At last night's presentation of Californication, during the Los Angeles Times' Envelope Emmy screening series in Hollywood, the show's cast revealed a couple of secrets.

For example, courtesy of E! News:

• Charlie (Evan Handler) was originally a gay character. Said show runner Tom Kapinos: "I remember the day I told Evan we weren't going in that direction, and he seemed the happiest I've ever seen him.
• In rehearsals for the pilot, British actress Natascha McElhone, who portrays Hank's love interest Karen, attempted to convince the writers that her character should be French: "They said, 'We could try it.' For two days, they sat there and suffered me playing Karen as a Frenchwoman," she said.

So, what's in store for the next season of Californication?

Kapinos would only reveal: "I'll just say that Hank takes on the world of academia."

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.