Californication (TV series)

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Californication
Californication Title Ep2.jpg
Genre Comedy-drama
Created by Tom Kapinos
Starring David Duchovny
Natascha McElhone
Pamela Adlon
Madeleine Martin
and Evan Handler
Former cast:
Madeline Zima (Seasons 1-2)
Opening theme "Main Title Theme From Californication" by Tree Adams & Tyler Bates
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 31 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) David Duchovny
Tom Kapinos
Stephen Hopkins
Location(s) California
Running time Approximately 28 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel Showtime
Original run August 13, 2007 – present
External links
Official website

Californication is an American comedy-drama that premiered on Showtime on August 13, 2007. The show was created by Tom Kapinos. The protagonist, Hank Moody (David Duchovny), is a troubled novelist whose move to California coupled with his writer's block complicate his relationships with his ex-girlfriend Karen and daughter Becca. Californication's other main characters are Karen van der Beek (Natascha McElhone), Rebecca "Becca" Moody (Madeleine Martin), Charlie Runkle (Evan Handler), Marcy Runkle (Pamela Adlon), and Mia Lewis (Madeleine Zima). The show has been nominated and won several awards including winning one Emmy Award (nominated for two others) and one Golden Globe Award (nominated for three others). Californication has aired for two seasons. The third season began airing on September 27, 2009 and received a 57% increase in ratings. Due to this rating spike, the show has been renewed early for a fourth season, Showtime announced. [1]

Contents

[edit] Series overview

Main article: List of Californication episodes

The series revolves around Hank Moody, a charming ladies' man of a writer and novelist plagued by personal demons. He blames his years-long case of writer's block on a variety of reasons, ranging from the hedonism of Los Angeles, to his girlfriend Karen leaving him. Hank constantly deals with the consequences of his lack of will to say "no" to available drugs, sex and alcohol, while trying to show his family that he can be a good, responsible caring father to Becca and a monogamous partner to Karen.

The show was renewed for a second season on September 7, 2007.[2] The season 1 finale, titled "The Last Waltz", originally aired on Showtime on October 29, 2007. Season 2 began filming in April 2008,[3] and was underway as of June 2008.[4] The premiere episode of season 2 aired September 28, 2008. The first season was released on DVD in the US on June 17, 2008. Showtime has renewed Californication for a third season[5], which premiered on Sunday September 27 at 10PM.

[edit] Season one

Main article: Californication—Season 1

The first season of Californication premiered August 13, 2007 and ended October 29, 2007. The season followed Hank and the other main characters in the months leading up to Karen's planned marriage to Bill, a Los Angeles publisher. Hank is wallowing deep in self-loathing following the release of A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which he perceives as a low-quality (yet commercially popular) movie adaptation of his most recent novel, God Hates Us All.

After picking up a younger woman in a bookstore and eventually having sex with her, Hank finds out that she is actually Bill's 16-year-old daughter, Mia. Hank spends most of his time drinking and not writing. Meanwhile, Mia continues to harass Hank during his visits to his family; she uses the threat of exposing his illegal sex with her as leverage to extort stories from him (that she passes off as her own) for her high school creative-writing class. The death of Hank's father triggers an alcohol-fueled binge and a sexual encounter with Karen.

After his father's funeral, Hank stays in New York to finish a manuscript for a new novella. However, upon returning to L.A., he believes the original copy to be lost when he is carjacked. Mia, however, had previously copied the original, and takes credit for it herself. On Karen and Bill's wedding day, Hank chooses to accept the way things are; but, as he leaves the reception with his daughter Becca, Karen runs out and jumps into his car, presumably to re-start their life together.

[edit] Season two

Main article: Californication—Season 2

The second season of Californication premiered September 28, 2008, and ended December 14, 2008. The newly reunited couple of Hank and Karen seems to be working out, their house is on the market, and Becca seems happy again. Hank gets a vasectomy and attends a party invited by Sonja, a woman with whom Hank had sex in the first season. A mistake and a fight with an obnoxious police officer lands Hank in jail, where he meets Lew Ashby, world-famous record producer, who commissions Hank to write his biography.

Charlie loses his job due to masturbating in his office several times and becomes the paternal figure and agent of a porn star named Daisy. Charlie decides to get into the porn industry and finances the porn movie Vaginatown, starring Daisy. Marcy goes into rehab for her cocaine addiction and Charlie starts an affair with Daisy. Hank proposes to Karen on the night that they discover that Hank could be the father of Sonja's child. Karen says no after hearing the news about Sonja's baby, and Karen decides that she and Hank can't be together, leading Hank to go back to his old ways and continuing the show's centrality on clandestine sexuality.

Hank moves in with Ashby, who starts a romance with Mia (much to Hank's dismay). Becca finds a boyfriend named Damien. Mia's book becomes a hit and Ashby holds a party in its honor, where Damien cheats on Becca and Charlie decides to divorce Marcy to get together with Daisy. After the party, Hank sees that Ashby's old girlfriend (The one that got away) has finally showed up to see Lew. When Hank goes upstairs to get him, Ashby dies after snorting heroin, which he had mistaken for cocaine.

