How BoJack Horseman Became The BEST Netflix Original Series

1. It Strikes The Perfect Balance Between Silly And Serious

BoJack Horseman is an inherently silly series: it's about a talking horse, for starters, who used to be a sitcom star, and it's filled with comedy gold, from insane visual gags to the best TV puns this side of The Good Place.

And yet, at the same time, it's earned a reputation as a sad show. It's an understandable one, but it shouldn't be forgotten just how hilarious BoJack can be when it wants to do comedy. Indeed, as a satirical look at Hollywood, an absurdist cartoon, or a self-referential sitcom, it holds its own as one of the funniest shows on TV.

But then there is that sadness. There aren't many shows that succeed in the kind of emotional storytelling BoJack aims for, which, although told through a horse, is very much an examination of the human condition: of what makes us do bad things, why we keep on doing them, and whether or not we can change for the better. It deals with substance abuse, with loss and grief, and can fill you with existential dread.

It examines the choices we make, and the impact they have on ourselves and those around us, but without simply being nihilistic or bleak. Coming off the back of a Golden Age obsessed with anti-heroes and people breaking bad, there's something refreshing in BoJack's honest look at life, but also in its steadfast belief that things can change. It may destroy you at times, typically in the 11th episode of the season, but it also maintains even the faintest sliver of hope, and it's in how it balances all of those elements together, while taking risks, being incredibly smart, and yet also imperfect and sometimes messy, and has done so for such a long time, that it stands apart from everything else offered by Netflix.

What are your thoughts on BoJack Horseman? Let us know down in the comments.