BoJack Horseman

"BoJack" redirects here. For other uses, see Bojack (disambiguation).

BoJack Horseman
Genre	Adult animation Animated sitcom Black comedy Surreal humor Comedy-drama Satire Tragicomedy
Created by	Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Voices of	Will Arnett Amy Sedaris Alison Brie Paul F. Tompkins Aaron Paul
Theme music composer	Patrick Carney featuring Ralph Carney
Ending theme	"Back in the '90s (BoJack's Theme)" by Grouplove
Composer	Jesse Novak
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	77 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Raphael Bob-Waksberg Noel Bright Steven A. Cohen Blair Fetter Jane Wiseman Will Arnett Aaron Paul Andy Weil
Producers	Alex Bulkley Corey Campodonico Mehar Sethi Lisa Hanawalt Kate Purdy
Running time	25–27 minutes
Production companies	Tornante Television Boxer vs. Raptor ShadowMachine
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	August 22, 2014 (2014-08-22) – January 31, 2020 (2020-01-31)

BoJack Horseman is an American adult animated web television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in Los Angeles, the series tells the story of BoJack Horseman (Arnett), the washed-up star of a 1990s sitcom who plans his return to celebrity relevance with an autobiography to be written by his ghostwriter Diane Nguyen (Brie). On his road back to stardom, BoJack also has to contend with the demands of his agent Princess Carolyn (Sedaris), his roommate Todd Chavez (Paul), and his former rival Mr. Peanutbutter (Tompkins). The show is designed by cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, who has been friends with Bob-Waksberg since high school and had previously worked with him on the webcomic Tip Me Over, Pour Me Out.

The series premiered on August 22, 2014 on Netflix and ended on January 31, 2020, with a total of 77 episodes over six seasons. The first five seasons consist of twelve episodes each, while the sixth and final season consists of sixteen episodes divided into two parts of eight episodes each. A one-off Christmas special was released on December 19, 2014.

BoJack Horseman is widely regarded as one of the greatest animated television series of all time. Despite mixed reviews upon its debut, critics were significantly more positive towards the second half of the first season, and the subsequent seasons received near-universal acclaim. It is lauded for its realistic take on dealing with depression, trauma, addiction, self-destructive behavior, racism, sexism, sexuality, and the human condition. The series received numerous accolades, including four Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Animated Series, three Annie Awards and two Writers Guild of America Awards. It was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Animated Program.

Premise

The series is set in an alternate world where humans and anthropomorphic animals live side by side, taking place mostly in Hollywood (later known as "Hollywoo" after the "D" in the Hollywood Sign is stolen and destroyed). BoJack Horseman is the washed-up star of the 1990s sitcom Horsin' Around, which told the story of a bachelor horse trying to raise three young orphans. Now living in relative obscurity in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, BoJack plans a big comeback to celebrity relevance with a tell-all autobiography to be written by his ghostwriter Diane Nguyen. BoJack also has to contend with the demands of his agent and on-again-off-again girlfriend Princess Carolyn, the misguided antics of his freeloading roommate Todd Chavez, and his former rival Mr. Peanutbutter, who was once the star of his own sitcom Mr. Peanutbutter's House.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of BoJack Horseman characters

