History YMMV / BojackHorseman

** Once "The Face of Depression" (an episode from halfway through the final season) seemed to conclude the story on a happy note, a lot of fans decided immediately to drop the show right there, worried that an HappyEndingOverride was about to arrive. [[spoiler:[[HopeSpot They were right.]] ]]

* AngstAversion: Some fans who've followed the show since before it was popular have admitted to becoming so tired of its unapologetic depiction of depression and downright pessimistic social commentary by the time the final season came around that they outright avoided watching it out of fear that it would be too depressing.

** The subject of the series' end is a contentious one among the fanbase. A sizable and vocal faction believes that the penultimate episode, which apparently ended with the main character's death, would have been a better ending than the finale, which they decry as anticlimactic. A second faction insists just as vociferously that [=BoJack=] dying would "let him off the hook" too easily, and that the actual finale was the superior ending for forcing him to live with the consequences of his actions. A third, somewhat smaller faction would have preferred the happy ending [=BoJack=] would have gotten if the series had ended halfway through the sixth season. Debates on the topic periodically flare up on the series' subreddit the better part of a year since the show ended, and there doesn't seem to be anyone within the fandom who lacks a strong opinion.

** An interesting case with the ending of the show: [[spoiler:Some people found the penultimate episode so well crafted they wished the last one didn't come after. Others like to think the last episode is not canon but just an afterlife "coping mechanism" for [=BoJack=] and that he's actually dead. Still others think that episode 7 of season 6 was itself intended as a "happy ending" that anyone could stop watching at if they wanted to end the series on a happy note.]]

** While the GrandFinale doesn't clarify it, most fans like to believe [[spoiler: [=BoJack=] went back to living with Mr. Peanutbutter after finishing his sentence]].

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** Another situation where most parties agree [=BoJack=] played some fault, but argue over how much the other person was to blame: [[spoiler:Sarah Lynn's bender and eventual overdose. Some put more blame on Sarah Lynn since she had previously claimed she was only sober so it'd hit harder when she started using again and had explicitly asked [=BoJack=] to "call [her] when [he] wants to party", and much like [=BoJack=], she was ultimately responsible for her own decisions. However, others blame [=BoJack=] for breaking her out of sobriety to wallow in his own sadness]], particularly those who sympathize with the struggles of addiction.]] Almost all parties can agree, however, that what happened ''after'' [[spoiler:the overdose]] is inexcusable on [=BoJack=]'s part.

** Vincent Adultman's schtick as three kids in a trench coat that fools everyone, except BoJack who constantly points it out but is dismissed or ignored, is either funny or wore out it's welcome very fast.

** Joey Pogo doesn't have many defenders, as he doesn't have much character besides being a played-out pop singer parody who acts like a watered-down, more annoying younger version of Mr. Peanutbutter. It doesn't help that he's a part of Mr. Peanutbutter and Pickles' arc and thus takes screentime away from Mr. Peanutbutter's final character development, which is generally considered to be [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot rushed]].
** Stuart doesn't seem to have any fans either, as he's an in-universe inferior replacement to Lora and ''especially'' Judah, being completely useless and apathetic at his job and generally snobbish and obnoxious.

** Bojack himself, at least before his experiences turned him into a bitter, jaded has-been. Not just when he was an awkward teenager, but when he first got into comedy as well. His audition tape for ''Horsin' Around'' shows him laughing nervously and needing Herb to support him.

** [=BoJack's=] inability to have healthy relationships or overcome his vices lasts the entirety of the show through a combination of {{aesop amnesia}}, [[WorldOfJerkass a dearth of characters who show him any genuine compassion]] and even sheer stupidity on his part. By season five, there were complaints from some viewers that it was becoming less "realistic" and more redundant (compare that to Diane's arcs about her personal traumas, relationships, careers and activism, which take a variety of forms per episode) and that Bojack barely progressing as a person (or rather, [[DesignatedMonkey not being allowed to reap the benefits of doing so]]) by that point was beginning to feel like a crutch to keep the show interesting.

** Creator/KristenSchaal was nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy for her voice-over work in "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS3E11ThatsTooMuchMan That's Too Much, Man!]]", only to lose out to (another) win for Creator/SethMacFarlane. About a year later, the show itself was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program for the episode "Free Churro", but it ended up losing to yet another episode of...''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
** The show was ''again'' nominated for Outstanding Animated Program for "The View from Halfway Down" (which was the show's last chance at an Emmy win)...and lost to [[WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty "The Vat of Acid Episode."]] Even ''Rick and Morty fans'' agreed that Bojack should have won.

