Back in mid-2020 and early 2021 was the time where everyone was forced to be locked up alone. According to the World Health Organization, because of COVID-19, global levels of depression and anxiety spiked to a massive 25% increase worldwide. Teenagers’ depression rates alone raised about 1.2%. Because of all the time people had during quarantine, a popular activity for many was binge-watching TV shows and movies. It was found to be a great way to waste the countless hours of boredom that the lockdowns had brought to everyone. One of the TV shows I, and many others, have found to be a good way to waste time on, was “Bojack Horseman.” The more episodes I watched, the more I found myself being sucked into the genius writing of the show. “Bojack Horseman” shows the very real truth of common problems like depression, overworking yourself, drug abuse, self-harm, and many other harmful things that are not commonly talked about. The way “Bojack Horseman” portrays the characters not only makes them more relatable but also shows that everyone has problems that can be difficult to overcome. It is so genius because of how relatable it is while still being entertaining and funny. From the characters, to the overall plot, to the episodes, I can pretty confidently say that Bojack Horseman” was in my top five favorite TV shows ever.

One of the main things that made this show so fun to watch was the design of the characters. The show takes place in Hollywood but about half of the people are animals that walk and talk like people. I don’t know why the show is set up this way but nobody really seems to care so I guess that is normal in their universe. I would also like to warn that this contains spoilers. If any readers have not watched the show yet and still want to, this may not be for them. The best part about the characters is how different they are from each other and the unique storyline each person has. The main character Bojack Horseman is, obviously, a horse. Back in the 90s, he was the star of his own sitcom called “Horsin’ Around.” His show ended and now he lives in a mansion in Hollywood with his roommate Todd. Todd is a lovable side character who showed up at Bojack’s house from a house party one night, and never left. He has slept on Bojack’s couch ever since. Because Bojack used to be famous, he decided to have a book written about himself and that is where another character, Diane comes from. Diane is Bojack’s ghost writer for the first few seasons until eventually she publishes the book and becomes one of Bojack’s friends. She ends up marrying one of his enemies though, Mr. Peanutbutter. He is a light and bubbly golden retriever who has copied (and one upped) Bojack’s achievements like getting a TV show and marrying Diane. The last big, notable character is Princess Caroline. She is an acting manager and Bojack is one of her clients. Not only do each of these characters have their own intricate physical designs and stories, they all also have their own problems to get through. I believe that it was intended by the writers to give each character their own personal inferno. Bojack had an awful childhood that still plays into his drug abuse and career issues. Diane develops depression for a few seasons and it affected her entire character arc. Todd is the stereotypical failure of a child; he lives on a couch, has no job, and mooches off of someone else. Princess Caroline gets so focused on her line of work that she doesn’t give any time to herself or her kid that she adopts in season 5. Pretty much every character has an obstacle in their life that is holding them back and that is what's so entertaining about them. It almost feels like each person builds a personal connection to the watcher. This makes the plot of the story much more interesting.

I don’t wanna go too in depth with the entire plot of the show, but I do want to talk a little bit about how well paced “Bojack Horseman” is. It starts by introducing the main character, Bojack Horseman, as an ex-TV star living the dream life in the heart of Hollywood. Bojack is portrayed as some hotshot guy who gets whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. However, it will quickly become apparent that this isn’t exactly true. As the show progresses, it gets easier to tell that Bojack has some major problems in his life like alcoholism and a drug addiction that started as a young adult. As more episodes pass, Bojack becomes aware of his issues and tries to do things to fix himself like talk to his friends, go to therapy, and he even goes to rehab. Right as he starts to get clean and heal he finds himself drawn back into his problems and relapses. Eventually, he accepts his problems and that is where the show ends. I think the reason I liked how the story went so much is because it shows the very complicated reality of an addict. “Bojack Horseman” shows the relationship between an addict and their fixation. I haven’t seen many other shows tell an entire story through an addict’s eyes. The people that aren’t into darker themes don’t have to worry either. There are so many other story lines that have a much more humorous tint to them. Every other character has their own story that plays into Bojack’s life in their own way. The deep underlying root of the show may have a darker meaning, but on the surface, it is just a comedy show about an old TV star trying to bring his career back into the light. A few of the episodes really show the seriousness of deep topics in a more obvious way.

I want to highlight some of the episodes that were my favorite for this reason, and describe what makes their message so good. The first episode is in Season 1 Episode 8 titled “The Telescope.” The beginning takes the setting back into Hollywood in 1980. Bojack Horseman is following in the footsteps of his best friend from his adolescence, Herb Kazzaz. Herb convinces Bojack to become the star actor in a TV show he is directing. Once Bojack gets the part, things are good between him and his friend until the public find out that Herb is a homosexual. This comes with a lot of backlash and eventually Bojack has to decide whether he wants to help his friend and lose his career, or let Herb face losing his job as a director alone. Bojack chose the latter. Years later, after Herb cut off contact with Bojack, he develops cancer and it quickly becomes fatal. Bojack decides it is best to visit his friend while he still can and although the meeting goes well, when he apologizes for not having his back all those years ago. Herb does not accept his apology and this seems to really stick with Bojack. The message behind this episode is that even though apologizing for something that was wrong is a good thing, being forgiven isn't something automatically earned, it's given by choice. The next example is in Season 3, Episode 4 “Fish out of Water.” This episode is set almost entirely underwater which means there are very few words in the entire thing. This means that the creators needed to make an almost completely visual story that people can still understand. The episode is about Bojack attending a film festival in the ocean but he realizes that a baby seahorse has clung to him. The remaining time is spent by Bojack trying to get rid of the baby while simultaneously keeping out of harm's way. What is so special about this episode is that it paints a beautiful picture while using little to no dialog. The use of bright and bold colors and the background music makes the ambiance of the episode almost magical. The final episode I want to mention is Season 4, Episode 2 “The Old Sugarman Place.” In this episode, Bojack goes off the grid to his grandparent’s home in Michigan where he meets another soul hiding from the past. The episode shows frequent flashbacks to Bojack's mother as a child and it shows how bad of a childhood she had. This gives deeper insight into why she is so mean to her own son. Each of these episodes and many more are amazing because of the techniques used to convey messages or uncover more to characters that were once unknown.

There are so many aspects to “Bojack Horseman” that make it such a unique and entertaining show. All of the characters are very well written and designed. The overall plot is amusing while also having connectability to the events that happen throughout. Even down to the individual episodes, the writing and execution of the storyline is perfect. “Bojack Horseman” is a wonderful show with some of the best and most genius writing I've encountered. 2020 was a very difficult year for everyone for one reason or another, but there was always something to light the way. For me and many others, that was “Bojack Horseman.” I just wish there were more seasons coming.