4. Californication
Nothing to do with the Red Hot Chili Peppers album of the same name, Californication follows writer, drunk and all round mess Hank Moody (David Duchovny) after his move from New York to L.Awhere he struggles to get his life together as he swans around Hollywood sleeping with beautiful actresses, driving cool cars and generally having an awesome time. Moody began as a flawed but likeable character on Showtime's comedy-drama; his ability to mess everything up as an arrogant opinionated douchebag was offset by his genuine care for his daughter and her mother. The writing was sharp and witty, Moody proving a great vehicle for spouting ludicrous profanities while also commenting on certain aspects of social culture. Now though, in the middle of its seventh season, the concept has grown old. How many times can the audience watch one guy mess up, act remorseful, and then mess up again, before they start to tune out. There is no character development for Moody, he's stuck, and therefore so is the show. Added to that, the writing which was once smart and funny has been replaced with an endless stream of pointless vulgarity, a poor attempt at appearing risqué and relevant. Californication has become a less charming rehash of all that has been seen before. In its new season the show has attempted to introduce a new dynamic, when a long lost son, complete with mum, turns up for Moody to deal with. It's the move of a show knowing it has become stale but unwilling or unable to fix the real problem - Moody.