* BizarroEpisode: "INT. SUB" is an episode whose FramingDevice is a conversation between Diane's therapist, Dr. Indira, and her wife, corporate mediator Mary-Beth, talking about a situation their clients are going through, because they can't disclose their identities, the show becomes bizarre as all characters assume new identities: Bojack becomes Bobo, the Angsty Zebra, Diane becomes Princess Diana of Wales, Mr. Peanutbutter becomes Mr. Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, Todd becomes Emperor Fingerface (a man with a hand instead of a head) and Princess Carolyn becomes A Tangled Fog of Pulsating Yearning In The Shape Of A Woman, as well as Priscilla Crustacean. Even secondary characters such as Flip become a dolphin called Flipper. Meanwhile, the plot has to do with Bojack becoming close with Indira while Diane tries to get some space from him while they try to figure out what they're meant to do with the giant submarine on set.
* BrokenBase:

** Another situation where most parties agree [=BoJack=] played some fault, but argue over how much the other person was to blame: [[spoiler:Sarah Lynn's bender and eventual overdose. Some put more blame on Sarah Lynn since she had previously claimed she was only sober so it'd hit harder when she started using again and had explicitly asked [=BoJack=] to "call [her] when [he] wants to party," and much like [=BoJack=], she was ultimately responsible for her own decisions. However, others blame [=BoJack=] for breaking her out of sobriety to wallow in his own sadness]], particularly those who sympathize with the struggles of addiction]]. Almost all parties can agree, however, that what happened ''after'' [[spoiler:the overdose]] is inexcusable on [=BoJack=]'s part.
** Speaking of Bojack acting like a proper adult, Bojack's actions a lot of the time place his mental age at young adult at best, having been emotionally stunted by both his shitty parents and the toxic nature of Hollywoo. The debate is whether that's even remotely an excuse for some of the crap he pulls.
** Whether it was okay or not for Diane - a Vietnamese-American character - to be voiced by Alison Brie, who is white. Some say that as it's harder for Asian actors to break into showbusiness, it's irresponsible to give one of the rare Asian roles to a white actress. Others say that voice acting is not the same as live-action acting, and whether you match the physical attributes of your character matters far less in that medium. They also praise Brie for doing a fantastic job. For her part, Brie has since apologized for taking on the role.
* CantUnhearIt: Just ''try'' to watch anything else with Creator/WillArnett and not imagine [=BoJack=] saying everything. On the one hand, it makes his otherwise hilarious "BABE WAIT BABE!" scene in ''Film/HotRod'' much sadder. On the other hand, it makes several of his other roles a lot funnier, ''especially'' [[WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie Lego]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie Batman]] and his guest appearance on shows like ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBusRidesAgain'', as well as the Reese's Cups commercials he narrated, not to mention the live-action stuff he did like ''Arrested Development'' and ''30 Rock''.

** It is played straight, however, when [[spoiler: a drunk Bojack threatens Angela after learning she was bluffing about his career getting ruined if he stood up for Herb. While Angela manages to save herself and the deal they signed while pushing Bojack into a suicidal state she's terrified when he manhandles her and threatens to burn the contact in her fireplace. If Bojack really wanted to hurt her the scene establishes that he ''could'' have pushed her down and none of her caretakers were in sight; in the end, Angela's left alone, old and bitter with money and people paid to make sure she keeps breathing]].
* ClicheStorm
** One of the reasons that critics dismissed it immediately was that its first few episodes seemed like another ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' wannabe. They changed their tune once word-of-mouth got out that it was actually a {{Deconstruction}} of that show's [[StatusQuoIsGod most notorious]] [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist assets]].

** Judah Mannowdog is also rather popular for being TheComicallySerious and for his professionalism and loyalty to Princess Carolyn. His [[spoiler:LoveConfession to PC]] is considered one of the most HeartwarmingMoments in the show as it was done in a way that only Judah would do.
* EpilepticTrees:

** With the final eight episodes lacking the show's typical single use of "fuck," some fans theorize [[spoiler: that it's actually in Hollyhock's [[TheUnreveal unheard]] letter to [=Bojack=] when she permanently ended her relationship with him]].
** Another theory based off the unrevealed letter is that it's [[spoiler:Hollyhock's suicide note]] as an explanation for why she never appears again (though given [=BoJack=] doesn't react as strongly as if [[spoiler:he'd read that his sister had died]] and the fact that [[spoiler: she wasn't in Bojack's DyingDream with the other people who died before his attempted suicide]], the implication is more that [[spoiler:she just cut ties with him for good]].)

