The legacy of BoJack Horseman

In rejecting self-help platitudes, BoJack offered viewers a mature vision of growth

Bojack Horseman.
(Image credit: Netflix)

Since BoJack Horseman's debut in 2014, the series has garnered tremendous critical accolades, a thriving fan base, and a reputation for being, well, excruciatingly sad. In the world of BoJack, each colorful character, whether human or animal, is constantly wrestling with their inner demons, as well as the self-absorbed and vapid culture of Hollywood. Unlike the imaginary '90s sitcom Horsin' Around that first made BoJack famous, the series insists that growth isn't something that can happen in a single 30-minute episode. Real change takes time.

This message permeates many of the most moving and memorable moments of the entire series of BoJack Horseman, the final episodes of which debut Friday. In one of my favorite scenes, we watch as BoJack struggles at the end of season two to continue with his running routine, cursing and complaining the whole way, until eventually he collapses to the ground out of sheer exhaustion. When he comes to, he sees a fellow runner, a baboon that viewers have seen outpacing BoJack every day, standing over him, "It gets easier," he tells BoJack, "Every day, it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day. That's the hard part. But it does get easier."

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Arielle Bernstein

Arielle Bernstein is a writer and cultural critic. Her work has been featured in The Atlantic, The Guardian, AV Club, and Salon, among other publications. She is a professorial lecturer at American University in Washington, D.C.