Californication

Starring: David Duchovny (84 episodes), Natascha McElhone (84 episodes), Evan Handler (84 episodes), Pamela Adlon (80 episodes), Madeleine Martin (74 episodes), Stephen Tobolowsky (30 episodes), Madeline Zima (28 episodes), Callum Keith Rennie (14 episodes), Jason Beghe (13 episodes), Rachel Miner (12 episodes), Carla Gallo (11 episodes), Michael Imperioli (11 episodes), Oliver Cooper (11 episodes), Kathleen Turner (10 episodes), Embeth Davidtz (10 episodes), Carla Gugino (10 episodes), Tim Michin (10 episodes), Maggie Grace (10 episodes), Camilla Luddington (10 episodes), Eva Amurri Martino (9 episodes), RZA (9 episodes), Heather Graham (9 episodes), Peter Gallagher (8 episodes), Zoe Kravitz (8 episodes), Meagan Good (7 episodes), Rob Lowe (6 episodes), Addison Timlin (6 episodes), Angus Macfadyen (6 episodes), Michael Ealey (5 episodes), Judy Greer (4 episodes), Rick Springfield (4 episodes), Josh Gad (2 episodes), Jorge Garcia (2 episodes), Amber Heard (1 episode), Fisher Stevens (1 episode), Peter Fonda (1 episode), Ken Marino (1 episode), Stephen Root (1 episode), Vanessa Angel (1 episode), Artie Lange (1 episode)
Directed by: David Von Ancken (13 episodes), Adam Bernstein (12 episodes), John Dahl (10 episodes), David Duchovny (6 episodes), Jake Kasdan (1 episode), Helen Hunt (1 episode), Eric Stoltz (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2007-2014

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

Summary: Hank Moody (David Duchovny) is a heavy drinking, self-loathing, womanizer who tries to balance his writing career with attempting to reconnect with his ex-wife (Natascha McElhone) and daughter (Madeleine Martin).

Review:
Tim: With "Californication", David Duchovny likely becomes my all-time favorite television actor. I loved him in "The X-Files" and once again, he does a truly outstanding job here. I loved how different Hank Moody is from Fox Mulder. It shows the incredible range Duchovny has. Whether he's in a serious sci-fi series or a hilarious comedy, he knocks it out of the park.

The greatest feat of Californication is the character of Hank Moody. Hank is such a despicable person in many ways, but he has this glimmer of humanity that makes you hope for his redemption. I loved the rascally, devil-may-care aspect of his character. The rest of the cast is good, but this film is all about Duchovny just letting it all hang out. It's truly remarkable. I love how he balanced that fine line between being awful yet likeable.

Being a writer myself (albeit not a very good one), I really liked seeing a story about a writer in California. Sometimes Hank writes novels, sometimes he has to slum it in less artistic endeavors. The series did a good job of threading his job into the story but never letting it be the main focus. It was fascinating, but it served the greater relationship and the family drama that propelled the seasons forward. The series did a great job of giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the crazy world of life in California.

The supporting cast was very strong. I don't think Natascha McElhone is a great actress, but she did good work here as Karen. She was a constant presence in this series and I was glad for it. Madeleine Martin was very good as his daughter. She had a few bad moments but mostly terrific ones. I'll never forget her rendition of Warren Zevon's "Don't Let Us Get Sick". Evan Handler was great (many of my favorite moments involved Duchovny and Handler getting up to no good). Pamela Adlon had some of the series' funniest moments. The guest stars were good, too. I loved how they used actors like Maggie Grace, Camilla Luddington, Heather Graham, Meagan Good, Judy Greer, Rick Springfield, Rob Lowe, and others. The series did a great job of leveraging guest stars.

"Californication" was surprisingly consistent. While some seasons were better and some less so, they were all solid and entertaining. This is kind of show I just loved to binge watch. I'd sit down and watch 3, 4, 5 episodes at a time and have to force myself to stop and do something else. This show is incredibly entertaining and it's not afraid to take risks by pushing the limits of good taste. It's a very unique show- raunchy, but full of heart. I loved watching this show.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: The X-Files