• Will Arnett as BoJack Horseman, a self-loathing alcoholic horse currently in his 50s, whose acting career peaked when he starred in a successful 1990s family sitcom called Horsin' Around. Though he began as a young bright-eyed actor, he has since grown bitter, deeply depressed, and jaded towards Hollywoo and who he has become post-fame. BoJack has been shown to occasionally be caring and insightful, but his insecurities, loneliness, desperate need for approval, and guilt over his own actions often result in self-destructive actions that devastate those around him.
• Amy Sedaris as Princess Carolyn, a pink Persian cat who is BoJack's agent in the first three seasons and former on-and-off girlfriend. Earnest and unflagging, Princess Carolyn was a top agent at Vigor agency through her tireless pursuit of new talent and large network of odd personal connections. Though she struggles to find a balance between work, her troubled personal life, and taking care of BoJack and her friends, she enjoys her fast-paced hectic lifestyle. She left Vigor to start a new agency with her then-boyfriend and coworker Rutabaga Rabitowitz. After recognizing his lack of trustworthiness and confronting her fear of being alone, she ultimately decides to leave him and run the new company named VIM by herself. After several setbacks, Princess Carolyn closes VIM in season 3, only to reopen it as a management agency. She struggles throughout the series with starting a family, but suffers several miscarriages. In season 5, after several failed attempts, she successfully adopts a baby porcupine from Sadie, a young woman from her hometown in North Carolina. She is a graduate of UCLA.
• Alison Brie as Diane Nguyen, a human ghostwriter, a well-reasoned, misunderstood intellectual, and a Vietnamese-American third-wave feminist from Boston. She is an idealist who wants to make the world a better place and expects others to behave to a higher standard, even though she often falls short of her own ideals. While writing BoJack's memoir, Diane and BoJack develop a strong friendship that initially becomes awkward and strained after BoJack develops romantic feelings for her, especially as she was dating Mr. Peanutbutter at the time. She eventually marries Mr. Peanutbutter, but during and after Mr. Peanutbutter's run for Governor of California, their marriage begins to deteriorate, and they divorce at the beginning of season 5. During the sixth season, Diane develops a relationship with a buffalo named Guy and comes to terms with her neglectful upbringing. She is a graduate of Boston University.
• Paul F. Tompkins as Mr. Peanutbutter, an energetic and cheerful yellow Labrador Retriever who is BoJack's former sitcom rival. Mr. Peanutbutter was the star of Mr. Peanutbutter's House, which, according to BoJack, "borrowed the premise" from Horsin' Around. Despite their rivalry, Mr. Peanutbutter cares a great deal about BoJack's opinion and admires him for his work on Horsin' Around. He has an especially good relationship with Todd, and his positive attitude and financial resources combined with Todd's outlandish schemes and plans often result in the two starting questionable business ventures. Mr. Peanutbutter has been married three times (including Katrina Peanutbutter, Jessica Biel and Diane Nguyen). In "Old Acquaintance", it is revealed that "Mr." is his actual first name. During season 6, Mr. Peanutbutter spends much of his time alone. He obviously hates this, but he knows on some level that he needs to make peace on his own. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and a native of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Aaron Paul as Todd Chavez, an unemployed but well-meaning and friendly 24-year-old human slacker who ended up at BoJack's house for a party five years before the beginning of the series and never left. Although BoJack constantly voices disdain for him, he secretly cares about Todd, continuing to financially support him and sabotage his attempts to gain independence. Todd has been shown to possess a plethora of skills including an understanding of Japanese, entrepreneurial know-how—allying with Mr. Peanutbutter for various business ideas—and writing and composing his own rock opera, which was eventually sabotaged by BoJack. This, along with other examples of BoJack's poor behavior towards him leads Todd to break ties with him. Todd also has an uncanny knack for getting himself in absurd and extremely dangerous situations when his friends aren't around, such as getting into gun fights on several occasions, ending up in prison, and in one case, switching places Prince and the Pauper–style with a Cordovian dictator. He is also almost never seen without wearing his signature yellow beanie. In his teenage years, he was an aimless skateboarder, and the object of affection of his schoolmate, Emily. He realizes in the season 3 finale "That Went Well" that he is asexual. In season 6, Todd forms a relationship with a rabbit named Maude who is also asexual.

Episodes

Main article: List of BoJack Horseman episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
1	12		August 22, 2014 (2014-08-22)
Special			December 19, 2014 (2014-12-19)
2	12		July 17, 2015 (2015-07-17)
3	12		July 22, 2016 (2016-07-22)
4	12		September 8, 2017 (2017-09-08)
5	12		September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)
6	16	8	October 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)
		8	January 31, 2020 (2020-01-31)

Production

Conception

After moving to L.A. for the first time, writer Raphael Bob-Waksberg unsuccessfully pitched ideas for shows to different networks. Among them was the idea for a family comedy set during the Reign of Terror called the Good Times are Killing Me, which Waksberg described as "All in the Family but in France, [...] where the Dad was guillotine salesman and business was booming, but he couldn't get his wacky family in order." Around the same time, he moved into a friend's house up in the Hollywood Hills, living in what he described as "a glorified closet in a beautiful mansion". On his first night there, he "look[ed] out on the deck over all of Hollywood, and [felt] simultaneously on top of the world and never more isolated and alone." This was the beginning of the idea that would become BoJack Horseman.

