'Californication' renewed for 3rd season

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Production on the third season of the U.S. television comedy "Californication" is slated to begin next spring, Showtime has announced.

The announcement was made Wednesday by Robert Greenblatt, the cable television network's president of entertainment.

Series star and executive producer David Duchovny, who won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Hank Moody, "a novelist with weaknesses for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll," has signed on for the next season, which is to premiere late next year and include 12 episodes, the network said in a news release.

"It wouldn't be Showtime without a yearly dose of 'Californication,'" Greenblatt said in a statement. "This unapologetic show, about a group of characters led by the inimitable David Duchovny, has quickly established itself as one of our signature comedy series. Beneath its veneer of debauchery, however, is a complex take on love and adult relationships that surprisingly turns poetic and romantic just when you least expect it."

"I love working with Showtime, Tom Kapinos, and the cast," Duchovny added. "We all have such creative freedom and support, it's been a peak experience, and I am so happy to be doing the show."