The story
In a Hollywood shared by people and talking animals, BoJack Horseman – a horse who starred in a hit 1990s family sitcom – is drifting through middle age in his hillside mansion. Hungry for relevance, he agrees to a tell-all memoir with ghostwriter Diane Nguyen, while juggling his agent and ex Princess Carolyn, a relentlessly upbeat former rival and a freeloading roommate. Behind the animal puns sits a sharp study of fame, addiction and self-sabotage.
Why it matters
BoJack Horseman showed that a streamer would back adult animation with real emotional weight. It is now widely ranked among the best animated series ever made, is credited with popularising the tragicomic "sadcom", and in 2018 became the first Netflix original syndicated to US cable television.
Notable facts
- A 2018 deal with Comedy Central made it the first Netflix original to be syndicated to cable television in the United States. (source)
- IndieWire named it the best animated series of all time in November 2018. (source)
- Its look comes from cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, a longtime friend of creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg. (source)
- In 2021 the BBC placed it 11th among the 100 greatest TV series of the 21st century, the highest-ranked animated show. (source)