Raphael Bob-Waksberg and illustrator Lisa Hanawalt had met in high school and the two would often joke about creating an animated series together. The two eventually went their separate ways, with Bob-Waksberg moving to LA and Hanawalt moving to New York, but stayed in touch, working together on the web comic Tip Me Over, Pull Me Out. In March 2010, Bob-Waksberg emailed Hanawalt asking for a drawing of one of the "horse-guys" she had been sketching, outlining a pitch for a show he titled "BoJack the Depressed Talking Horse". This early pitch hewed closely to the final product except for some minor differences - Todd was called Topher and was BoJack's childhood friend; Diane was a development executive instead of a ghostwriter; and Mr. Peanutbutter was BoJack's agent instead of Princess Carolyn, with his role as BoJack's rival instead filled by a horse called Honeybucket. Hanawalt joked that the concept sounded too depressing.

Development history

In late 2010, Bob-Waksberg met with producer Steven A. Cohen of the Tornante Company and pitched five different animated projects, including BoJack Horseman. After the pitch, Cohen asked Bob-Waksberg which project interested him most, and Bob-Waksberg chose BoJack Horseman. He wrote up a treatment for the series which was then pitched to the Tornante Company CEO Michael Eisner, who suggested that the show center around a former racehorse rather than a former sitcom actor. While Bob-Waksberg successfully pushed for the show-business angle, this contributed to a storyline in which BoJack later played a racehorse in the fictional movie Secretariat in the show's second season.

Hanawalt was approached to come on board to design the show. She initially turned down the offer. "I’d just finished illustrating a children’s book and it was kind of a bad experience. It took six months of work and felt endless, and I didn’t want to commit to another big project. I made the mistake of not jumping aboard a good thing". Production went ahead with various other artists coming on board to design the show and characters, but none captured Hanawalt's unique style. Six months later, Hanawalt was again approached to design the show, and this time agreed. She then worked with animation production studio ShadowMachine to develop the show's visual style. The production team put together a brief pilot presentation of the show which was used to shop the show to networks.

Bob-Waksberg and the team eventually pitched to Netflix in October 2013, and the show was picked up on the condition that the series launch in time for summer 2014. As a result, the 12-episode first season was produced in just 35 weeks; the first three episodes were written by Bob-Waksberg before a full writing staff were hired, and the first table read was held in the first week of production. The original plan had been to use the footage from the original pilot presentation in the season's first episode, however the decision was made to start from scratch (partially due to the decision to completely redesign the character of Todd Chavez from as he appeared in the pilot). The series premiered on August 22nd 2014. Four days later, the series was renewed for a second season which released on July 17th 2015. A third season was announced July 28 2015, and premiered July 22nd 2016, with a fourth season announced the same day. The fourth season launched on Netflix on September 8 2017. A fifth season was announced on September 21, 2017. and launched on September 14 2018 Each season contained twelve episodes. Writers for BoJack Horseman included Bob-Waksberg, Joe Lawson, Kate Purdy, Elijah Aron, Jordan Young, Mehar Sethi and Joanna Calo. Directors include Amy Winfrey, J.C. Gonzalez, Mike Hollingsworth, Aaron Long and Anne Walker Farrell.

The show's first season intentionally told a self-contained story in case the show was not picked up for a second season. Netflix asked Bob-Waksberg to leave some threads hanging to set up a potential second season, and Bob-Waksberg asked that, should Bojack Horseman get cancelled, Netflix warn him in advance so he could end the series properly. After the release of the fifth season, Netflix told Bob-Waksberg that the upcoming sixth season would be the show's last. "They don’t have to do that, obviously. But I said I would appreciate it if I could have the forewarning to give the show a proper finale, and not set up some cliffhangers that will never pay off. So when they picked up season six, they said, ‘Hey, remember how you asked for that heads-up? We think that this is your heads-up.’ So I’m very grateful that we got that notice.” An extended sixth and final season of sixteen episodes was released in two parts of eight episodes each. The first half released on October 25 2019, and the second on January 31 2020.

