Bojack Horseman gives a glimpse into the life of a television superstar passed his prime. Although set in a silly world with talking animals and lots of lighthearted puns and wordplay, Bojack Horseman hits surprisingly hard. Voiced by Will Arnett, the main character Bojack has a sea of problems stemming from a troubled youth. Often drunk, the show lures you in to feel bad for him even as the audience sees that he objectively is not good person, one can’t help but feel sympathy. Alongside Bojack we see his best friend the lovable idiot, Todd Chavez. Voiced by Aaron Paul, Todd plays a happy go lucky counter to Bojack’s depression and gives much needed comedic relief when the show ventures into the more serious undertones of Bojack’s problems.
The plot of season 1 of Bojack Horseman is not so much an episode to episode dramatic, but more of a loosely connected string of episodes that gradually work the plot forward. While it is better to watch the show in order, it is not completely necessary and watching a standalone episode is still gratifying even if some of the plot may seem unexplained. The main overarching story of season 1 is that Bojack is writing a book about his life. Through conversations with his ghost writer is where the true magic of the show shines. The audience sees and obviously broken person trying to keep it together. Throughout the silliness of the show and the funny asides, the viewer sees how childhood abuse shaped Bojack into the character he is.
Going into the show in a world filled with characters such Officer Meow Meow Fuzzy Face, the police officer who's a cat, the sudden shifts to topics such as depression, abuse, and alcoholism is surprising. However, this is what makes the show great.
Perhaps the biggest overarching theme of the show is that success does not equal happiness. The main character is wealthy, famous, and incredibly depressed. It shows the audience what it’s like to be wealthy and famous but not have anything truly meaningful in his life. It shows that mental health problems such as depression can happen to anyone and the terrible effects it can have. The audience can’t help but feel bad for Bojack even seeing how he is narcissistic celebrity that only truly cares about himself and how people perceive him.
Overall Bojack Horseman is a hilarious show that lures the audience in with humor and keeps them in by showing surprisingly deep and emotional characters. I highly enjoyed the first season and also recommend watching the the next 3 as the first season is definitely the shows weakest. I rate Bojack Horseman Good Good.
Based on your interest in…
-Arrested Development (Good Good)
-Archer (Good Good)
-Rick and Morty (Good Good)
-Ugly Americans (Good Good)
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