* FandomRivalry
** Despite being mostly on friendly terms, with ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', due to some of Bojack Horseman's fans believing their show to be the superior one in drama, character and writing. This was intensified when the latter show's got a third season and the fans became infamous for a number of memes and a few incidents of bad attitude.
** Similar to the above, there's a mostly-amicable but steadily growing rivalry between fans of ''Bojack'' and fans of its sister series, ''WesternAnimation/TucaAndBertie'', mostly over which show has a better balance of comedy, drama and social commentary, the dour, bitter ''Bojack'' or the more upbeat, cheeky ''T&B'', especially when it comes to feminism (despite its extremely feminist leanings, ''Bojack'' is still a show with a male creator/show runner while ''T&B'' was created by an almost entirely female cast and crew). The former's cancelation shortly before the premiere of ''Bojack'''s sixth season created a narrative that it didn't last for being "too happy."

** The TimeSkip in the finale -- one year-- and how everybody's life progressed while [=BoJack=] was [[spoiler:in prison]], especially Diane and Princess Carolyn who [[spoiler:got married to Guy and Judah, respectively]].

** An interesting case with the ending of the show: [[spoiler:Some people found the penultimate episode so well crafted they wished the last one didn't come after. Others like to think the last episode is not canon but just an afterlife "coping mechanism" for Bojack and that he's actually dead. Still others think that episode 7 of season 6 was itself intended as a "happy ending" that anyone could stop watching at if they wanted to end the series on a happy note.]]

** Shockingly despite both being polar opposites tone wise with ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' as both fanbases are aware of the others' show, Bojack fans note that watching Bluey comforts them after the former breaks their heart while on the other side Bluey fans state that the former was a great show while referencing the "What is this a crossover episode?" line when Bojack is brought up and this [[https://i.redd.it/bluejack-horseman-posting-v0-wabmunp0jjpa1.jpg?s=2caf482694fe50b8ab6ca9c47f6148def2a1984c crossover parody image]] had an emotional response in both Bluey and Bojack's subreddits.

** Many agree that [=BoJack=] is Creator/WillArnett's best acting role yet. Before ''[=BoJack=]'', Arnett was known for playing narcissistic and idiotic characters. While [=BoJack=] still contains a lot of narcissism, he also is a very emotional character. Special mentions go to Bojack's 22 minute monologue spanning the entirety of the episode "Free Churro", nailing all the complicated and nuanced emotions that Bojack felt [[spoiler:about his mother's passing]], as well as a great performance with Secretariat's poem in "The View From Halfway Down", perfectly capturing [[spoiler:the sheer terror that Secretariat felt as he realized what it was like after jumping off the bridge]].
** Creator/StephanieBeatriz is best known for her character Rosa Diaz in ''Series/BrooklynNineNine''. As Gina she plays an ambitious actress that wants to build her career but is resigned about her prospects, [[spoiler:and sings a showstopper "Don't Stop Dancing" in Bojack's dream". Much later she accurately conveys PTSD after Gina tries to build her career after ''Philbert'']].
** Creator/KristenSchaal is known for her bubbly persona, which equally extends to her characters in ''Gravity Falls'' and ''Bob's Burgers''. Seeing her play the same bubble character Sarah Lynn as a child, who then grows up to be a drug-addicted sex-idol that cheerfully talks about dying young, shows the range of her talent. It especially kicks in when Sarah Lynn [[spoiler:gets an epiphany when she is watching her stepfather accept an award on her behalf, and she admits that she hates what she has become]]. It goes even further when [[spoiler:her dream-self sings a DarkReprise of "Don't Stop Dancing" to Bojack and it comes out as raw, intense, and tragic]].

** The show's nature as a DeconstructorFleet {{Dramedy}} was originally a surprise. The entire advertising focused on the comedic moments that make the series look like your standard AnimatedShockComedy and the critics only got to watch the first six episodes which are the point before the series got the GenreShift. The purpose of this was that once audiences actually watched the show they will be surprised with how much SugarWiki/BetterThanItSounds the series actually is. Nowadays, ''Bojack Horseman'' is the poster boy of angsty television for WesternAnimation so unless you are you talking with someone firm in the AnimationAgeGhetto, is very hard to find anyone that doesn't know the show's dark and depressing nature.
** [[spoiler: Sarah Lynn's death]] was seen as a shocking and tragic moment for the show: now many people, even those outside the show's fandom, knows about this.

