Is BoJack Horseman the saddest comedy show ever? :-: the Guardian
The guardian BoJack Horseman, about a celebrity talking horse with suspected depression, is sharp, s..
The guardian
BoJack Horseman, about a celebrity talking horse with suspected depression, is sharp, subversive and represents a sea change in comedy – the rise of the sadcom
What if Penguin publishing was actually run by penguins? Is your boyfriend three children in a trench coat? Is there such a thing as being good deep down, or is everyone a bad person? BoJack Horseman, the animated comedy about a celebrity talking horse, is so much more than an animated comedy about a celebrity talking horse. It is, at once, the silly story of a washed-up sitcom star with a pink cat for an agent, and a complex portrayal of despair and self-loathing. For all its jokes – and there are many – it is one of the most subversively sad shows on TV, and represents a sea change in comedy: the dawning of the age of the sadcom.
Will Arnett stars as the titular horse, whose feel-good sitcom Horsin’ Around made him famous in the 90s. Fast-forward 20 years and he is an alcoholic has-been who has collapsed into a black hole of depression, narcissism, pettiness and spite. While the first series followed BoJack’s comeback from obscurity, powered by One Trick Pony, a tell-all memoir aimed at making him relevant again – at the cost of seeing who he really is – series two pivots around the idea of reinvention, and whether it is truly possible. In season three, which airs on Netflix this Friday, he is now in line for an Oscar nomination but the struggle for meaning continues.