Official Synopsis:
The most talked about show of 2007 comes to DVD! David Duchovny returns to TV with his Golden Globe-winning portrayal of author Hank Moody in the critically-acclaimed Showtime hit Californication. Author Hank Moody's life is spinning gloriously out of control as he juggles his sex and drug addictions while raising a daughter and trying to win back the love of his life in this edgy new series. Catch up with this 2-disc set containing all 12 of the first season's smart and sexy episodes plus free streaming of new episodes of Showtime favorites Dexter and The Tudors.

Disc 1:
- Pilot
- Hell-A Woman
- The Whore of Babylon
- Fear and Loathing at the Fundraiser
- LOL
- Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Disc 2:
- Girls Interrupted
- California Son
- Filthy Lucre
- The Devil's Threesome
- Turn the Page
- The Last Waltz

Our Take:
It seems as if David Duchovny has spent his entire post-X-Files career trying to find roles that are as far away from Fox Mulder as humanly possible. In that respect, I think he’s finally succeeded with Hank Moody, the lead character in Showtime’s hit series Californication. Moody is a sex-obsessed, foul-mouthed, hard-drinking writer, whose compulsive personality and arrogance lead to him being almost completely unlikable. The key word there, though, is almost. Because Duchovny is a better actor than people give him credit for, he manages to portray an entirely loathsome human being while still maintaining some degree of charm. You hate what Hank is doing, but you don’t hate him.

As for the show itself, it’s something of an oddity. We’re a whole season in here and I still can’t tell if I really like it or I just watch it to see what’s going to happen and because, well, there’s a heck of a lot of nudity in it. It’s an interesting show with a some fascinating characters, but it’s also very dialogue heavy, and it can take some time for anything to actually happen. I think I like it, but it’s far from a slam dunk.

There are no real extra features on the two-disc DVD set that pertain to the actual show. There are bonus episodes of other Showtime series such as Dexter, but nothing in regards to the making of Californication.

Californication: The First Season is an intriguing show and it’s fairly different from most of the other fare on TV. It seems a little like the producers were going for a guys’ version of Sex and the City, but I don’t think that’s really an accurate comparison even if there are a few similarities. Californication is much darker and focuses much more on the one central character. All in all, it’s worth checking out, but I can’t tell you if you’ll like it or not because I ultimately haven’t quite decided myself.

Overall Picture:
Show: B
DVD: C+

- Mike Spring

Editor