Casting

"I was presented with a seven-or-nine-page written spec treatment. I didn’t see any animation for it; I just heard sort of the broad strokes of what the show was about. And I read it, and I loved it, instantly, of course. The world, the setting, you know? In Hollywood, in the industry, where animals and humans co-exist, and there’s nothing weird about it. It’s just how it is. And I read it and I thought it was just so smart. Raphael explained to me that he wanted to not only do a cartoon that was funny, but also a cartoon that was incredibly tragic at times. I thought that was such a brave, cool idea."

—Aaron Paul, about signing on to play Todd Chavez in BoJack Horseman

Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris and Aaron Paul were the first actors to be cast for the show as BoJack Horseman, Princess Carolyn and Todd Chavez respectively, landing their roles ahead of the show's pilot presentation, with the remaining cast brought on board after Netflix picked up the show. Arnett and Paul also served as executive producers on the show. The character of BoJack was not written with any particular actor in mind. Bob-Waksberg cast Arnett because he was "so funny, but there's also a darkness to him... I feel like, in his gravelly performance, you feel like he's lived a life. And there's a sadness lurking underneath there. But again, he's so funny... He took our dumbest stuff and spun it into gold." Arnett also provided the role of BoJack's father, Butterscotch Horseman, as well as the voice of a younger BoJack in flashback sequences. Amy Sedaris signed on to the series as she wanted to work with Arnett.

Following Netflix' acquisition of the series, Paul F. Tompkins was cast as BoJack's sitcom rival Mr. Peanutbutter. When Bob-Waksberg was originally writing Mr. Peanutbutter, he originally imagined him as being a "meat-head" with a deep voice, but the casting of Arnett as BoJack and Paul as Todd caused the casting team to go in a different direction with the character. Tompkins brought a "beautiful, lilting quality" to the role, with Bob-Waksberg describing his performance as "skipping above the line, which as a foil to BoJack is very funny. BoJack, even in his voice, is very sunk down and in the muck, whereas Mr. Peanutbutter is playfully skipping above the muck."

Alison Brie was cast as Diane Nguyen, a ghostwriter hired to write BoJack's memoir and later ends up marrying Mr. Peanutbutter. As the show grew in popularity, Brie's casting as a Vietnamese-American character was met with controversy and accusations of white-washing. Bob-Waksberg later commented on the controversy, applauding Brie's performance of the character while expressing regret and that he believed the casting had "hurt the show". "When I think about casting now, I try to be very race-conscious. My casting director, Linda Lamontagne, and I are actively looking for people of color for every new character, and that’s made a big difference in how we cast the show. I hope that is reflected even to a layperson observing the show. I’m very proud of the movement we’ve made, but we’re always going to be somewhat hobbled in our efforts because of our original sin.

Influences

Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has cited the cynical humor in the Canadian show The Newsroom as a large influence on BoJack Horseman. He also praised The Simpsons as an influence for being able to tell sad stories without sacrificing humor. Based on storyline similarities and graphical nuances, the series has been said to have influences deriving from Californication, Two and a Half Men and Daria. In September 2018, before the show's fifth season was released, Bob-Waksberg stated that the show's ten biggest influences were:

• The Simpsons: "This show is such a titan of the format. It's so influential in so many ways."
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit: "Formally, it's easy to see the connection: Roger Rabbit posits, 'What if cartoons were real and interacted with humans?'"
• Archer: "The caustic style of Archer was really on my mind when I was first doing BoJack – perhaps too much!"
• Animaniacs: "I've always been a big fan of aspirational references. It's boring if I watch [a show] and get everything."
• Daria: "It did a good job of showing that smart people aren't always right and stupid people aren't always bad."
• The Tick: "There was a villain, Chairface Chippendale, who wanted to carve his name in the moon, and the Tick stopped him, but not before he got the C and the H in. So for the rest of the series, whenever there's a night scene, there's a C and an H there."
• Pixar Animation Studios: "I love how the studio plays with structure and isn't afraid to try different things, like the dialogue-free first act of WALL-E."
• Futurama: "It plays with continuity in a really cool way, and plays with sadness in a really cool way."
• South Park: "I particularly love the more didactic episodes of the show, even though I don't always agree with them politically."
• The works of Don Hertzfeldt: "His short Rejected was a big influence, particularly in the first drug-trip episode of BoJack."

