Bojack Horseman: Raphael Bob-Waksberg, TV Show, USA

TV Show: Bojack Horseman

Year: 2014 - Current

Creator: Raphael Bob-Waksberg

Country: USA

Runtime: 25-26 minutes

Genre: Black Comedy, Drama, Satire

Bojack Horseman was Netflix’s venture into the world of adult animation. It takes place in a world where anthropomorphic animals live alongside humans as equal beings. The series follows Bojack Horseman, an old washed up depressed sit com star from the 90s as he struggles to find his place in the current world around him. In its first season the show struggles to find its place, while it is funny at a few points at the beginning there is nothing special to hook viewers or to stand out from its established peers. 

This begins to change however as the show came into the 2^nd half of its first season. This 2^nd half involved such a drastic change in tone and meaning that one website, Indiewire, even changed its policy requiring reviewers to watch entire seasons on Netflix instead of just 6 episodes before any review.

This change in tone continues as the show gains confidence, receiving universal critical acclaim seasons 2 through 4. Throughout the seasons Bojack Horseman continues to examine important issues in society such as depression trauma and self-destructive behaviour. These may seem like strange issues for a satirical comedy show featuring a horse to tackle, however it has been praised for its boldness and the accuracy in which is deals with issues many shows avoid. 

Overall I believe this is a fantastic show that can often be overlooked by people due do the unusual setting of its world, or sometimes more understandably for the weak first 6 episodes. I would highly recommend this show for anyone interested on issues of mental health or fans of satire shows in general.

Personal rating: 9/10

Evan Simpson

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