Californication: The Fifth Season

Showtime has a knack for making shows built around screwed-up, self-destructive characters who manage to be funny, sexy, and even likable while giving in to their worst impulses (and rarely considering how this will affect family and friends). One of the most entertaining is David Duchovny's Hank Moody, a novelist, screenwriter, and full-time hedonist who has—in seasons past—slept with hookers, students, and the teenage daughter of his former spouse's new boyfriend. This fifth season finds Hank flying from his New York City home base to Los Angeles in order to rewrite a screenplay. Here, Hank finds his ex-wife, Karen (Natascha McElhone), now remarried, and his daughter, Becca (Madeleine Martin), in love with Tyler (Scott Michael Foster), a smug, cheating jerk of a boyfriend (essentially a young Hank). Meanwhile, Hank develops a contentious relationship with rapper-turned-movie-star Samurai Apocalypse (RZA). This time around, Hank is relatively responsible and restrained, but he's still unable to actually commit to anyone, which brings out the ire and vengefulness of New York girlfriend Carrie (Natalie Zea). Unfortunately, while Californication can be engaging, it's mostly due to Duchovny's easygoing charm and chemistry with the other characters, not because of any life lessons discovered while routinely diving into excessive behavior. Compiling all 12 episodes from the 2012 fifth season, this is an optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)