Addressing social issues

Since its first season, BoJack has addressed many hot-button sociopolitical issues. Its creator, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, once said that he considered the concept of "political correctness" something that other comedians and media creators should view as more of a responsibility: In a 2017 interview with Vice, he said,

"I think most people who argue for what you might call political correctness, are not actually arguing for censorship. They're arguing for self-control and self-restraint. They're arguing for people to be conscious of the power they have, right? And I believe that I have a lot of power, as someone making popular entertainment. I do think we have to be careful about the art we put out."

A notable example is the episode "Hank After Dark" (season two, episode seven), commonly referred to as "the Cosby episode", which follows Diane and BoJack on a book tour as they field questions regarding allegations that have just surfaced about a comedy legend, Hank Hippopopalous. In the episode "Brrap Brrap Pew Pew" (season three, episode six), Diane accidentally announces she is getting an abortion via pop starlet Sextina Aquafina's Twitter account, and Hollywoo gets swept up in talks about the practice. The season four episode "Thoughts and Prayers" took a similar satirical approach towards the frequency of mass shootings and the gun debate in America, after Diane fires a gun for the first time and one of Princess Carolyn's projects get caught in the crossfire, launching a debate on whether or not women should own and use guns.

The fifth season has been praised for its handling of sexual harassment and powerful men following the Me Too movement. Emily VanDerWerff wrote that it "just might be the best artistic rumination on #MeToo and an age of terrible men yet."

The show also explores Todd Chavez's open asexuality, which is addressed throughout seasons four and five. In the last episode of the third season, Todd says "I'm not gay... I mean, I don't think I am, but I don't think I'm straight, either. I don't know what I am. I think I might be nothing."

Music

BoJack Horseman (Music From The Netflix Original Series)
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	September 8, 2017 (Digital) September 29, 2017 (CD) December 8, 2017 (Vinyl)
Recorded	2013–2017
Length	42:01
Label	Lakeshore Records
Producer	Jesse Novak & Andrew Gowan

The main title theme was composed by Patrick Carney, drummer for the blues-rock duo The Black Keys, with his uncle Ralph Carney. The main sound, starting at the beginning, is a Roland Jupiter-4 analog synthesizer triggered with a click track in Pro Tools.

The ending credits theme "Back in the 90s (BoJack's Theme)" was performed by the indie-pop act Grouplove. Jesse Novak composed the incidental music.

In addition, the show has occasionally featured other songs in the closing credits. In season one, Lyla Foy's song "Impossible" appears in the end credits of the seventh episode, "Say Anything"; the Death Grips song "No Love" is used in "Downer Ending", the eleventh episode; and the Rolling Stones song "Wild Horses" and Tegan and Sara's "Closer" in "Later", the first-season finale. The Kevin Morby song "Parade" closed out "Yes And", episode ten of the second season, and the Courtney Barnett song "Avant Gardener" plays during "Out to Sea", the second-season finale. The show features Oberhofer's song "Sea of Dreams" in the fourth episode of the third season, "Fish out of Water", and Nina Simone's cover of Janis Ian's "Stars" in "That Went Well", the last episode of that season. In season four, Magic Sword's "Infinite" is used in "Thoughts and Prayers", the fifth episode of the season, K.Flay's "Blood in the Cut" in "Stupid Piece of Sh*t", the sixth episode, and Jenny Owen Youngs's "Wake Up" in "What Time Is It Right Now", the twelfth episode.

Princess Carolyn's hold music is the song "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" from the musical Cats. The St. Vincent song "Los Ageless" plays throughout "The Light Bulb Scene", the first episode of the fifth season, including the credits. The song "Under the Pressure" by the War on Drugs plays through the end of the episode and credits of season five, episode 12, "The Stopped Show".

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for BoJack Horseman was released on Lakeshore Records on September 8, 2017, to coincide with the release of season four. It includes several songs, among them the full version of the main theme, Patrick Carney and Michelle Branch's version of America's "A Horse with No Name", Sextina Aquafina's "Get Dat Fetus, Kill Dat Fetus", the themes from Horsin' Around and Mr. Peanutbutter's House, and the entire score for the episode "Fish Out of Water".

