Californication is a television series that aired for seven seasons on Showtime. It is based on an alcoholic, sex addict, struggling author, Hank Moody (David Duchovny). He falls in love with Karen (Natascha McElhone) whom he never married or fully committed to for that matter. Karen gets pregnant unplanned and gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Becca (Madeleine Martin). She grows up over the series to become a depressed young lady, struggling with a career decision.

Together they move to Los Angeles, California in hopes to better his writer’s block and to better their lives. They do not end up with a little house on the corner with a white picket fence. Hank can’t seem to say to “no” to having sex with any beautiful woman that flaunts herself in front of him. His relationship with Karen is going nowhere but down and things are only going from bad to worse.

One day Hank is inside of a book store and he happens to see a beautiful young lady that just happens to be reading his book. It turns out that little beauty, Mia is the underaged daughter of Karen’s fiancé, Bill (Damien Young). Mia and Hank have sex and he finds out who she truly is. She later blackmails him and takes the credit for a novel that he had just completed writing, which later became very popular. Even though Hank and his agent/best friend, Charlie Runkle (Evan Handler) knew that it wasn’t Mia’s personal manuscript their hands were tied together because if they did Mia would tell the world that Hank had a sexual relationship with an underage girl. All this is eventually revealed to the world and Hank is criminally charged with having sex with a minor. Becca and Karen have upheld Hank through all his transgressions but this time he has went way too far. 

Well, Hank’s life continues to spiral out control. He can not control his sexual urges and illegal drug use no matter how hard he tries. Somewhere along the line he moves in with Charlie. Charlie is no better than Hank because his own marriage failed due to him having an affair with his young, blonde secretary. 

Even in the last season Hank was still continuing to follow the same reckless path. This is when I became frustrated with the show and almost discontinued watching it but I like most everyone else stuck with it till the end. Throughout the entire series Hank and Karen had a cycled relationship of on one day and off the next. The ending still leaves it up in the air to whether he and Karen will try to become a couple once more. You will just have to use your imagination and decide for yourself whether Hank’s love for Karen is enough to keep him from having sex with every ninny that looks at him, or not.

If you can get past the seven seasons of Hank’s pungent lifestyle and cheesy, frequent dialogue then you will surely enjoy this Showtime series.