Hank finishes Ashby's biography. Charlie ends up working in a BMW dealership in the Valley. Sonja's baby is born and turns out to be black, making it clear that Hank cannot be the father. Hank and Karen are slowly starting to get together again. Karen then gets offered a job in New York and Hank is happy to go back to New York with her, but when Damien apologizes to Becca and the two get back together again, Hank decides it would be wrong to take Becca out of Los Angeles. He decides to stay, while Karen starts her job in New York. The season closes with Karen's plane leaving for New York and Hank and Becca walking on the Venice boardwalk.

[edit] Season three

Main article: Californication—Season 3

The third season of Californication premiered September 27, 2009 on Showtime. This season will follow where season two ended, with the key elements including Hank becoming a teacher, his ongoing relationship with his daughter Becca, and the various shenanigans he gets into when he is let loose on a college campus.[6]

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main characters

[edit] Recurring characters

  • Bill Lewis (Damian Young) - Karen's fiancee. (Season 1).
  • Sonja (Paula Marshall) - Karen's friend and Hank's one night stand.
  • Dani (Rachel Miner) - Charlie's former assistant.
  • Lew Ashby (Callum Keith Rennie) - Hank's friend, record producer and topic of one of Hank's books.
  • Daisy (Carla Gallo) - Charlie's porn star client.
  • Michelle (Surfer Girl) (Michelle Lombardo) - Hank's friend.
  • Beatrice (Trixie) (Judy Greer) - prostitute; has sex with Hank
  • Ronny Praeger (Hal Ozsan) - Porn director and Charlie's business partner in the 'Vaginatown' movie (Four episodes of Season 2).
  • Julian (Angus MacFadyen) - Hank's Season 2 nemesis, Sonja's spiritual guru and love-interest (Six episodes of Season 2).
  • Damien (Ezra Miller) - Becca's boyfriend and the son of Mrs. Patterson, her English teacher (Five episodes).
  • Chelsea Koons (Ellen Woglom) - Becca's best friend, daughter of Hanks boss's Felicia and Stacey Koons (Season 3)
  • Jackie (Eva Amurri) - Hank's student and love interest who moonlights as a stripper (Season 3)
  • Sue Collini (Kathleen Turner) - Charlie Runkle's boss (Season 3)

[edit] Critical reaction

Main article: List of Californication awards and nominations

The critical reaction for Californication has been generally favorable, with a rating of 70 on Metacritic.[7] However there has been a backlash from conservative groups who oppose the explicit nature of the program. Conservative columnist Andrew Bolt criticized the program in the Australian newspaper the Herald Sun, in regards to the pilot's opening dream scene in which a nun performs oral sex on Hank Moody.[8] The Australian Christian Lobby’s managing director Jim Wallace also called for a boycott, not only of Network Ten, but all advertisers who advertise during the show, in response to a scene in which Hank and Sonja smoke marijuana, have sex and subsequently both vomit.[9] When Network Ten premiered Season 2 on October 5 2008, the Christian fundamentalist group Salt Shakers led an e-mail campaign against advertisers, requesting they withdraw their advertisements. This resulted in 49 companies withdrawing their advertising, including the show's main sponsor, Just Car Insurance.

Breaking with the majority, American Critic Nathan Rabin gave the first season an "F" rating on The AV Club, calling it "insufferable" [4].

The show premiered on Thursday, November 8, 2007 in New Zealand amidst controversy due to issues raised by the conservative lobby group Family First, who objected to the content of the show. The group called for families to boycott any company advertising during the episode which it described as "drug, sex and vomit-laden."[10][11][12]

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 this category went to Extras.[13]

[edit] DVD release

[edit] Region 1

DVD name Release date Ep # Additional information
Californication - The 1st Season June 17, 2008 12 This two-disc box set includes all 12 episodes of Season 1. Bonus features include commentaries on the pilot, biographies of the 5 main actors and 16 photos from the show. Showtime has also provided four downloadable episodes, two from Dexter Season 2 and two from The Tudors Season 2.
Californication - The 2nd Season August 25, 2009 12 This two-disc box set includes all 12 episodes of Season 2. Bonus features include interviews with cast members and Marcie's Waxing Salon. Showtime has also provided four downloadable episodes, one from The United States of Tara Season 1 and three from The Tudors Season 3.

[edit] Region 2

DVD name Release date Ep # Additional information
Californication - The 1st Season June 16, 2008 12 This two-disc box set includes all 12 episodes of Season 1. The bonus features in the UK release included an audio commentary of the pilot episode, as well as interviews with the cast and director.
Californication - The 2nd Season August 10, 2009 12 This three-disc box set includes all 12 episodes of Season 2. Bonus features include interviews with the cast and the show’s writer Tom Kapinos and a never-before-seen featurette.