** A number of fans have taken to using the show to help rationalize their awful behaviour instead of improving themselves. This is actually mentioned throughout Season 5, as the creators were [[https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bojack-horseman-harvey-weinstein_n_5b9e8b55e4b046313fbc1b93?ri18n=true horrified]] to learn that ''Harvey Weinstein'' was a fan of the show, and needed to make it more obvious that Bojack wasn't to be emulated.

** Even considering her [[DarkAndTroubledPast sympathetic backstory]], as revealed in "The Old Sugarman Place" and "Time's Arrow", Beatrice Horseman cements herself as a horrible person [[spoiler:even when suffering from dementia]] when it's revealed that she [[spoiler:has been secretly [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink drugging Hollyhock's coffee with amphetamine pills]] so that she'll lose weight, which nearly kills her]], an act that Beatrice gloats about with a [[PsychoticSmirk cruel smile]]. After he finds out, Bojack [[BeyondRedemption gives up on his mother entirely]] and drives her to the shabbiest BleakAbyssRetirementHome he can find.

* OneTrueThreesome: Shippers (as rare as they are in this particular fandom) actually enjoy a Bojack/Diane/Mr. Peanutbutter polyamorous relationship. [[ShipSinking That ''was'' until Diane and PB's divorce in season five.]]

** The first use of PrecisionFStrike in "The Telescope"

** Unusually, the simian jogger giving Bojack some solid advice when he fails to jog in "Out To Sea".

* SignatureScene: The final scene of "The Telescope" is widely agreed to be where the show found its voice and solidified its themes of challenging the idea of simple redemption, closure, and unearned forgiveness, as well as kicking off the MythArc of whether Bojack is truly capable of change, and becoming a better person. It also establishes the show's deliberate [[PrecisionFStrike restraint on the word "fuck"]] to [[OnceASeason one use per season]] when and only when Bojack has permanently ruined a friendship.

* SpiritualSuccessor: The Season 4 episode "Ruthie" is considered by fans one to ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'''s praised "Symphony of Illumination". Both episodes have a different framing device than others, focusing on TheLancer of the show and their future descendants; both are also extremely sad and emotional episodes in which [[spoiler:the FramingDevice turns out to be false. Robin finds herself unable to have kids and was telling the story to herself, imagining her children to cope with it and Ruthie telling a story about Princess Carolyn to her class is actually just a make-believe scenario that Princess Carolyn used to feel better after her fifth miscarriage.]]
* {{Squick}}: Sarah Lynn and Bojack having sex during one of her binges. Bojack has known her since she was ''three'', and their relationship is decidedly father-daughter afterwards. While seemingly played for laughs the grossness of the situation would be called out in later episodes and especially in Seasons 5 and 6.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Sara Lynn's hit song "Prickly Muffin" is this for the Britney Spears song "Toxic."
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:

** Judah Mannowdog is also rather popular for being [[TheComicallySerious]] and for his professionalism and loyalty to Princess Carolyn. His [[LoveConfession]] to [=PC=] is considered one of the most [[HeartwarmingMoments]] in the show as it was done in a way that only Judah would do.

* SelfFanservice: Mr. Peanutbutter seems to get the most positive feedback when it comes to fanart. His cheerful attitude towards every character basically means it's free range as far as shipping goes.

** Throughout Season 5's takes on "[=MeToo=]", we never get an update on Hank Hippopopalos, after his episode was noted to have been made an unusually fast UnintentionalPeriodPiece by the rise of the movement, especially due to the downfall of Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein, the real life people he's based off of. Not even Season 6 brought it up, despite bringing back Vance Waggoner to tackle the issues of cancel culture.

* UglyCute: Because of the show's art style, none of the characters look very appealing, but there are exceptions. [=BoJack=] himself is a strange-looking horse with a body of an overweight middle aged man, but some of his expressions and the fact that he is such a JerkassWoobie can make him look pretty cute. [[spoiler: That's not even mentioning [[WhenHeSmiles the smile he gives at the end of Season 4.]] Just look at that goofy face.]]

* UnnecessaryMakeover: Diane's post divorce haircut, a short layered bob style with a shaved undercut, in Season 5 has had a divided reception among fans, with detractors thinking it doesn't fit her or they don't like the style, or they just [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks didn't like that it changed at all]]. Both sides including the show itself also bring up jokingly that it brings out how long her neck is, as when her hair was long it was worn partially parted over her shoulders and obscured this detail.

