Critical Reception
The critical reaction for Californication has been generally favorable, with a rating of 70 on Metacritic. However, American critic Nathan Rabin gave Season 1 an "F" rating on The AV Club, calling it "insufferable."
There has been a backlash from conservative groups who oppose the explicit nature of the program. Conservative columnist Andrew Bolt criticized the program in the Australian newspaper the Herald Sun for the pilot's opening dream scene, in which a nun performs oral sex on Hank Moody in a church. The Australian Christian Lobby’s managing director Jim Wallace also called for a boycott, not only of Network Ten, but all advertisers who advertise during the show, in response to a scene in which Hank and Sonja smoke marijuana, have sex, and vomit. When Network Ten premiered Season 2, the Christian fundamentalist group Salt Shakers led an e-mail campaign against advertisers, requesting they withdraw their advertisements. This resulted in 49 companies withdrawing their advertising, including the show's main sponsor, Just Car Insurance.
The show and the lead actor, David Duchovny, were both nominated for Golden Globes in 2007; Duchovny won the lead actor award, but the award for best TV series in this category went to Extras.
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