[edit] Region 4

DVD name Release date Ep # Additional information
Californication - The 1st Season June 18, 2008 12 This two-disc box set includes all 12 episodes of Season 1. Bonus features include commentaries on the pilot, as well as interviews with the cast.
Californication - The 2nd Season August 18, 2009 12 This three-disc box set includes all 12 episodes of Season 2. Bonus features include "Heart, Balls & Swagger" Interviews, Name That Girl, Marcy's Wax Salon, "Caliwood" Bubble Map, Cast Bios and Filmographies and a Photo Gallery.

[edit] Lawsuit

The Red Hot Chili Peppers filed a lawsuit on November 19, 2007[14] against Showtime Networks over the name of the series, which is also the name of the band's 1999 album and hit single. They state in the lawsuit 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".[15] Pointing to Dani California, a character who appears in both the series and three songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (including Californication) as well as confusion when shopping for their album and that of the series soundtrack, the band members are seeking unspecified damages. They are also requesting that a new name be found for the TV show.[15] Showtime Networks is expected to argue that the band did not in fact create the term Californication. They point out that the term appeared in print in Time Magazine in 1972, in an article called The Great Wild Californicated West.[16] Canadian art-rock band the Rheostatics also released an album called Whale Music in 1992, with a song called "California Dreamline". In this song, the word Californication appears in the phrase "Californication, spooning in the dry sand".[17][18]

Kim Walker, head of intellectual property at Pinsent Masons, states that the band should have registered Californication as a trademark. Instead, the only application for such was filed in April 2007 in the US, by Showtime. The mark has not yet been registered. Walker has also stated:

"Successful songs, albums and movies can become brands in themselves. What's really surprising is how few songs and albums are properly protected," said Walker. "The Chili Peppers could almost certainly have registered a trade mark for 'Californication', notwithstanding Time's article. They made the word famous, but it doesn't automatically follow that they can stop its use in a TV show." "If they had registered the title as a trade mark covering entertainment services, I very much doubt we'd have seen a lawsuit. The TV show would have been called something else," he said. "As it is, the band faces an uphill struggle.[15]"

The matter remains unresolved.

[edit] Viewership

The second season finale of Californication 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 finale of Dexter.[19]

[edit] Trivia

Some interesting references to modern pop-culture include: the titles of Hank's novels named in the show are taken from American thrash metal band Slayer's albums. These are: South of Heaven, Seasons In The Abyss, and of course the main novel in the show, God Hates Us All. Twice in the first season, the wait for Hank's new novel is compared to the wait for the latest Guns 'N Roses album, Chinese Democracy, which took over a decade to be released.

The music of Warren Zevon also plays a significant role in the series. Many of his songs appear in the show, including "Mohammed's Radio" and "My Shit's Fucked Up". Steve Earle's cover of "Reconsider Me" makes an appearance, as does "Don't Let Us Get Sick", as performed by Becca Moody's band. There are also nods to Zevon's music in the characters' dialogue, including the phrases "life'll kill ya" and "excitable boy". In Season 3, Hank Moody describes his ritual for finishing a book as "whiskey, weed, and Warren Zevon."

[edit] References

  1. ^ Joyce Eng (05 October 2009). "Californication Renewed for Fourth Season". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Californication-Renewed-Fourth-1010500.aspx. Retrieved 2009-10-05. 
  2. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (2007-09-07). "'Californication's' next chapter". Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1f2de64a1d24bd559578d80d0ac42fd4. Retrieved 2007-09-12. 
  3. ^ Adalian, Josef (2007-09-06). "Showtime renews 'Californication'". Variety (magazine). http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971522.html?categoryid=1238&cs=1. Retrieved 2007-12-17. 
  4. ^ "Californication Official Blog". Sho.com(Official website). 2008-06-24. http://californicationblog.sho.com/. Retrieved 2008-06-28. 
  5. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (2008-12-03). "'Californication' headed for Season 3". Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i811727a8754c8b9b181786690625d396. Retrieved 2008-12-03. 
  6. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (2008-12-03). "'Californication' headed for Season 3". Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i811727a8754c8b9b181786690625d396. Retrieved 2008-12-03. 
  7. ^ "Californication". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/californication. Retrieved 2007-08-22. 
  8. ^ Bolt, Andrew (2007-08-29). "Just how low can you go with Californication?". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22324138-5000117,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-30. 
  9. ^ Schliebs, Mark (2007-09-04). "Drugs, sex and vomit prompt Californication boycott call". News.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,22360980-10388,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-04. 
  10. ^ "Boycott drug, sex and vomit-laden programme, says Family First". http://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?l=1&t=0&id=8990. Retrieved 2007-11-09. 
  11. ^ "Family First Call For Boycott". http://www.familyfirst.org.nz/index.cfm/action_alert/tv3_californication.html. Retrieved 2007-11-09. 
  12. ^ "Family First Press Release outlining their objections to the show". http://www.familyfirst.org.nz/index.cfm/californication.html. Retrieved 2007-11-09. 
  13. ^ HFPA - Nominations and Winners
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ a b c [2]
  16. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877985,00.html
  17. ^ http://www.rheostatics.ca/
  18. ^ [3]
  19. ^ http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6623201.html

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californication_(TV_series)"