# Californication (2007)

> A self-loathing alcoholic novelist in Los Angeles tries to repair his fractured family while his sex addiction and drug habit keep derailing him.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1140

## Facts

- Seasons: 7
- Episodes: 84
- Episode runtime: 28 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Tom Kapinos
- Network: Showtime
- Cast: David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Evan Handler, Pamela Adlon, Rachel Miner, Madeleine Martin, Madeline Zima, Callum Keith Rennie
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0904208/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: sardonic, sexually frank, wistful, irreverent, bittersweet, tender

## What critics say

Viewers broadly praise the sharp, profane writing and David Duchovny's lead performance, though the show's later seasons are considered weaker than its early run.

## Synopsis

Californication (2007-2014) is a United States premium cable dark comedy-drama series created by Tom Kapinos for Showtime. David Duchovny plays Hank Moody, a self-loathing novelist in Los Angeles whose talent has been eclipsed by his appetite for sex, alcohol, and drugs. Natascha McElhone plays Karen van der Beek, the mother of his daughter, and Madeleine Martin plays Becca Moody, the daughter he is trying to win back, while Evan Handler and Pamela Adlon play the Runkles, his loyal and exasperated friends. Each season follows Hank as he chases a new romance, a new book deal, or a new scandal, and each new mess pulls him further from the family he wants to repair. The show runs seven seasons of twelve episodes each as one continuing story, with the chaos of the Hollywood social scene providing its episodic set pieces. Its tone is sardonic, sexually frank, and wistful, with flashes of genuine tenderness beneath the bravado. Fans of Entourage, Episodes, and Shameless will find resonance in its portrait of a charming, self-destructive antihero who keeps promising to change.

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