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
1.	"BoJack's Theme"	Patrick Carney, Ralph Carney	Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney	0:56
2.	"Horsin' Around Theme"	Jesse Novak & Raphael Bob-Waksberg	Jesse Novak	0:44
3.	"A Horse with No Name"	Dewey Bunnell	Patrick Carney feat. Michelle Branch	4:35
4.	"Mr. Peanutbutter's House Theme"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:40
5.	"I Will Always Think of You"	Jesse Novak, David Corwin & Rachel Kaplan	Jane Krakowski & Colman Domingo	1:22
6.	"Get Dat Fetus Kill Dat Fetus"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak feat. Daniele Gaither & Manus Dunbar	1:30
7.	"Kyle and the Kids"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak feat. Carrick Moore Gerety	0:36
8.	"Stars" (Live at Montreux)	Janis Ian	Nina Simone	6:37
9.	"Back in the '90s"	Christian Zucconi	Grouplove	0:43
10.	"BoJack's Theme" (Full Length)	Patrick Carney, Ralph Carney	Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney	4:23
11.	"Seaport"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	1:00
12.	"Hallway"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	1:35
13.	"Kelsey Apology"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:57
14.	"Chasing Kelsey"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	1:42
15.	"Seahorse Birth"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:47
16.	"Post Birth"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:26
17.	"Baby Seahorse and Convenience Store"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	2:29
18.	"Shark Chase"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:34
19.	"Darkness and Tunnel"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:54
20.	"Fan Section"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:39
21.	"Factory"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	1:58
22.	"Flying"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:54
23.	"Seahorse Reunion"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:49
24.	"Final Kelsey Pursuit"	Jesse Novak	Jesse Novak	0:28
25.	"Sea of Dreams"	Oberhofer	Oberhofer	4:43

Critical reception

Season		Critical response
		Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
	1	67% (24 reviews)	59/100 (13 reviews)
	2	100% (19 reviews)	90/100 (7 reviews)
	3	100% (31 reviews)	89/100 (12 reviews)
	4	97% (35 reviews)	87/100 (5 reviews)
	5	98% (46 reviews)	92/100 (6 reviews)
	6	96% (49 reviews)	93/100 (6 reviews)
			91/100 (8 reviews)
Average		93%	82/100

The series has consistently received acclaim from critics. It was ranked as the best Netflix original series of all time by Thrillist and Uproxx in August 2018 and May 2019, respectively. IndieWire, in November 2018, named BoJack Horseman as the best animated series of all time. It has also been ranked as one of the best TV shows of the 2010s by multiple publications, including Time and Vanity Fair and following the premiere of the first half of season six in 2019, Chris Mandle of the BBC declared BoJack Horseman "the 21st Century's best animation."

Season 1

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 67%, based on 24 reviews. On Metacritic, the season received a score of 59 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Erik Adams' review of the first six episodes gave the series a C+ grade; in the review, Adams wrote that the show "spoofs the emptiness of celebrity, but does so without any novelty or true insight". Willa Paskin, writing for Slate, was more enthused. "[It] is perhaps a little more clever than it is uproariously funny, but it is often very clever, and, moreover, well-tuned to the ludicrousness of the sort of low-level fame that surrounds BoJack". She likened it to 30 Rock in its ability to "[present] big ideas without having to commit to them". Chris Mitchell of Popzara was equally optimistic about the show's future, saying that "Fans of FX's Archer or Fox's Bob's Burgers will definitely want to check this one out, as its rapid-fire delivery is always consciously spot-on". The New York Times described the show as "hilarious and ribald". Margaret Lyons of Vulture gave a positive review, describing it as "radically sad. I love it."

The second half of the season, however, received much more positive reviews. Ben Travers of IndieWire believed one possible reason for mixed reviews of the show was critics reviewing only the first half of the season, with the second half changing drastically in tone and developing a darker and deeper meaning. This change was so drastic that it led to IndieWire changing its policy to only review entire seasons of shows on Netflix, instead of just the first six episodes, which would have boosted BoJack Horseman's C+ grade.

