Californication is an American comedy-drama television series, created by Tom Kapinos that originally aired for seven seasons and 84 episodes on Showtime from August 13, 2007, to June 29, 2014.
The show follows New Yorker Hank Moody (David Duchovny), a troubled novelist who moves to California and suffers from writer's block.
His drinking, womanizing, and drug abuse complicate his relationships with his longtime lover, Karen (Natascha McElhone), and their daughter, Becca (Madeleine Martin).
Recurring themes are sex, drugs, and rock and roll, all of which are featured regularly, as well as the seedier side of Los Angeles.
He blames his longtime writer's block on reasons ranging from the hedonism of Los Angeles to the departure of his girlfriend Karen.
Hank constantly deals with the consequences of his inability to say "no" to temptation while trying to show his family that he can be a responsible, caring father to Becca and a reliable partner to Karen.
[1] The season-one finale, "The Last Waltz" (in homage to Martin Scorsese's concert film),[2] originally aired on Showtime on October 29, 2007.
It frequently alludes to Warren Zevon and featured Henry Rollins in a guest appearance; some episode titles, such as "Filthy Lucre", "Turn the Page", and "The Land of Rape and Honey", allude to album and song names (Sex Pistols' "Filthy Lucre Live", Bob Seger's "Turn the Page", and Ministry's The Land of Rape and Honey, respectively.
A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, the movie based on God Hates Us All, is named after the song by the rock band Queen from their album The Game.
Season one (August 13 – October 29, 2007) followed Hank and the other main characters in the months leading up to Karen's planned marriage to Bill, a Los Angeles publisher.
Hank wallows in self-loathing following the release of A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, a drastically altered and watered-down, yet commercially popular movie adaptation of his most recent novel, God Hates Us All.
Upon returning to LA, he believes the original copy to be lost when he is carjacked, but Mia had previously stolen the plot, and now she takes credit for it herself and attempts to have it published.
Included artists are The Rolling Stones, Peeping Tom, My Morning Jacket, The Doors, Tommy Stinson, Bob Dylan, Harvey Danger, Madeleine Martin, Gus Black, Mexican institute of sound, Warren Zevon, The Heavy, Champion, Steve Earle, Elton John, and two original tracks created for the show by Tyler Bates and Tree Adams.
In season two (September 28 – December 14, 2008), Hank and Karen's relationship seems to be working out, Becca seems happy again, and their house is on the market, as they plan a move to New York.
Karen refuses his proposal, leading him to go back to his old ways and continuing the show's central focus on clandestine sexuality.
Mia's book is a hit and Ashby holds a party in her honor, where Damien cheats on Becca while Charlie announces he wants to leave Marcy for Daisy.
After Hank convinces him to rekindle the relationship, Ashby snorts some of what he believes is cocaine (but is actually heroin he had grabbed from a pile of drugs earlier in the party) and overdoses.
The season closes with Karen's plane leaving for New York City and Hank and Becca walking on the Venice boardwalk.
In the season finale, Hank has recurring nightmares of floating in a pool, drinking heavily while talking to his most recent conquests, who are swimming naked around him; Karen and Becca watch poolside.
In reality, Mia returns to Hank's home and invites the family to the media launch of the paperback edition of her book.
Guest stars included Carla Gugino as Hank's lawyer Abby; Zoë Kravitz as Becca's new friend, who gets her to join Zoë's band, Queens of Dogtown;[9] Addison Timlin as Sasha Bingham, a movie star; and Rob Lowe as Eddy Nero, a famous actor who wants to play Hank's character in a movie.
Season four follows his new legal troubles, such as his lawyer's attempts to get him acquitted of statutory rape charges, plus the development of a film adaptation of "Fucking & Punching" and his sexual involvement with Sasha and Abby.
Hank originally turns down the job but eventually ends up writing Santa Monica Cop because he needs the money.
Initially, Hank reluctantly agrees to rehab, not because of a drug dependency, but rather because of depression over his role in ex-girlfriend Carrie's suicide at the end of season five.
On June 4, 2013, actress Mercedes Masohn announced that she would have a guest role as Amy Taylor Walsh, a TV star whose plea for Hank's help ends up putting him in an uncomfortable, compromising position.
Comedian Jim Florentine plays a pimp, and Rob Lowe reprises his role as movie star Eddie Nero.
Kim Walker, head of intellectual property at Pinsent Masons, states that the band should have registered Californication as a trademark.
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 trademark covering entertainment services, I very much doubt we'd have seen a lawsuit.