody’s agent, Charlie (Evan Handler), the jewish guy who develops a strange sexual relationship with his assistant, and Becca (Madeleine Martin) the pre-teen daughter who is too smart for her own good.
A show which derives most of its laughs from Moody’s one-liners is never afraid to put the protagonist in any number of embarrassing sexual and social situations which lends a certain air of vulnerability to the main character. While some of the humor can be considered cheap bedroom humor, it is nevertheless something that hasn’t been done on television in this way before.
Californication, 8.0/10.
I keep hearing this show is good, i’ll have to check it out.
Hector
13 Jul 08 at 7:27 pm
dude, Californication is sweet.
Natty
15 Jul 08 at 8:39 pm
This show is one of the only signs that we receive in europe that still keeps us in doubt about the total stupidity of american pop culture.
gonçalo santana
23 Jul 08 at 12:09 pm
Hey Santana, shut your Socialist panzee mouth. When your GDP reaches one fifth of America’s then you will be allowed to share whatever opinion I give you.
America, Fuck Yea!
Hollywood
23 Jul 08 at 5:39 pm
hollywood… Socialist? to you europe and socialism are the same? that shows how ridiculous and braindead you are. Opinions don’t depend on gdp they depend on freedom. I expected you to know that in ” the land of the free ” . 60 years ago only you still had apartheid in your country and to this day you still have death penalty so YOU shut your mouth! As for the gdp get informed. I live in the EU wich as a gpd slightly higher to this date than yours. Even more i have to thank you for this global crisis, go USA! Plus YOU don’t give me opinions you share opinions you red neck idiot. To end, i already spent too much time exposing your stupidity as it is, your “America, fuck yea” is sooooo ridiculous and idiotic i would be shamed if you and i shared the same nationality. Please take some action. Grow a brain or go kill yourself.
gonçalo santana
24 Jun 09 at 3:24 am