10 Greatest Original TV Heroes Of The Last Decade
2. Bojack Horseman: Bojack Horseman (2014-2020)
For the last 6 years BoJack Horseman has been quietly getting on with solidifying its reputation as one of the best shows of the past decade. Not only one of the best animated shows, but one of the best shows period.
Probably the most consistent TV offering streaming giant Netflix has ever made, the bizarre premise meant Bojack inevitably started firmly in the category of ‘cult favourite.’ I mean, a washed up horse trying to overcome his struggles with alcoholism and depression in order to relaunch a stagnant career in ‘Hollywood’ sounds like prime 3am adult swim material, destined to be loved by the few and totally overlooked by the many. But great scripting, solid direction and unwavering originality will always out and as the second half of the final season gets ready to drop on Netflix, they are primed to say goodbye to one of the most beloved properties of the small screen.
Bojack brings together composite elements of every great character on this list: Someone who is flawed, relatable, comic and tragic in equal measure and developing as a character in the ‘one step forward, two steps back’ mould. A masterful co-creation of Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s transcendent animation style that has been favourably likened to Neon Genesis Evangelion, along side Will Arnett’s brilliant vocal stylings; Bojack brings something new to its anthropomorphised universe with every unique and lovingly crafted episode.
Arnett’s turns in seminal comedy Arrested Development and underrated laugh-a-thon LEGO Batman have shown his comedic range, but in Bojack you see his ability to step out from the shadow of comedic caricature and into a fully-rounded performance.
Picking up the series at any point in its lineage, Bojack guides you into the depths of his world, getting you laughing frequently enough to miss the fact that, within just a few minutes of screen time, you’ve become unwittingly and totally emotionally invested in the stakes of his character arc.
He doesn’t shy away from serious self-reflection, in the way a more nihilistic vehicle like Rick and Morty can never quite commit to. When he asks Diane in the first season “Do you think I’m a good person?”, this isn’t a flippant set up for a throw away one-liner, but rather an invitation for the audience to ask that question both of BoJack and of themselves.
Life is complicated, things don’t always work and we can all be at the behest of our worst addictive impulses sometimes. This is a universal truth everyone can understand and the key thesis of BoJack. Pretty deep for a talking horse, huh? We’ve come a long way since Mr Ed.