2037 - Californication: season seven

You were the show whose pilot knocked me off my chair - I was so in awe with what I’d seen, so jealous of the power of the writing.  As you went along I had a troubled relationship with you - I had a hard time taking you seriously during your goofier moments but you always pulled me back when you got around to being poignant.

The problem with sustaining a series with a troubled hero like Hank Moody is that you can only go so far in his growth without abandoning what was exciting about him in the first place.  So it’s hard to sustain this long-standing story of the love of his life when he’s constantly with other women.  After a few seasons of that you kind of start to feel like those two aren’t really destined to be together.  I believe it was season five that ended with his crazy girlfriend trying to kill him.  That was an inspired story choice, and really gave us material to go somewhere real and honest and dark with the character, but it largely got squandered and Hank set off on another kooky adventure in show business.  This season worked as a swan song.  I liked the idea of him connected with a long-long son, and having the dual relationship between his two baby mamas - though I have a hard time buying he wouldn’t have given it a shot with Heather Graham - not just because she’s gorgeous, but because they have a clean slate like he and Karen never could.  Alas.  

Evan Handler has always been a joy, and there’s a special place in my heart for Pamela Adlon.

If you’ve never seen this series I’m not entirely sure I can advocate for it’s entire run.  I definitely think it’s first three or four seasons are worth your time - after that it’s a little hit or miss.  David Duchovney is always delightful though, so there’s that as well.  I’ll miss the characters a little and seeing where they go, but I can’t say I need anymore.  Let’s see what Tom Kampinos has up his sleeve next.

1826 - Californication: season six

This show is one of my guilty pleasures.  I love the tone of it and how it balances the wacky and the poignant, and Hank Moody is one of the more delicious television anti-heroes ever created.  This series has had some rockiness to it as it balances how to move Hank forward without losing who he is.  I think this season was one of, if not, the most successful in that regard.  It's gone a long way into delving into the fuckedness of Hank.  Maggie Grace was a much welcome addition to the cast - so much so that I actually have a hard time buying the outcome of Hank's decision at the end.  If you haven't been watching this series yet you've got a lot of road to catch up on, but it's bi-and-large worth it for the moments of heart.  Looking forward to more when it returns, of course, although I'm just not sure what tricks this show could still have up it's sleeve - unless the final season is about Hank trying to be in an honest, celibate relationship.  That could be interesting… after six seasons of watching these characters behave like children, can they become responsible adults?

1753 - The Big C: season three

When the second season ended on a cliff-hanger that assumed we might not be seeing Oliver Platt returning, I was pretty impressed by the bold move.  I was instantly unimpressed when they whisked it away right from the get-go in this season.
I'm going to rant for a moment about what I think is an essential issue when it comes to the Showtime series of shows.  It's a company that fosters really bold and original ideas - but doesn't know what the hell to do with them to the point where it just feels like it drags stories on to no end and for no good reason.  It has a laundry list of shows like this one, Californication, Dexter, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, wherein these fucked up main characters do whatever is most convenient at that moment to ensure that the series continues on a few seasons more, rather than offering an honest progression.  Some of those shows above do it worse than others - but sadly none of them really feel like the series are going towards anything, or have an over-all game plan.
In a world where almost everyone has been touched by the illness of cancer, I have no idea why I'm supposed to like the character of Cathy who is a bi-polar bitch.  Gotta give Linney props for making her human and likeable in small doses, but you can't fix what's a problem at the core.  We have no reason to care for her, and less for her family as they go on.  The supporting cast has become cartoon characters with quirks.  Andrea (now Ibabu) has absolutely no reason to be on the show outside of being the quirky outsider.  Son Adam is now, for whatever reason, religious.  Paul is a self-help guru, and brother Sean, the character whom had the most morals and dimensions, is not a running gag. 
Will I come back for a fourth season?  I'm sure I'll check out an episode or two, but I just don't know - in a world full of shows I've yet to see, I'm not sure this one is worth my time anymore.  It's a shame since there's a lot of great talent involved.  Alas.

