Sad Horse Show
This article contains spoilers for the Netflix series Bojack Horseman
This January, Netflix finished the final season for one of their biggest original shows, Bojack Horseman. The show first aired in 2014, and ran for six seasons.
has-been actor Bojack Horseman lives his life as a millionaire after his debut in the nineties, when he starred in the sitcom Horsin’ Around. The show is very long, and there are many details that could turn this article into a lengthy essay, but not too much information is needed to argue that this is the most impacting and well made animated show of the past decade.
After his show ended and Horseman became a heavy alcoholic sometime between then and 2014, this series follows the semi-famous celebrity’s life; dealing with relationships, scoring new acting jobs, taking many bad decisions, and ultimately deciding to drink all those problems away. At first, this will come off as a typical Hollywood parody, but after season one ends and everything takes a dark turn, the audience is left with a depressed horse struggling with depression, anxiety, and alcoholism, all in the restless Los Angeles environment.
Bojack Horseman does an incredible job showcasing what one can feel like when going through depression, and how hard it can be not only for the individual but for the people around them.
The show goes even deeper when seasons five and six start - Mr. Horseman, now sober, exits rehab with unpleasant memories. His own home is too much for him, as entering only triggers thoughts of how he used to be. Horrified about his past, he decides to move and start a life as a college professor in connecticut.
His previous crimes begin to catch up to him once the media exposes his past. Struggling to stay sober, he’s put into jail for fourteen months after breaking and entering while drunk. Although the show ends with him imprisoned, I’d consider this one of the happiest endings in all of television, considering the growth that came from several protagonists. After finishing the show, it was evident that the creators of the show had given us a challenge: getting us to like Bojack.
This is where the show shines brightest - Sticking by this sad washed-up actor’s side throughout the entire show, seeing him do terrible things, struggle through mental illness, get away with crimes, and push everyone who cares for him away. At some point, however, a person who grows up, rises above his troubled past, and is able to walk the path of redemption as he begins to rebuild his life.