BoJack Horseman (2014)
Starring: Will Arnett, Allison Brie, Amy Sedaris, Aaron Paul
Created By: Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Airing On: Netflix
Rating: A-
Summary: Bojack Horseman centers around Bojack Horseman, a washed up, 90's sitcom star who longs to be relevant in modern day Hollywood.
My Thoughts: Forget anything else you've been watching, you NEED to be watching this show. Firstly, it's hard to put this show into words. It comes off as your average, run-of-the-mill animated comedy series, like something off of Animation Domination, but what this show has that those other shows lack is heart, no matter how hard it is to actually see that.
I've watched Season 1 and 2 so far and they're both impeccable. BoJack is quite a character and it's quite easy to write off his bitter monologues and witty banter with other characters, but deep down there are real issues and real problems that he's going through, but they're played off as jokes, which as someone with depression, I find quite relatable because it's what I do. However, in the case of this show, I don't know yet if that's it's strong suit or not because it makes it seem like every other adult animated series that writes off all internal character problems as jokes. It's just here they're more vivid and it's dark, but again, still funny ever.
In just the intro, which is also easy to write off, you see his long blank stare at the camera as things go on in the background, representing his depression and unwillingness to really look at his life for what it is, drinking heavily in order to fill that void that his celebrity status once filled beforehand. He stares off into the camera, only stopping to drink or fend off the paparazzi that plague him for no longer being famous.
BoJack was a star in the 90's. He had it all: money, fame and women and honestly, he still does have it all, except no one really cares about him anymore and that's what he worries about the most. The show revolves around him trying to get his life together, but where this show stands apart from most adult animated series is that this show isn't just about these humans and animals doing funny things. If anything, them being animals has no importance on the show, it's just a fresh way to tell the story.
There's sex jokes, there are pop culture references, but besides that BoJack, being an alcoholic and manic depressive, just wants what we all want: To stand out and be noticed and appreciated. He had all this once before and it fell through the cracks, but the underlying issue behind all that is something the show hasn't touched too much on, but may do so as the show goes on: His family issues. He never knew love, his family didn't show him any and he used fame to fill that void and now there's another now that his fame is all gone, but again, with the way the show has evolved, we haven't touched too much on this family factor, but hopefully we will with time. It's a slow show and it takes a while for it to really understand what it wants to be, but it gives you enough to be fulfilled and wanting more after its done. It's cynical and is quite sad, but the way that the story goes kind of puts that all on the back burner and lets you get your fill of humor and whatnot before you even feel any sort of sadness from what's going on through BoJack and his other friend's misadventures all in the pursuit of happiness because that's what we all want, right?And that's where we resonate with BoJack. He doesn't always make the best choices, but neither do we and after we figure out where the show stands and once it finds out where it stands, we understand BoJack even when he's making a mess of everything and even end up rooting for him and this goes for most of the characters. We can get to understand most of them and their choices and end up loving them through their faults and whatnot, however while we often go off and build relationships with other characters, we never lose sight of BoJack.
BoJack Horseman is a thought-provoking, relatable, clever little show and one of the most interesting things I've seen in quite a while. It makes me think and feel things that I tend to overlook in life in pursuit of other things, like BoJack, just less bitter and angry like he is. It's a funny little show that's also quite depressing, but it's some of the best TV you'll see in a while.
