Californication

This has to be one of the best written shows in years. It has so much going on and generally speaking, this is a recipe for disaster. The name tells you this is going to be about sex, drugs and rock 'n roll, and it is. It is also about love, tenderness, trying to keep kids from growing up too fast, dissatisfaction with life and settling for what you think you want.

The dialog pacing is flawless and the humor timing is spot on. Things come at you out of nowhere, delivered in Duchovney's signature deadpan to great effect here. The writing does credit to the English language, albeit it well salted and peppered with expletives. The very best part of this show is that the characters felt well fleshed out from the first 5 minutes and they have continued to feel real. The relationships in the story line are valid and authentic.

In short, it just gets better and better. I find myself watching one of the rebroadcasts nearly every evening and enjoying it more each time.

After a series "The X Files" David Duchovny had planned to withdraw from the television, and I thought that I would in any future role still see him as Fox Mulder. I was wrong. With the role of Hank Moody, he immediately wiped all memory of Mulder.

Hank Moody is a writer in blockade, who lives of old fame and money earned from the movie based on his bestseller, while driving his Porsche from pub to party, from alcohol to drugs, from making love with a prostitute to wild sex with every woman willing to spread her legs, persistently and hopelessly trying to escape from depression and suffering for the family he destroyed. Explicit scenes of bohemian "sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll" life, immersed in impossible situations full of shame-transfers, genius replicas, inexhaustible (mostly black) humor, which vulgarly and brutally hold you on the edge between embarrassment and dying from laughter, are shifting to deeply emotional scenes of his desperate attempts to reconcile with his ex-wife and raise his teenage daughter.

Although the fantastic script and Duchovny's perfect performance are what rises this show to the top of the best series I've ever watched, we must not forget the excellent casting of supporting characters, whose diversity complements this crazy story and makes it an unforgettable experience. Particularly distinguished among them is Evan Handler, as Hank's best friend, whose performance stands side by side with Duchovny's.

I could say that it's genre is a drama-comedy, but for me, this series is falling into a special category of "complete awesomeness". There are very few series I followed from start to finish, but this one I saw several times in its entirety and each time I was impressed as the first time. I have no complaints, except that it did not last forever. One of the strongest tens I ever gave.

10/10

Maybe I missed something, but the promos of this series made it look like one long ad for a freewheeling guy living a hedonistic Hollywood lifestyle. That's SO not what Californication is about, and frankly, it's a stupid title. There is definitely a high volume of disreputable behavior, and the show is not for kids, but there is a good story here. Hank Moody (Duchovney) is a Los Angeles-based writer whose long-time girlfriend, with whom he has a child but never bothered to marry, has left him. The whole series is about his desire to win her back, his writers' block at the loss of his muse, and his role as a father all in the context of his emotional instability. Duchovney's girl-getting eyes have the same effect on every female opportunity that comes his way in the story as they do on his millions of female fans. The series calls for a bit of a stretch, asking the audience to believe that his power to attract women never once led to an indiscretion while he was living with his non-wife. I loved the characters and although it is not realistic, it is an interesting venue for the observations made about what destructive behaviors women are willing to put up with. It also gets very far away from the Jerry Seinfeld, man-child type characters that are romantically inept. Hank is a ladies man AND a man's man. He's the lovable bad boy with a heart of gold. For those concerned about content for kids: DO NOT WATCH THIS SERIES. There is constant language, smoking, sex, frank discussions about sex, drug use viewed as acceptable, nudity, and references to all forms of adult themes. But the story line is not as prurient as all of that suggests. Hank is a family man who engages in behaviors because he has no brakes to stop him i.e. his family living with him. He doesn't actually LIKE the behaviors and wants to marry the woman who left him and spend more time with his daughter. Great acting by the entire cast --and a *really* tall cast it is!

i really loved the pilot!

duchovny comes across very authentic as a writer in his midlife crisis. divorced and unhappy the daughter suffers the most under the separation. for my part it wonder if the classification as a comedy is right... it's very sarcastic... there's some scenes that are funny but most of the time it's more a drama than comedy...

the series has a lot of potential and it's not a 100% clear where it might take us if it gets picked up. let's hope showtime has the guts to give duchovny a chance to show of his talent. for my part i loved his performance and that it would be good thing to have him back on a TV series.

From its controversial opening scene to its excellent finale, the first episode of "Californication" sets the tone for the series. Stylishly directed by the always-reliable Stephen Hopkins, the pilot is thoroughly entertaining adult comedy. Watching the first episode reminded me a little of a modern Blake Edwards' production.

The cast are excellent, especially David Duchovny as the seedy Hank Moody, a man whose mid-life crisis is on display for all to see, from his Porsche to his constant bed-hopping.

The script is sharp and the whole show exudes quality.

Recommended.