Season 2

The second season received universal acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 19 critics, while on Metacritic, the season has a score of 90 out of 100, based on 7 critics. Emily VanDerWerff of Vox wrote that the show had "found its footing beautifully in season two, earning the title of not just the streaming service's best show, but of one of television's best shows". Liz Shannon Miller of IndieWire gave the series a grade of "A-", praising the depth of the show's storyline, the voice cast and the superior comedy in comparison to the first season. Vikram Murthi of The A. V. Club also gave the series an "A-", commenting that "for the most part, it's an entirely unique, funny, and melancholic exploration into the heart and mind of someone struggling to put his life back on track after a series of dark turns". Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine awarded the series four-and-a-half stars out of five, commenting that "BoJack Horseman's second season is an even more confident blend of the various tones it experimentally donned last year, as it's simultaneously melancholic, angry, goofy, playful, and often uproariously funny in a distinctively ineffable what-the-fuck fashion". Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B rating, stating it was "one of TV's best meta-skewers of Hollywood".

Season 3

The third season received near-universal acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an approval rating of 100%, based on 31 reviews, while on Metacritic, the season received a score of 89 out of 100, based on 12 reviews. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter lauded the season, commenting that the show "evolved from frothy talking-animal Hollywood satire to character-rich treatise on depression in its first season, deepened and darkened into one of TV's best shows in its second season and gallops into its third season with a profound confidence." Entertainment Weekly gave the series an A rating, stating the season is "more digressive than the show's first two years, and much more open-ended, sending core characters in different directions" and that it "builds to one of the funniest, weirdest, and most profound moments ever seen in a television show." The A. V. Club awarded the series an A-, commenting that "Netflix has taken it upon itself to add BoJack to the line of TV's famous antiheroes" and praising the show for improving with each series. Chris Cabin of Collider gave the show four out of five stars, stating "BoJack Horseman ends up becoming a thrilling, rueful study of the psychological games and uniquely vain, notably capitalistic decision-making that powers the entertainment industry". They went on to praise the show's humor; "through its venomous jokes and unrelenting, uproarious gags, the series also recognizes how charming, joyful, and galvanizing entertainment for entertainment sake can be, no matter how stupid or silly it may seem."

Season 4

The fourth season also received wide acclaim. The season holds a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 reviews, while Metacritic awarded the show a score of 87 out of 100 based on 5 reviews. Liz Shannon Miller of IndieWire gave the series an "A" grade, commenting that "by the end of the season, we know these characters, and this show, far better than ever before. BoJack's signature tropes—the background visual jokes, the animal puns, the brutal moments of sadness—remain reliably consistent, but turns the focus largely inward, ensuring that some of the more outlandish plots support and highlight the more emotional storylines". Bethonie Butler of The Washington Post lauded the series, praising the installment as "moving and unexpected" and that "it offers hope but never ignores the sorrows that are inevitable in real life". Mike Hale of The New York Times also gave a positive review, commenting that the "material has the snap and the poignancy we've grown accustomed to" and that "while nothing matches the adventurousness of season three's underwater film festival episode, season four's ninth episode—narrated from the future by a distant descendant of Princess Carolyn's—is a devastating example of what BoJack can do at its best".

Season 5

Keeping up with the performance of previous seasons, the fifth season received widespread acclaim. Based on 46 reviews, the season has an approval rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, while on Metacritic it holds a score of 92 out of 100 based on 6 reviews. Indiewire gave the season an "A" calling it another brilliant season and saying the series has become so great that it is "beyond reproach". Multiple critical reviews have praised the episode "Free Churro", calling it one of the series' best episodes and giving it Emmy buzz for both the writing and Will Arnett's monologue. Les Chappell of The A. V. Club observed that the episode "The Dog Days Are Over", in which Diane Nguyen takes an impromptu trip to Hanoi, can be seen as a commentary on the "identity crisis elements" of having the Vietnamese-American character Diane voiced by a white actress.

Season 6

The sixth season has also received wide acclaim. Jen Chaney of Vulture called it "more clever, intelligent, and multilayered than 95 percent of comedies on television or any other platform." The season holds a 96% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 49 reviews, with a critics' consensus that reads: "Bittersweet and brilliant to the very end, BoJack Horseman's final season manages to keep surprising viewers with its empathy and depth, solidifying its place as one of TV's greatest offerings." On Metacritic, the first part of season six holds a score of 93 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, while the second part holds a score of 91 out of 100 based on 8 reviews.

