When Netflix first announced it was producing an original animated series called BoJack Horseman and featuring lead characters voiced by Arrested Development‘s Will Arnett and Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul I was beyond intrigued. How could I not be? They were putting G.O.B. Bluth and Jesse Pinkman on the same show together! However, then I heard the premise, and realized I had no idea what kind of show we would be getting. Described by Netflix’s CEO as “a brutally funny and unique take on what can happen after pop stardom,” BoJack Horseman centers around “a self-loathing, alcoholic former television star fallen on hard times who just happens to be a horse (Arnett) and might have a shot at the big time again — assuming that he doesn’t screw it all up.” His only guides on this journey are a human pal (Paul) and a feline ex-girlfriend (Amy Sedaris).
I can’t imagine why, but I found it incredibly difficult to visualize a show about a upright walking and talking horse, although my first instinct was to imagine something similar to the universe of Ugly Americans in which demons, zombies, and various man-beasts mostly peacefully co-exist with humans:
Well, it remains to be seen if BoJack Horseman will match the wit of the canceled-too-soon Ugly Americans but we finally have our first look at via this trailer from Netflix:
Well, if casting is everything than they’ve hit a home run here, gathering together Will Arnett, Aaron Paul, Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy), and Alison Brie (Community) in one cast. Plus, that sure sounds like Patton Oswalt as the TV show host interviewing BoJack at the start of the trailers. I just wish I found the jokes in the trailer a bit funnier, but when all 12 episodes drop in August I know I will be checking it out. There are only so many re-runs of Rick & Morty I can watch before I need my fix of another Adult Swim-like cartoon, even if, in the case of BoJack Horseman, it’s not actually an Adult Swim show.
Beyond the vocal cast, BoJack comes from comedian and writer Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and the animation is based on designs created by Lisa Hanawalt, a cartoonist whose debut collection, My Dirty Dumb Eyes, was released early last year.
While this will mark Netflix’s inaugural entry into the genre of animated shows meant primarily for adults Hulu has been at it for a while, exclusively premiering Seth Meyer’s The Awesomes and serving as the American home for Canadian series Fugget About It (a parody of The Sopranos) and Mother Up! (produced by and starring Eva Longoria).
BoJack Horseman drops on Netflix on August 22nd. Will you be binge-watching? Giving it an episode or two to prove itself? Or skipping it altogether. Let us know in the comments section.
Source: Wired