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Californication
SERIES: Showtime, Monday 10:30p (30 minutes)

8.7 based on 24 reviews read critic reviews how did we calculate this? based on 138 votes read user comments rate this tv show

Get more information on this show at TV.com.

• Official Show Site
• Television Without Pity Recaps

Starring David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Madeleine Martin, Madeline Zima, and Evan Handler

Duchovny returns to series television as a writer trying to drink and fornicate his way to happiness.

GENRE(S):	Comedy
CREATED BY:	Tom Kapinos
FIRST AIR DATE:	August 13, 2007

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman

Californication--the best new TV show in a year.

100

New York Daily News David Hinckley

The team behind this series--creator Tom Kapinos from "Dawson's Creek," executive producer Scott Winant from "My So-Called Life" and "thirtysomething," and Duchovny himself--makes it easier for Duchovny by surrounding him with sparkling female characters and talent.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

There's a lot to love in Californication, from the blowtorch-keen dialogue of creator and writer Tom Kapinos to the way that Duchovny's ever-so-slightly-fading good looks perfectly encapsulate the character's downturn in Hollywood, to a multitude of standout performances in the ensemble cast.

88

USA Today Robert Bianco

The show is not designed to appeal to prudes, but the writing and the acting are too good to be wasted on the prurient.

80

Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan

A narcissistic writer bemoaning the Hollywood that overpays him? Color me fascinated

80

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

Californication is a near-perfect match with the established show, a caustic, sharp-edged mix of humor and drama that tiptoes along the edge of disaster but never drops into the looming abyss.

80

Newsday Diane Werts

Giving us hope are Kapinos' brisk writing and Duchovny's agile performance, conveying smarts, savvy, self-indulgence and sad stupidity in equal amounts.

80

Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert

Never mind the clichés, because Duchovny makes his character worth watching, as he swaggers from bad predicament to bad predicament, pretending not to care about his life anymore.

80

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

Duchovny possesses the engaging comic empathy skills to make his Left Coast libertine decidedly witty and likable.

80

Miami Herald Glenn Garvin

In Californication, [Duchovny] gets to take full advantage of his low-key comic approach, and the result is irresistible. The rest of the cast matches him riff for riff, especially British actress Natascha McElhone as the disenchanted Karen and young Madeleine Martin as their 12-year-old daughter Becca.

80

Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron

Californication can be unabashedly self-centered, judgmental and off-putting, but it is redeemed by occasional hilarious moments, an appealing father-daughter relationship and Duchovny's skillful creation of a charismatic boor.

80

New York Magazine John Leonard

Dark comedy suits insouciant Duchovny.... Here he delivers a tousled sort of aw-shucks Huck Finn, lighting out for erotic territories. McElhone, à la Rene Russo, manages to convey the notion of adult womanhood without being either drippy or schoolmarmish about it.

80

Salon Heather Havrilesky

Californication is reasonably charming straight out of the gate, and as the story progresses, the intelligence of the writing gains traction.

80

Slate Troy Patterson

The show is sometimes sweet and wry, sometimes crass and vicious, and, though often subtle, it embraces that embarrassing title and flings itself boisterously into a hacky premise

80

TV Guide Matt Roush

Duchovny is as rakishly appealing as any cad can be.

70

Wall Street Journal Nancy DeWolf Smith

Despite his nearly affectless face and inflectionless voice, Mr. Duchovny does fill the screen as Hank, forcing us to take his side whether we like it or not.

63

New York Post Kyle Smith

Despite the show's flaws--each of the first two episodes ends in an "ironic reveal" that is really just a ridiculous coincidence--its central character could be fascinating if played by, say, 1971 Brando. Duchovny gives off the heat of 2007 Brando.

60

Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray

Martin kills as a 12-year-old who is old beyond her years. I might watch just for her. As comedies go, Californication is a bit of a downer, and not just to fans of "The X-Files."

60

Variety Brian Lowry

At first blush, anyway, Californication isn't necessarily a bad place to be, but unless the series finds viable avenues to pursue beyond wallowing in Hank's self-pity, it'll be Showtime subscribers before long who wind up feeling screwed.