Syndication

On July 26, 2018, Comedy Central acquired exclusive linear television rights to the series. The series premiered on the network after the South Park season 22 premiere on September 26, 2018. The series' syndication deal also makes it the first Netflix original to be syndicated on linear television in the United States.

Home media

On December 13, 2018, The Tornante Company and Shout! Factory announced a deal to release the first four seasons on DVD and Blu-ray. In North America, a bundle of the first two seasons and the Christmas special was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 31, 2019; this release also contains animatics, art galleries and audio commentaries as bonus features. In the United Kingdom, Manga Entertainment released season one on October 28, 2019, followed by season two on December 2, respectively.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2014	Behind the Voice Actor Award	Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role – Comedy/Musical	Olivia Wilde as "Charlotte"	Nominated
			Wendie Malick as "Beatrice Horseman"	Nominated
2016	6th Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Animated Series	BoJack Horseman	Won
	2016 Gold Derby Awards			Won
	43rd Annie Awards	Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production	"Brand New Couch"	Nominated
	68th Writers Guild of America Awards	Television: Animation	Kelly Galuska ("Hank After Dark")	Nominated
	7th Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Animated Series	BoJack Horseman	Won
	31st Artios Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Animation Adult	Linda Lamontagne	Nominated
2017	44th Annie Awards	Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production	"Fish Out Of Water"	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated TV Production	Alison Brie	Nominated
	69th Writers Guild of America Awards	Television: Animation	Elijah Aron & Jordan Young ("Fish Out of Water")	Nominated
			Joe Lawson ("Stop the Presses")	Won
	32nd Artios Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Animation	Linda Lamontagne	Nominated
	2017 Annecy International Animated Film Festival	Special Distinction for a TV Series	"Fish Out Of Water"	Won
	43rd Saturn Awards	Best Animated Series or Film on Television	BoJack Horseman	Nominated
	69th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance	Kristen Schaal ("That's Too Much, Man!")	Nominated
	2017 Gold Derby Awards	Best Animated Program	BoJack Horseman	Won
	2017 Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Original Score – TV Show/Limited Series	Jesse Novak	Nominated
	64th Golden Reel Awards	TV Animation – Effects/Foley/Dialogue/ADR	Hunter Curra, Konrad Piñon, Andrew Twite, Joy Elett, Kailand C. Reilly ("Fish Out of Water")	Nominated
	Behind the Voice Actor Award	Best Male Vocal Lead Vocal Performance in a Television Series	Will Arnett as "BoJack Horseman"	Nominated
2018	8th Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Animated Series	BoJack Horseman	Nominated
	GTA18 Golden Trailer Awards	Best Animation / Family (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)	BoJack Horseman (Season 3 "Trailer")	Nominated
	33rd Artios Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Animation	Linda Lamontagne	Won
	45th Annie Awards	Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production	"Stupid Piece of Sh*t"	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production	Wendie Malick ("Time's Arrow")	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production	Jose Martinez ("Stupid Piece of Sh*t")	Nominated
	70th Writers Guild of America Awards	Television: Animation	Joanna Calo ("Ruthie")	Nominated
			Kate Purdy ("Time's Arrow")	Won
	44th Saturn Awards	Best Animated Series or Film on Television	BoJack Horseman	Nominated
2019	9th Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Animated Series	BoJack Horseman	Won
	46th Annie Awards	Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production	"The Dog Days are Over"	Won
		Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production	Will Arnett ("Free Churro")	Won
	71st Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program	"Free Churro"	Nominated
2020	47th Annie Awards	Best TV/Media – General Audience	"The New Client"	Won
		Best Writing – TV/Media	Alison Tafel ("Feel-Good Story")	Nominated
	72nd Writers Guild of America Awards	Television: Animation	Elijah Aron ("A Horse Walks Into A Rehab")	Nominated
	10th Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Animated Series	BoJack Horseman	Won
	Casting Society of America	Television – Animation	Linda Lamontagne	Nominated

External links

• BoJack Horseman – Official site
• BoJack Horseman at IMDb