'Californication' will enter SAG Awards as a laffer

It's that time of year when those borderline new TV dramedies must declare themselves for the drama or comedy races at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which suggests how they'll also compete at the Golden Globes and Emmys.

One cliffhanger is "Californication," which I suspect Showtime would define as a comedy since that's how it defines the similarly quirky "Weeds," but that's just a guess.

When I asked Richard Licata, VP of communications, he said, "We did enter 'Californication' into SAG as a comedy series because it’s funny. David Duchovny has miraculously done a 180 degrees turn from his most famous dramatic TV role — Fox Maulder in 'The X Files' — and created a, complex, new character with a wicked sense of humor. And although Hank Moody’s a flawed man dealing with difficult issues he responds to the people in his world — ex-girlfriend, daughter, best friend, lovers — and his feelings of regret, outrage and longing, with great humor. As San Francisco Chronicle TV critic Tim Goodman wrote today in his column: '"Californication" is both bitterly and flippantly funny, a wonderful combination.'"

Thanks to Gold Berby by Tom o'Neil!