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Californication

(Rated TV-MA, Comedy, Starring David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Madeleine Martin, Where to watch: Showtime, DVD, Online)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 17.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Duchovny comedy could be called Sex Files.

Why We Rated This not for kids

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The main character is cynical and promiscious but has a good heart.
  • Violence:

    Some fistfights and wrestling; some consensual sexual violence.
  • Sex:

    Graphic sex, full female nudity, partial male nudity, explicit discussions about sex acts and sexual parts. Some discussion of teen sexuality. The main character sleeps with a teenager he assumed was of age.
  • Language:

    Everything -- from "f--k" to "slut" -- is uncensored and frequent.
  • Consumerism:

    The show depicts lavish lifestyles.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Frequent drinking and smoking. Some brief scenes of teen drug use (a bong is shown, as well as a line of a powdered drug).
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Californication

Parents need to know that the main character of this mature pay-cable comedy smokes cigarettes, acts hungover, receives oral sex from a nun (inside a church), curses prolifically, talks in detail about oral sex, and appears in bed with a topless woman whose husband comes home and chases him out of the house -- and that's just in the first few minutes of the pilot episode! The rest of the series follows much the same course, with lots of graphic sex, nudity (full female, partial male), uncensored swearing (including "f--k"), drinking, smoking, and drug use (some, briefly, by teens). The main character (an adult) also has sex with a teenager who he assumed was an adult.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how sex tends to be portrayed in the media. Do you think many real people are as sexually active as many movie and TV show characters? Do you consider these characters promiscuous? What are the consequences of sexual habits like Hank's? Though Hank says he's unhappy, he seems like he's having lots of fun having sex with multiple partners -- what do you think of that conflicting idea? Is there a "right" age to start having sex?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 2.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Negative message

    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    Not for teens, defenitely not for teens

    I like this show but I think is not for teens. Some scenes are too explicit. The is drugs involved and insane parties. Also, there is a point in the series were a teenage girl decides to worship the devil and her parents don't do a thing about it, they just called it "a phase". On the positive side, the main character cares about the boys her daughter dates, keeps the ones with wrong intentions at bay

  2. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Ohio
    I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it 4.0

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 4.0

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