WesternAnimation You are everything that's wrong with you
Okay, lets get the one thing about this show that I really don't like off my chest. The animation sucks, but it doesn't suck so bad that it's obviously meant to be part of the joke. This isn't Stylistic Suck like South Park, it's just the sort of Flash-style animation that we've come to associate with cheap, zero-effort shows. The only exception to this are the Mushroom Samba sequences, which is where the animation usually jumps up a few notches.
That's pretty much the only negative thing I can say about the show. It's brilliant, and it deserves far better animation than it's currently getting.
On the surface it seems like another dumb "adult" cartoon in the same mould as Family Guy featuring a main character that looks rather like that tired old rubber horse mask internet meme moaning about his First World Problems and being generally shitty to his friends. It takes a few episodes to realise that this show is very very different from those for one very important reason: All those terrible actions that characters like Peter Griffon indulge in? Here, they have very real consequences. It might take several episodes or even seasons for those consequences to become apparent, but they will come out in the end. Forget Status Quo Is God here, there is nothing that stays the same for long here. Because of this we can see that many of the characters are the architects of their own misery, because the shitty things they do always come back to haunt them sooner or later.
Another thing that sets this show aside from the ones it superficially resembles is that its characters are layered and complex, not just archetypes. The horse guy feels far more real and deep than many flesh-and-blood characters.
There are a few episodes that miss the mark, most notable amongst them is the literal Fish Out Of Water, but even though I don't like it I can at least say it failed because the crew working on the show were brave enough to attempt something very different. I can at least appreciate the effort of a brave failure.
This is a must-watch if you have Netflix. The first episodes are pretty funny if a little generic, but its when the consequences start to kick in that you will really start to understand what this show is really about.
WesternAnimation One of the best TV shows out there, animated or otherwise.
Bojack Horseman is a strange show. It is strange because on paper, this show should not be anywhere near as good as it is. A show about a self-absorbed horse-man actor in a world inhabited by animal people, that's both an absurdist wacky comedy and an extremely dark and unflinchingly honest character drama? Such a premise would be a hard sell in most circles, and honestly feels like it should fall flat on its face.
But...that is exactly what Bojack Horseman is, and it goes beyond executing that premise merely competently, it excels at it in a way that seems so effortless in practice, but upon reflection, feels more like the writers just cast some sort of black magic to make the impossible possible. This is a show that will create extremely silly scenarios involving clown dentists and spaghetti strainers in one moment, and in the same episode surprise its audience and deliver powerful, sobering emotional truths about life, love, and the human condition and go to places most works will not dare tread. This is not a show that feels comfortable delivering unearned platitudes and pretending everything will always be ok in the end. In fact, it calls into the question the idea that there ever really is such a thing as a "happy ending", or that there's one singular thing that will make everyone's lives feel complete.
The show is not perfect; its animation can sometimes be creative and well-utilized, but is undeniably crude and simplistic. Some of the show's political episodes provide insightful and truthful commentary, but others feel confused as to what message they are trying to send. A few plotlines (currently) are left hanging, and the show's comedy isn't always laugh out loud funny.
But honestly, it almost doesn't matter. This cartoon is not merely GOOD, it's easily up there with the likes of the best live-action TV dramas in its well-realized characters, compelling storylines, and willingness to explore the human condition. Highly recommended.
WesternAnimation Surprisingly, it may be the best cartoon out right now
You probably didn't think much of this show when you saw ads for it on Netflix and Youtube. Maybe you watched a couple of episodes and wrote it off as just another adult animated sitcom. You could be forgiven for this. You would also be wrong.
What first seems like a stale bunch of cutaway gags and too on-the-nose topical satire gradually morphs into what turns out to be not just a hilarious comedy (which draws off of both LA celebrity culture and animal-related gags), but a powerful character-driven drama exploring its surprisingly complex protagonist. It's difficult to say what it is that makes him so compelling in the short time space without giving spoilers; his desperation to be loved, combined with his inability to let others in; his self-pitying wallowing as he watches old episodes of his tv show; his attempts to try to make things work out like they would in a tv show; and his inability to admit the truth to himself.
After two seasons I can safely say that it's not just an excellent cartoon, but one of the best cartoons (or even shows in general) that I've ever seen. The writing is excellent, balancing humor and drama without being to the detriment of either while exploring well-rounded and compelling characters, and the voice work deserves special mention. Will Arnett's performance as Bojack should have gotten him at least an Emmy nomination. The rest of the voice cast is also excellent, with a special mention to be made for Aaron Paul, who voices Todd, Bojack's slacker.. well, "roommate" isn't quite the word, and Amy Sedaris, who voices Bojack's agent, Princess Carolyn.
In a medium that's saturated with shows that seem to be knock-offs of either South Park, Family Guy, or Ren & Stimpy, Bojack Horseman stands out as something fairly unique in its category: a character-driven piece that is one hell of a depressing comedy.
So give the show a shot. It might not seem like much at first, but around halfway through the first season it really starts to hit its stride. Episode 11 of season 1, "Downer Ending," isn't just a great episode in the series; it's one of the best episodes I've seen of anything in a long time.
WesternAnimation Update: Why sometimes pointing a 'gun to the head' is a good thing. And Why sometimes it won't save the series.
First off, please, drop the pitchforks and torches. I consider Bojack Horseman one of Netflix's stronger series. The characters are at the same time cartoonish yet multi-layered with realistic expectations, desires, dreams and problems. It shows a gruesome side of the media that most try to brush off or not pay attention to, it parodies aspects of our lives where glorified celebrities are asked and expected to give/be examples of things they don't really care or know about. Hypocrisy, sexism, substance abuse, racism, all those are tackled in often brutal and/or funny ways.
So why the bad review?
Because one of the main gravitas of the show was the suffering of the protagonists by their own hands or by the pressure of their environments. And to keep on with the show, you have to make the characters suffer, but at the same time, to not bore people to death, they need to actually strive for something better and at least try. From the fourth season, more or less, the need for this status quo of misery basically forced the show into a loop: Bojack and most of the cast starts the season in a dump for some reason (drugs, family, abuse, etc) has some fulfilling moments, strives for something better, struggles... and when things seem to be going well, tragedy strikes (people discover Bojack is an asshole, substance abuse relapses, relationships crumble, etc) and not only nearly everything goes back nearly to square one, but the center of gravitas is removed next season and seemingly forgotten (can't give examples without spoilers, sadly). "At least he is improving slowly!" some people said. Yeah, at a glacial pace, and relapsing, over five years, it's the psychological abuse version of 'will they or won't they', but with 'just kill or heal him already!'.
Now things seemingly changed with the 'gun to the head'. Netflix announced that Bojack would get one more season to wrap things up, and, interestingly, out of nowhere, most of the gripes many had with this show had to disappear and/or changed. Whole episodes dedicated to a single joke were compressed into five minutes turning into rapid-fire comedy, Bojack is finally forced to go to a shrink (therapy horse) and finally realizes what is the problem with his behavior. Todd's filler episodes of wacky shenanigans are either compressed or joined up with other seemingly irrelevant plots. Sure, once again the writers are threatening to pull the 'suffer the consequences of their actions' and end the series with a sad note, but by now, I'm mostly happy that this cycle of misery will end.
The misery finally ended in a way I fully expected: Bojack has a chance to become better, messes up by being an arrogant ass as usual, things spiral out of control again and he has to suffer. The characters -changed- but not -improved-, most continue in a very similar if not downright identical way they started (with the exception, surprisingly, being Todd).