Hank Moody

Henry James "Hank" Moody, portrayed by David Duchovny, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Showtime television series Californication. Moody is an esteemed but erratic writer who frequently becomes embroiled in bizarre, and in some cases, scandalous situations. Duchovny has received praise for his performance, winning the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and being nominated for the same honor three more times.

Hank was born in the Bronx and his parents moved to Levittown, New York on Long Island to raise him. In his pursuit to become a writer, he moved to New York City; and eventually, his talent and gift were noticed by the literary community. Hank met Karen Van der Beek at CBGB and soon after she became pregnant in 1994, later giving birth to their daughter, Becca. After the publication of his third novel, God Hates Us All, which grew his popularity, Hank, Karen and Becca moved to Los Angeles so that Hank could work on the screenplay for the movie adaptation.

After his novel God Hates Us All is adapted into a Hollywood film that he despises, A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Hank Moody is suffering from writer's block and wallowing in alcohol, drugs and promiscuous sex. Karen is engaged to Bill Lewis, a man Hank despises. Hank meets a young woman in a bookshop reading his book and soon sleeps with her. Their brief encounter is memorably punctuated by her hitting Hank in the face with her fist. He later learns that she is Mia, Bill Lewis's sixteen-year-old daughter. Mia proceeds to provoke Hank during visits to his family at Bill's house. She uses the threat of statutory rape charges to extort un-published short stories from him that she passes off as her own work for her high-school creative-writing class. During a stay in New York for his father's funeral, Hank writes a manuscript drawing from his encounter with Mia. When the only copy falls into the hands of Mia, she slightly alters it and tries to have it published as her own, calling it Fucking & Punching. Eager to publish a young, female, sexually explicit writing sensation the publishing world shows much interest in "Mia's" book. On Karen and Bill's wedding day, Hank behaves uncharacteristically selflessly and accepts the situation so as not to destroy his beloved's wedding day. But that evening, as he and Becca are about to drive away from the reception in his un-washed, poorly maintained Porsche cabriolet, Karen runs out and jumps into his car and they drive off.

Although they planned to move back to New York, Hank and Karen split up after learning that Hank has possibly impregnated Sonja, Karen's friend that she set Hank up with while they were separated. Hank becomes fast friends with rock music producer Lew Ashby, who recruits the writer to pen his biography, which he finishes shortly after Ashby's death. After Hank has a cancer scare and Sonja gives birth to a mixed-race child, Hank and Karen reconcile. However, Hank volunteers to stay in California for Becca's sake while Karen goes to New York for work.

With Karen in New York, the status of her and Hank's relationship is unclear. After causing writer/professor Richard Bates to compromise his sobriety, Hank is recruited as a creative writing college professor in his place. During a short visit by Karen, it is decided that Hank and Becca will finally move back to New York with her. However, Mia returns to Los Angeles with her manager/boyfriend, to whom she has confessed sleeping with Hank while underage and stealing Fucking & Punching from him. When her manager suggests Mia and Hank reveal their story publicly, Hank attacks him, after which the manager calls the police. Hank returns home to confess everything to Karen, who breaks down and runs out into the street as cops arrive to arrest him.

Before Hank is even out on bail, the story behind Fucking & Punching is reported in the media. Upon being released, he is hired to rewrite the screenplay for its film adaptation. Although the assault charges are dropped, Hank is newly arrested when the district attorney decides to prosecute him for statutory rape. After an accidental overdose on alcohol and pills, Karen assumes Hank is suicidal and warms to him. But after learning he is not, she begins to date the father of Becca's new friend. Hank is found guilty, but is relieved when he only receives three years probation, a fine and community service.

Over two years later, Hank has been living in New York City while Karen is in California and married to Richard Bates, with Hank surprisingly accepting of the marriage. To get away from a break up with his year-long casual partner Carrie, who sets his apartment on fire, Hank visits California to write the script for Santa Monica Cop starring rapper Samurai Apocalypse. He also comes to blows with Becca's boyfriend Tyler, an aspiring writer who shares several characteristic traits with a young Hank Moody. After falling back into alcoholism, Richard ends his marriage to Karen and gives his blessing for her to be with Hank, with the two eager to be with one another again. However, Carrie makes a surprise visit and tricks Hank into drinking a drugged alcoholic beverage in an effort to end both their lives.

Although Hank recovers fully, Carrie is left in a persistent vegetative state with her family deciding to end her life. Hank feels responsible and falls into severe alcoholism, until his friends and daughter stage an intervention. After an early-leaving of rehab, he agrees to write the script to a rock musical adaptation of A Crazy Little Thing Called Love with rock musician Atticus Fetch writing the songs. Becca, having begun having sex and using drugs believing it will help her become a writer, much to Hank's chagrin, departs to travel the world on a "literary pilgrimage." Although he embarked on a tour with Atticus, Hank leaves hoping to finally be with Karen.