Californication review
From The Watcher by Maureen Ryan
Spoiler Warning
To live and lie in L.A.: 'Californication' returns
Though "Dexter" is not at its best this year, another Showtime series is on the upswing.
“Californication” (9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime) is a slouchy and shaggy comedy about the adventures of writer Hank Greenburg (David Duchovny), a born ranter who loves ripping on Los Angeles and ripping off women’s clothes.
Quite a few funny things happen in the first episodes of the season; would that a few of them were discussable in a family newspaper.
Hank’s the sort of rogue who possesses, we’re told, “infuriating magic”; in other words, his verbally adept defenses of his narcissistic decisions are supposed to be at least a little charming.
They are, once in a while, but his repetitive fights with his ex-girlfriend, Karen (Natascha McElhone), with whom he reunited at the end of last season, are by far the most tiresome part of the show. It’s hard to have any sympathy for a woman who knows what she’s getting the second time around.
Much more fun is the easy camaraderie Hank has with his growing entourage, all of whom share his cynical and saucy outlook on life. Evan Handler is a standout as Hank’s agent, Charlie Runkles, and Pamela Adlon is also terrific as Charlie’s foul-mouthed, straight-talking wife. Even if you don't care much about whether Karen and Hank stay together, the rest of the show provides a mildly amusing look at a scrabbling, boozy side of L.A.
In fact, the whole show could be thought of as a sleazier “Entourage.” Hank has less money than the crew on that HBO show, but he frequently has more fun with the strange hand he’s been dealt.
Even actors not known for their comic work get into the “Californication” groove: Callum Keith Rennie, best known as a very serious Cylon named Leoben in “Battlestar Galactica,” gives an excellent performance as excessively rich and somewhat crazy music producer Lew Ashby.
At a crowded party, Hank “accidentally” puts the moves on Ashby’s latest fling (it’s a long story), but, well, in Hank’s world, these things happen. Hank and Lew become friends anyway, and the writer’s adventures at Lew’s debauched mansion are amusing, as are Lew’s gnomic instructions to the lunkheaded band he’s “producing” (“The chorus is a verse.”)
Any show that let the brilliant Judy Greer play a prostitute with a heart of gold - and that actually makes that character a person and not a cliché - is doing something right, even if Hank has a genuine talent for doing most things wrong.
Spoiler Warning
To live and lie in L.A.: 'Californication' returns
Though "Dexter" is not at its best this year, another Showtime series is on the upswing.
“Californication” (9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime) is a slouchy and shaggy comedy about the adventures of writer Hank Greenburg (David Duchovny), a born ranter who loves ripping on Los Angeles and ripping off women’s clothes.
Quite a few funny things happen in the first episodes of the season; would that a few of them were discussable in a family newspaper.
Hank’s the sort of rogue who possesses, we’re told, “infuriating magic”; in other words, his verbally adept defenses of his narcissistic decisions are supposed to be at least a little charming.
They are, once in a while, but his repetitive fights with his ex-girlfriend, Karen (Natascha McElhone), with whom he reunited at the end of last season, are by far the most tiresome part of the show. It’s hard to have any sympathy for a woman who knows what she’s getting the second time around.
Much more fun is the easy camaraderie Hank has with his growing entourage, all of whom share his cynical and saucy outlook on life. Evan Handler is a standout as Hank’s agent, Charlie Runkles, and Pamela Adlon is also terrific as Charlie’s foul-mouthed, straight-talking wife. Even if you don't care much about whether Karen and Hank stay together, the rest of the show provides a mildly amusing look at a scrabbling, boozy side of L.A.
In fact, the whole show could be thought of as a sleazier “Entourage.” Hank has less money than the crew on that HBO show, but he frequently has more fun with the strange hand he’s been dealt.
Even actors not known for their comic work get into the “Californication” groove: Callum Keith Rennie, best known as a very serious Cylon named Leoben in “Battlestar Galactica,” gives an excellent performance as excessively rich and somewhat crazy music producer Lew Ashby.
At a crowded party, Hank “accidentally” puts the moves on Ashby’s latest fling (it’s a long story), but, well, in Hank’s world, these things happen. Hank and Lew become friends anyway, and the writer’s adventures at Lew’s debauched mansion are amusing, as are Lew’s gnomic instructions to the lunkheaded band he’s “producing” (“The chorus is a verse.”)
Any show that let the brilliant Judy Greer play a prostitute with a heart of gold - and that actually makes that character a person and not a cliché - is doing something right, even if Hank has a genuine talent for doing most things wrong.