These days, viewers aren't short when it comes to animation featuring anthropomorphic characters aimed at adults. It's a crowded field, and I have to confess that when BoJack Horseman originally came out it washed over me completely. It's come highly recommended, however, and I've decided to give it a go.
Based on this first episode, I'm not too impressed. Will Arnett stars as BoJack, a washed-up former sitcom star who spends his days drinking away his sorrows and avoiding putting pen to paper on an autobiography. He's surrounded by Todd, a house guest who's become an involuntary roommate; Princess Carolyn, his spiky former girlfriend and current agent; Mr Peanutbutter, a sitcom rival from the 1980s; and Diane Nguyen, the ghostwriter who's hired by his publishing house to write his memoirs for him before they go bankrupt. It's a promising set-up, and the show seems to position itself as a satire on fame and trying to regain it in Hollywood. There are several swipes at the vapid culture that surrounds the film and television industry, but they either fail to land properly or are so obvious that they do little in the way of provoking a reaction. Most, if not all viewers will know that Hollywood is a place that's deeply superficial and filled with social climbers and feelings of alienation. There are other, better works that explore the shallow nature of the west coast of America.
What's got far more potential is the exploration of BoJack's character, his internal contradictions and the way he relates to those around him. There is some promise here: rather than being presented as a wholly self-absorbed dullard, BoJack is shown to have some insight into his own character which makes things a little more refreshing than they would be otherwise. His loneliness is contrasted with his total inability to connect with anyone other than his past self, and there are some great lines exploring this; I particularly liked his interjection that his fascination with an old picture of himself was more to do with what 'it represents'. So there is an intelligence to the writing here at times, and I'm hoping this will develop over time to explore and deepen these characters rather than simply try to push weak satire about Hollywood and its stars of yesteryear. The cast are all game, and do a good job of making their characters memorable; Will Arnett's gruff voice and asides make for a good match with an anthropomorphic horse, Aaron Paul is laid-back and reasonable as Todd which makes a nice change from other roles he's had in the past. Amy Sedaris brings a knowing exasperation to Princess Carolyn and Paul F Tompkins gives Mr Peanutbutter exactly the kind of personality I'd want to see him have to rub BoJack up the wrong way. Finally, Alison Brie gives Diane a down-to-earth, easy-going Millennial quality that I liked, and I'm interested to see more of the interplay between her, Mr Peanutbutter and BoJack.
At the moment, there isn't much that I feel distinguishes BoJack Horseman from its many contemporaries. The potential is there, and I'm very much hoping that the show grows into its premise and takes the opportunity to make itself a character study rather than simply a satire with cutaways (I'm always apprehensive about these lest a show sink into sub-Family Guy misery).
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2017-08-19T19:00:35Z
These days, viewers aren't short when it comes to animation featuring anthropomorphic characters aimed at adults. It's a crowded field, and I have to confess that when BoJack Horseman originally came out it washed over me completely. It's come highly recommended, however, and I've decided to give it a go.
Based on this first episode, I'm not too impressed. Will Arnett stars as BoJack, a washed-up former sitcom star who spends his days drinking away his sorrows and avoiding putting pen to paper on an autobiography. He's surrounded by Todd, a house guest who's become an involuntary roommate; Princess Carolyn, his spiky former girlfriend and current agent; Mr Peanutbutter, a sitcom rival from the 1980s; and Diane Nguyen, the ghostwriter who's hired by his publishing house to write his memoirs for him before they go bankrupt. It's a promising set-up, and the show seems to position itself as a satire on fame and trying to regain it in Hollywood. There are several swipes at the vapid culture that surrounds the film and television industry, but they either fail to land properly or are so obvious that they do little in the way of provoking a reaction. Most, if not all viewers will know that Hollywood is a place that's deeply superficial and filled with social climbers and feelings of alienation. There are other, better works that explore the shallow nature of the west coast of America.
What's got far more potential is the exploration of BoJack's character, his internal contradictions and the way he relates to those around him. There is some promise here: rather than being presented as a wholly self-absorbed dullard, BoJack is shown to have some insight into his own character which makes things a little more refreshing than they would be otherwise. His loneliness is contrasted with his total inability to connect with anyone other than his past self, and there are some great lines exploring this; I particularly liked his interjection that his fascination with an old picture of himself was more to do with what 'it represents'. So there is an intelligence to the writing here at times, and I'm hoping this will develop over time to explore and deepen these characters rather than simply try to push weak satire about Hollywood and its stars of yesteryear. The cast are all game, and do a good job of making their characters memorable; Will Arnett's gruff voice and asides make for a good match with an anthropomorphic horse, Aaron Paul is laid-back and reasonable as Todd which makes a nice change from other roles he's had in the past. Amy Sedaris brings a knowing exasperation to Princess Carolyn and Paul F Tompkins gives Mr Peanutbutter exactly the kind of personality I'd want to see him have to rub BoJack up the wrong way. Finally, Alison Brie gives Diane a down-to-earth, easy-going Millennial quality that I liked, and I'm interested to see more of the interplay between her, Mr Peanutbutter and BoJack.
At the moment, there isn't much that I feel distinguishes BoJack Horseman from its many contemporaries. The potential is there, and I'm very much hoping that the show grows into its premise and takes the opportunity to make itself a character study rather than simply a satire with cutaways (I'm always apprehensive about these lest a show sink into sub-Family Guy misery).