Sitcoms are the perfect kind of show for a Netflix binge. They are short and funny, but more important is their consistency across episodes. No matter what crisis arises for the main cast, it will be resolved in 22 minutes and things will return to the status quo. The good feelings at the center of sitcoms – family, friendship, love, self-improvement – will always be there. It's meant to be a comfort and a fun escape for the audience.
BoJack Horseman, the fourth season of which just dropped on Netflix, is also a brightly colored and very watchable comedy. However, the show is focused on the darker feelings that will always be around. Depression, alcoholism, insecurity, institutional sexism, the legacy of family trauma. All these are the main focus, at one point or another, of these 12 episodes. The fact that the show can cover all of these issues and be one of the funniest shows on television makes it a must-watch.
BoJack Horseman takes place in a world where animals work and act alongside humans. In a great example of how nothing changes on the show, the 'd' fell off the Hollywood sign in Season 1 and everybody just started calling the town Hollywoo. As the closing credits song explains, BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett at his most self-effacing) and his friendly rival Mr. Peanutbutter (a wonderfully over-the-top Paul F. Tompkins) both starred in generic 90's sitcoms. As the fourth season begins, BoJack Horseman has left Hollywoo to find himself, and Mr. Peanutbutter is running for governor against the incumbent Woodchuck Couldchuck-Berkowitz. (As you might have noticed, this show has the best character names on television.)
BoJack's main arc this season revolves around the appearance of his previously unknown daughter Hollyhock Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzarelli-McQuack. He also struggles to reintroduce himself into the lives of his friends – former manager/ lover Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), former ghostwriter and Mr. Peanutbutter's wife Diane Nguyen (Alison Brie) and lovable couch-surfer Todd (Aaron Paul). Many of these characters get their own episodes. "Hooray! Todd Episode!" is on the lighter side as it shows a day in Todd's aimlessly charmed life. "Ruthie" uses a far-off future to follow one of the worst days in Princess Carolyn's life. In between are episodes about fracking, gun culture, family trauma and one of the best depictions of depression.
If the show doesn't sound very funny, it is. The character names are one delightful aspect. In the grand tradition of 'The Simpsons' and 'Futurama', the background signs and store names on the show are packed with jokes. There's a series-spanning running gag about their inability to create banners for parties. The show also makes frequent swipes at the shallowness of Hollywood and the Internet. The news broadcasts hosted by Tom Jumbo-Gumbo and voiced by Keith Olbermann is a dig at cable news shallowness and an opportunity for great chyron jokes. Diane works for Girl Croosh, a feminist Buzzfeed parody that only cares about the shallowest click-driving gossip.
After four seasons, the main voice cast has perfected these complex characters. Between this show and GLOW, Alison Brie has become the most reliable comedic actress on Netflix. Any Sedaris gets some tongue-twisting dialogue to chew on. The guest actors and bit players on the show are also terrific across the board. There are actors playing themselves, like Paul Giamatti playing BoJack in a TV anthology and a psychopathic Jessica Biel. Among the new characters, Aparna Nancherla is the clear standout as the sweet and sincere Hollyhock.
The second episode is a great showcase of the ambition and quality of the show. "The Old Sugarman Place" follows BoJack over a year of near-total isolation at his family's Michigan cabin. The show merges his antics with his cranky neighbor with flashbacks to his mother and grandparents in the 1940's. The jokes about strict 40's gender roles are funny and the family dynamic is sweet. That is, until it isn't and gets into a horrifying real aspect of sexism. BoJack's budding friendship with his neighbor is the same way – entertaining until their respective traumas bubble to the surface.
Not everything about this season is great. The political satire, while only the focus of two or three episodes, is not especially strong. Outside of the Horseman family, none of the new voices are especially memorable. And there's nothing quite like last year's "Fish Out of Water," the series highlight of animation style and narrative creativity. But Season 4 of BoJack Horseman is the most consistent of the show's run. The complexity and depth of the main characters is incredible, and the broader themes about trauma and history and beautifully handled. The fact that the show can do all this and tell great animal jokes makes it one of the best series on television right now. I binged the whole thing in a weekend and I encourage you to check it out as well.