1713 - Californication: season five

When discussing television series I often resort to food metaphors.  Something like Breaking Bad, The Wire, or Louie are, for me, like main course meals.  They absolutely fill you up with their goodness - they nourish you.  Then there are shows like Entourage, which no offense, but is more like a dessert.  It's not essential, and it's nothing you want every day (or need really) - however when you get it it's usually pretty good, but you might regret wasting your calories on it soon after.
Californication is somewhere in between for me.  It's always been a slightly uneven show, somewhere being poignant and just plain silly.  I think this season they were finally able to find the balance and work a more consistent tone. 
My one complaint about this season was how they took a lot of really strong and layered supporting characters from the top of the season and really reduced them to stereotypes by the end.  Even poor Becca felt like her character was downgraded by the end of this season.  I don't want to say that this was the best season of the show, but it's the season where I feel like they finally really found the show's voice.
This season ended on a pretty solid cliffhanger and I can only hope that they do it justice by playing it out when the show returns next year.  I think Hank Moody is easily one of the most charismatic and fun characters on television and I for one am gain to follow him a little while longer.  If you haven't started yet this season isn't actually a bad one to start at, since the previous ones all kind of lead up to the fourth season and Hank dealing with his misdeeds.  This is almost a reset.  Although I recommend going back and starting from scratch - fair warning though - it's a bit of a bumpy ride here and there.

1541 - Californication: season four

At some point during this season David Duchovney did an interview in which he talked about the arch of a television character - particularly on a show like this where the story is character driven and continues to grow.  He said that it's a difficult balance because if a character doesn't move forward than it dies - but if it changes too far from it's origins then the audience grows detached from it.  And when it comes to this particular show the character of Hank Moody is probably one of the most charismatic man-childs in television history - but the one thing that happened consistently in this season was that the people closest to him (save perhaps Charlie) told him time and again that he needs to get his shit together and change.  This season ended, I believe, with him realizing that that was indeed true.  And the beauty of how this season ended is that the story is now free to move in practically any direction that it wants to - and I look forward to that.  Will it have a major shake-up ala Weeds?  I doubt it - but it could be interesting - like Becca says in the final scenes - "Sometimes you just need to shake things up". 
This season was all about Hank having to deal with the fall-out, coming full circle with the events that happened all the way back in the first episode of the series.  This is a show that has a really unique tone - it gets down right goofy at times but almost always ends on a moment of poignancy - sometimes that hits home better than others.  This season more so than any of the others I think the series achieved the balance and had it's strongest ongoing arc - because the stakes were so high.  It's hard to imagine a situation where they could be higher.  I'm very curious to see where this series will go - the creators claim to have a long term plan, so that excites me.  What will the next chapter of Hank Moody's life bring us?...  Looking forward to it. 
If you've never seen this series you'll probably want to start back at the beginning - but beware there are some rough patches and unnecessary tangents (I'm looking at you, seasons two and three!) but I think its worth it in the end.  Enjoy!

1294 - Californication: season three

Here's a show that has moments of absolute perfection, however they're few and often padded beside episodes that are more or lesser filler. I wish it weren't true. The fact that the premise of the show is pretty thin, so it's spreading itself almost as thin. Which is a shame. I think they could go deeper and bolder, which if my thoughts are correct, that's where they're heading going into the fourth season. With a devastating and pitch perfect season finale I can't wait to see where they take the fourth season. This season came back fighting after a pretty lackluster season two. Keep it up Hank!

1174 - Californication: season two

Oh Californication, how you once blew my mind, made me jealous, wishing I had been a part of you. This show used to have such beautiful moments. There are still some, but they are few and far between. I dare say that this once fantastic show is now limping into the third season. Ashby was a great addition to the cast, but it doesn't look like he'll be around. Runkle, as much as I dig him, is past his welcome (shame, since I was enjoying Daisy), and god, dear god, please end the god-awfulness that is the ongoing Mia story. It wrapped up nicely at the end of the last season and now it feels really dragged on, and for no real good reason. Please, Tom Kapinos, Hank Moody is one of the best characters on television, give him something great to do. Please...