BoJack Horseman

BoJack Horseman
Genre Adult animation
Animated sitcom
Comedy-drama
Black comedy
Satire
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
Opening theme "BoJack Horseman Theme"
Ending theme "Back in the 90's (BoJack's Theme)" by Grouplove
Composer(s) Jesse Novak
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 37 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Will Arnett
Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Aaron Paul
Steven A. Cohen
Noel Bright
Running time 25–26 minutes
Production company(s) The Tornante Company
All That Kazzaz Productions
ShadowMachine
Distributor Netflix
Release
Original network Netflix
Picture format 1080p (16:9 HDTV)
Audio format Dolby Digital Plus 5.1
Original release August 22, 2014 (2014-08-22) – present
External links
Website

BoJack Horseman is an American adult animated comedy-drama series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. The series stars Will Arnett as the title character, BoJack Horseman. The supporting cast includes Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. The series' first season premiered on August 22, 2014, on Netflix, with a Christmas special premiering on December 19. The show is designed by the cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, who had previously worked with Bob-Waksberg on the webcomic Tip Me Over, Pour Me Out.[1]

Despite giving mixed reviews upon its debut, critics were notably more positive towards the second half of the first season, before acclaiming the subsequent seasons; The critical consensus from Rotten Tomatoes is representative of this critical improvement, as the first season was stated to "pale in comparison to similar comedies", while the consensus for season three referred to the show as "one of the funniest and most heartbreaking shows on television."[2][3] The series was renewed for a fourth season, scheduled to premiere in summer 2017.[4]

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally released
1 12 August 22, 2014
Special December 19, 2014
2 12 July 17, 2015
3 12 July 22, 2016

The series takes place mostly in the Los Angeles area, specifically, in Hollywood (later known as "Hollywoo" after the 'D' in the Hollywood Sign was stolen in a romantic gesture). In a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals live side by side, BoJack Horseman, the washed-up star of the 1990s sitcom Horsin' Around, plans his big return to celebrity relevance with a tell-all autobiography that he dictates to 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 frenemy Mr. Peanutbutter, who is also Nguyen's boyfriend. The series satirizes Hollywood, celebrity culture, and the film industry.

Characters

Music

The main title theme was composed by Patrick Carney, one half of the blues-rock duo The Black Keys, while the ending credits theme "Back in the 90s (BoJack's Theme)" was performed by the indie-pop act Grouplove.[5] Jesse Novak composed the incidental music.[6]

In addition, the show featured the Death Grips song "No Love" in the eleventh episode of the first season, and the Rolling Stones song "Wild Horses" and Tegan and Sara's "Closer" in the season finale.

Reception

Critical reception

Season 1

Season Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
1 56% (18 reviews) 59 (13 reviews)
2 100% (17 reviews) 90 (7 reviews)
3 100% (21 reviews) 89 (12 reviews)
Average 85% 79

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the first season has an approval rating of 56%, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It's intermittently funny, but in most respects, BoJack Horseman pales in comparison to similar comedies".[7] On Metacritic, the season received a score of 59 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]

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".[9] At Slate, Willa Paskin 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".[10]

Chris Mitchell from 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".[11] The New York Times described the show as "hilarious and ribald".[12] Margaret Lyons of Vulture gave a positive review, describing it as "radically sad. I love it".[13]

However, the second half of the season 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 it resulted in 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.[14]

Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes the second season holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 17 critics, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "BoJack Horseman truly comes into its own during season two, maturing into an ambitious comedy that sensitively blends wackiness with dark, nuanced drama".[15] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 90 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]

Entertainment Weekly critic Marc Snetiker said, "BoJack has become one of TV's best meta-skewers of Hollywood".

Season 3

Rotten Tomatoes gives the third season an approval rating of 100%, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 9.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Skillfully puncturing the idea of celebrity and our culture's bizarre obsession with it, BoJack Horseman's third season continues its streak as one of the funniest and most heartbreaking shows on television."[17] On Metacritic, the season received a score of 89 out of 100, based on 12 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2016 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Animated Series BoJack Horseman Won
Annie Awards Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production "Brand New Couch" Nominated
Writers Guild of America Award Animation "Hank After Dark" Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "TMOPMO Merch". Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  2. ↑ "BoJack Horseman: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ "BoJack Horseman: Season 2 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ "BoJack Horseman". Twitter. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  5. ↑ Reilly, Dan (August 29, 2014). "The Black Keys' Patrick Carney Wrote the 'BoJack Horseman' Theme Song". Spin. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Jesse Novak to Score Netflix's 'BoJack Horseman'". Film Music Reporter. June 30, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ "BoJack Horseman: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ "BoJack Horseman – Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ Adams, Erik (August 21, 2014). "Netflix's entry into the adult-animation race, BoJack Horseman, stumbles out of the gate". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  10. ↑ Paskin, Willa (August 22, 2014). "The Longest Face". Slate. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  11. ↑ Mitchell, Chris (August 29, 2014). "BoJack Horseman Popzara Review".
  12. ↑ Neil, Genzlinger (August 24, 2014). "A Talking Horse of a Different Color: Blue". Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  13. ↑ "BoJack Horseman's Radically Funny Sadness -- Vulture". Vulture. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ Ben Travers (June 27, 2015). "7 New Netflix Shows to Binge Watch in July 2015 - Indiewire". Indiewire. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  15. ↑ "BoJack Horseman: Season 2 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  16. ↑ "BoJack Horseman – Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  17. ↑ "BoJack Horseman: Season 3 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  18. ↑ BoJack Horseman, retrieved 2016-08-09

External links

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