** [=BoJack=] crosses this in the back half of Season 6, where not only are the former actions and all of his other harmful actions are brought back into the forefront, but it's also revealed that [[spoiler:Sarah Lynn died at the hospital instead of where we last saw her in "That's Too Much, Man!" and that [=BoJack=] waited '''17 minutes''' to call an ambulance while she was dying, meaning that he lied not just to his friends, the reporters, and the police but to the ''[[UnreliableNarrator audience]]'' about the circumstances of her death and that if he would've acted any sooner she may have recovered and survived.]] Even if he did believe that [[spoiler:she was already dead, his first actions were to cover his ass instead of being truthful.]] However, the trope gets {{deconstructed}} throughout the first half of Season 6 where [=BoJack=] is trying to turn his life around, and then again in the second half: it's not that there's one specific low point for [=BoJack=] that made him irredeemable, it's that there are so many smaller ones that it means he's generally just a bad person.

** Beatrice was an abusive mother, but at least she had the cognizance to recognize it after reading Diane's book on [=BoJack=], and calls to apologize to her son. This doesn't necessarily redeem her, but she becomes a little more tolerable when dementia starts taking its toll on her during Season 4. In-universe, however, [=BoJack=] feels that she crossed it by [[spoiler:poisoning Hollyhock with amphetamines in an attempt to help "the girl" lose weight. He had previously told Hollyhock that he lacked the emotional resources or boundaries to take care of his mother and was proven right, but while he had a crappy childhood, Hollyhock shouldn't be subject to the same thing. Hollyhock was also the only person that Beatrice treated with utter decency, which was why Hollyhock was willing to give her a second chance in the first place, and at the time everyone thought she was Hollyhock's grandmother. [=BoJack=] acknowledges with his actions that Beatrice not being in her right mind is a crappy excuse, as shown when he drives her to another nursing home and plans to leave her there for the rest of her days]].

* {{Fanon}}: When theorizing about Erica's species, the most common take is that she's a squirrel, which is why she always distracts Mr. Peanutbutter.

* FanonDiscontinuity: An interesting case with the ending of the show: [[spoiler:Some people found the penultimate episode so well crafted they wished the last one didn't come after. Others like to think the last episode is not canon but just an afterlife "coping mechanism" for Bojack and that he's actually dead. Still others think that episode 7 of season 6 was itself intended as a "happy ending" that anyone could stop watching at if they wanted to end the series on a happy note.]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: Oh look kids, an animated series where anthropomorphic animals co-exist with humans in a quirky environment. Must be family-friendly, right? [[HaHaHaNo Ho ho ho... not even close.]] Not only does this series feature various references to drugs, sex, mild violence, occasional profanity and various additional adult themes, but there's also that fact that there certain episodes kids either wouldn't care about or wouldn't understand. There's even a warning on of the info forms saying it's "not for the little ones", yet its colorful appearance continues to deceive some adults.

** Fans often quote the "My husband/mother is dead, and everything is worse now" line from "Free Churro" with "my mother" replaced with something great that is no longer around, such as a beloved celebrity or a cancelled TV show. The point of the quote is that Beatrice hated Butterscotch and [=BoJack=] hated Beatrice, and losing them isn't sad because they lost something good, but because they lost the ''chance'' to get anything good out of the relationship. The rest of the quote goes, "...because now I know I will never have a mother who looks at me from across a room and says, 'BoJack Horseman, I see you.'"

* CommonKnowledge: A minor example around [=BoJack=]'s MoralEventHorizon. [[spoiler: It is commonly believed that [=BoJack=] waited 17 minutes to call an ambulance for Sarah Lynn but 17 minutes refers to the time between the fake 2-minutes call between him and Sarah Lynn and the time he called the ambulance, meaning that unless he make up his plan at the spot and called inmediately (which is unlikey given how intoxicated he was), [=BoJack=] took at least 20 minutes and possibly even more time to call the ambulance.]]

* CommonKnowledge: A minor example around [=BoJack=]'s MoralEventHorizon. [[spoiler: It is commonly believed that [=BoJack=] waited 17 minutes to call an ambulance for Sarah Lynn but 17 minutes refers to the time between the fake 2-minutes call between him and Sarah Lynn and the time he called the ambulance, meaning that unless he make up his plan at the spot and called inmediately, [=BoJack=] took at least 20 minutes and possibly even more time to make the call.]]