BoJack Horseman: Gob Bluth is a Horse?!

Will Arnett and that horse merge to form BoJack Horseman.
"Got a way with words, don't I?" - Merle Dixon, The Walking Dead S03E04

In the last week, nothing of interest started (I opted out of Gotham) or ended. Nothing incredibly significant happened in any of my current shows that was worth blogging about either. So, because of the lack of... stuff happening, I decided to blog about a new Netflix series I finished recently titled BoJack Horseman.

Personally, I've never been 100% sold on the Netflix original shows. I watched House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, but as enjoyable as they were, I found them to be below the quality of HBO, AMC, and FX. As much fun as Kevin Spacey is on Cards, the writing was just less good than its counterparts. So, going into BoJack, I expected good, but not great. Were my expectations met? Exceeded? The answer is yes to both... kinda.
As a comedy, BoJack is funny, but not hilarious. The show is set in a world much like our own, only with animals being able to talk and function as humans would. In fact, the main character, voiced by Will Arnett is a horse. However, his roommate, voiced by Aaron Paul is a human. This dynamic makes for some pretty funny comedy. After watching four seasons of Wilfred, I became fairly adjusted to animal humor and BoJack was about the same thing. A waitress who happened to be a cow grumbles at customers ordering beef, a member of the navy happens to actually be a seal, and a whale is a reporter. That one isn't a joke, there just happened to be a whale reporter.
Anyway, this animal humor, as well as Arrested Development type quickness make up the majority of the humor. Though it's funny, it is not hilarious. The comedy cannot carry the show. That's when the characters step in.
What makes BoJack Horseman good (and occasionally great) is the characters. Unlike most comedies, this show focuses on plot and development. The main character, a washed up celebrity who goes by the name of the show is a drunkard, a womanizer, and an ass (not a donkey... because that could happen in this show). He has money, but no one to spend it on. He's a dick to his roommate Todd, his agent/girlfriend Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), and his autobiography ghost writer Diane (Alison Brie). However, as he begins to help Diane write his autobiography, BoJack falls in love with her, causing him to change who he is. Since Diane is a New York intellectual type who values monogamy, care for others, and not drinking to excess, BoJack has some real changing to do. There's one twist though. Diane is dating BoJack's rival: another celebrity from the 90's: Mr. Peanutbutter. Throughout the first season, BoJack battles his demons, plays Mr. Peanutbutter in a game of hearts, and attempts to change himself. Of course, with the wacky cast of characters paired with the fact that BoJack is very resistant to change, the road to change is a long and difficult one. This makes for some compelling plot while delivering enough comedy in each episode to keep us entertained.

So, to go back to my preamble, is BoJack Horseman actually worth watching? Is it better than the other Netflix shows or about the same? Is the character of BoJack just Gob Bluth as a horse? To the first question, the answer is a definite yes. While it lags a bit in the middle of the season, for being only 25 minutes per episode, BoJack is most definitely worth the time the first season takes to complete. Especially with the Netflix format, BoJack Horseman is an easy weekend turbo-watch. To the second question, the answer is... maybe. BoJack certainly had flashes of brilliance in the first season. While it had less plot-holes than House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, it couldn't quite compare to the entertainment value of Cards, though it was definitely on par with Orange. That being said, we will have to wait and see season two of BoJack to make a true judgement. As it stands, it is about on the level with its Netflix counterparts, but with some sharpening up, BoJack could be their best fully original show to date. And to the third question... yes. Totally. Basically a horse version of Gob without the genius of Mitch Hurwitz to drive the character.

So, if you have a free weekend, why not give it a go? BoJack is a show worth your time, especially if you don't want to be ultra-committed to something. Much as I would recommend Breaking Bad, it's still nearly sixty hours long. That's a fucking commitment. That's basically a Kardashian wedding! BoJack on the other hand is twelve short episodes. It's about as long as Breaking Bad's first five episodes. How much easier does that sound?! If you have some time this weekend or the next, sit down, relax, and watch Will Arnett be a horse.

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