Anthropomorphic animals doing human things. A '90s reminiscent art style. A main character who's a huge, huge, asshole. These are just three of the reasons you may have been turned off of Netflix's adult animated comedy, Bojack Horseman. I'm not saying I blame you; first impressions are very important when it comes to TV shows. And at first glance, Bojack Horseman may just seem like yet another adult comedy. But I'm begging you, please, please, please, give it another chance. For the sake of not spoiling stuff, as its plot carries over episode-to-episode, I'll avoid spoilers.
Bojack Horseman stars an old washed up horse actor, named Bojack Horseman, played by Will Arnett. He made his mark on fame as star of a Full House style family sitcom called Horsin' Around in the '90s, and since then has occupied his time with booze, cheap women, self loathing, cynicism, booze, narcissism, drugs, depression, booze... You get the idea. The first season deals with his attempt to remain relevant, via an autobiography. Because he sucks at writing, he hires a ghost writer to write his book for him by the name of Diane Nguyen (played by Alison Brie), who soon becomes his friend.
The writing and comedy value are pretty good. Season One starts kind of slow, but after a few episodes finds its groove and succeeds in being a very funny comedy, with very well done voice acting and awesome secondary characters that make occasional appearances (Vincent Adultman, a character described by Bojack as "Very obviously three kids stacked on top of each other in a trench coat like in The Little Rascals" being my favorite) What begins as a pretty standard comedy, however, soon evolves into something different. Through Diane and those around him, such as lazy roommate Todd Chavez, (played by Aaron Paul), ex-girlfriend and agent Princess Carolyn (a cat), and former acting rival Mr. Peanutbutter (a dog, and star of Horsin' Around's main competitor in the '90s, Mr. Peanutbutter's House), you begin to see the way Horseman's actions affect those around him. In Diane's attempts to get him to open up about his past, you find that there's much more to this show than just a standard adult comedy.
The show intentionally makes Bojack unlikable at first. He's a mean, depressing drunk. But as you learn more about him, you come to see him as a very tragic character. The son of two parents who didn't love each other or their child, deep down he craves approval from others and is unable to love himself. As a result, he turns to drinking and sleeping with cheap women. As the show progresses you see his walls come down, and you can't help but feel bad for the guy. In the process of trying to help himself by opening up and mending the relationships he's destroyed, he only ends up hurting himself more. But even after the heartbreak and loss, the anger and depression, you see that the road to change starts with yourself. You can't make yourself happy solely by material possessions and substances. What needs to change is your outlook. Some optimists like to say that everyone is perfect just the way they are, but that's simply not true. If what's holding us back is a part of us, then we ourselves need to change. It's a message that struck me stronger than I had expected.
For a comedy, it's unexpectedly heavy stuff. But that's the beauty of it: it makes you feel something, it's almost therapeutic. As well as a commentary on the Hollywood lifestyle, it's a very personal look into the psyche of narcissism, cynicism, self loathing, abusive childhoods, and depression. Hell, even the shows intro sequence is depressing if you keep these things in mind. Maybe it's because I personally have dealt with some of those issues myself in the past (Specifically the cynicism and depression), but this show really resonated with me on a level that other comedies like Family Guy just couldn't. Again, this is a dark, dark comedy. To the point that it's more accurate to call it a comedic drama. If you're the type of person who doesn't like (or just plain ol' gets depressed by) this kind of emotional gut-punching, this show may not be for you. But do you want to know why I'd recommend it anyways? Because it'll make you laugh like the best comedies but at the same time, you might just learn something about yourself. Take it from someone who did.
Depression is cruel, merciless bitch. You can't stop being depressed, it's just not that easy. It won't go away by moping and waiting, it won't go away by complaining. Change needs to come from within. You can search the world over for a way to mask it, but willing yourself to make the change is the only way to get rid of it completely. In a weird way, watching this show was the motivation I needed to take a more positive outlook on life.
This show is simultaneously one's self destruction, and one's pursuit of happiness. You meet a character who's at his lowest, and come to sympathize with him as he slowly tries to improve his life. While not applicable to all people, I know a lot of you have felt the same way. But if one person reads this article, decides to watch the show, and gets the same change in outlook that I have, it's this will all be worth it. If I may quote a character in the show:
"It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you got to do it every day. That's the hard part. But it does get easier."