40

The New York Times Alessandra Stanley

Californication tries to poke fun at the hypocrisy and delusions of Hollywood, but it doesn’t have enough wit or sense of place to be very convincing. Mostly the series comes off as male payback for "Sex and the City," a series that often belittled men and treated them as sex objects.

40

Newark Star-Ledger Staff (Not Credited)

Californication doesn't have the courage of those movies' ["Shampoo" and "Blume in Love"] convictions. It acts like it wants to tell the story of Hank's comeuppance, his growth from obnoxious man-child to real man, but it can't bear the thought of the audience not liking Hank (and, by extension, Duchovny) right out of the gate.

40

The New Yorker Nancy Franklin

What's most puzzling about Californication is that much of the time it resembles a soft-porn film.... This kind of cheesiness is all about what the camera sees, rather than about the story and what the characters are feeling.

30

Los Angeles Times Mary McNamara

We don't feel anything because nothing is revealed about Moody except that he is depressed, profane and a writer. (We don't even know whether he is a good writer--all sorts of bad writers get upset about how their movies are made too.) And that, I'm afraid, is not enough.

20

LA Weekly Robert Abele

Angst is saved for the final two minutes when Hank is alone, driving at night or sitting in the dark, supposedly brooding over his inability to...what, fit one more lay into the day? Because it’s a false dilemma this dishonest, unfunny, dispiritingly crude show presents.

The average user rating for this tv show is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 138 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Andrew gave it a10:
I wasn't really sure whether I'd like it most of the time and I started skipping the agent parts of the story, but Hank's arc is very fresh and far better than outside reviews of the show would have led me to believe. Caveats: it takes a little while to get going though and I'm not sure the second season will be any good.

Jon D gave it an8:
At the beginning of this series I was really worried how the crew was going to keep this going beyond a season... because I ended up liking the pilot--- but I couldn't figure out a way to end the story without being predictable. And predictable it is... predictable but enjoyable. If Duchovny doesn't act like that in true life (it's believable) it's pretty good acting. It's the perfect role for him.

Jack H. gave it a10:
This show is, if not anything else, pretty enjoyable. Please do not read further if you have a 'thing' against spoilers. As I am not a professional writer, 'thing' works quite well to describe several feelings. For what I wanted to express >> Having watched the first season of Californication just recently, I was pretty awed by the way the character has been developed. He has a laid-back approach, true, but nearing the middle to end of the season, shows that not only is he still in love with his long-term girlfriend, but is also attempting to insinuate himself back into her life. As the protagonist has been shown to have a decent outlook towards morality, excluding the unfortunate mishap involving his love's fiance's daughter, he is pretty limited in how he tries to get 'Karen' back. That however, does not stop him trying. Although the explicit scenes may come across as excessive to some, it is the underlying satire and raunchiness that intrigue the audience. Few shows manage to get the right reactions from their viewers. Californication can thankfully be counted amongst them. However, the entire show is not just about 'Hank' attempting to bring his life under a finer control. The rest of the cast plays a significant role too. Subplots of intricate details have been developed, one of the most involving being the sexual frustration expressed by 'Marcy', wife of Hank's agent 'Charlie'. The season finale was pretty exciting. Rarely have stranger things occured on a wedding set, be it in reality, or theater. I await with hushed breath for the second season. This series has impressed me beyond all bounds.

Chad D. gave it a10:
This show is great! Hank always has something witty and funny to say. The acting is good, the characters are believable and they make you like/hate them. I'm glad this is coming back for a second season!

Otho S. gave it an8:
I find it interesting that the most negative reviews of Californication come from L.A. and New York critics, while the Chicago critics love it. When a program makes the commercial stage and film capitals of the country fidgety with its portrayal of writers, that's a sure sign that said portrayal is dead on. In Chicago, we take our theatre seriously, and anyone who decides not to whore himself by selling out to Broadway or Hollywood no doubt delights in Duchovny's skewering of the shallow solipsism of the coasts.

Matteo P. gave it an8:
Something new even if uncompleted.

Justin R. gave it a10:
It might be said that this is the greatest casting for any tv show in history. The writing is phenomenal, and everyone is so balanced. People all act realistically irrationally sometimes, and hank is just quick and witty enough to be believably. Duchovny's acting is top notch, and you will find yourself relating to many aspects of this show. Easily a 10 out of 10.

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