BoJack Horseman premiered in 2014 with a star-studded cast of Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, Aaron Paul, and Amy Sedaris. The show was as refreshing as it was dark, often providing nuanced views of complex issues like addiction, mental health, friendships, love, death, and more. While it still maintained its comedic edge, the show often left an after taste of despair, a denial of a happy ending. Ends of seasons often find BoJack messing everything up while people he loves get hurt.
Part of the show's allure was how well it represented real-life issues through an animated medium. With a show as funny and complex as BoJack Horseman, it's worth looking at the issues the show deals with and, more importantly, how it deals with them.
Loneliness
Loneliness is a general theme that affects most of the characters in BoJack. BoJack is the most prominent, but it also affects Diane, Princess Carolyn, Todd, and others. The show treats loneliness in different ways in all these characters to give loneliness a diverse representation. Princess Carolyn finds she is lonely because she is a workaholic; Diane finds herself constantly misunderstood by her husband Mr. Peanutbutter, Princess Carolyn, and eventually herself leading to a later diagnosis of anxiety and depression.
BoJack's loneliness is in some ways what drives the show: his inability to maintain healthy relationships and his general victim-attitude always leave him alone, reflecting on his poor behavior. The show's framing reflects a burden of loneliness for BoJack. Its premise centers on a washed-up actor who wants for nothing and yet cannot find fulfillment or friends.
Addiction
In season 6 episode one "A Horse Walks Into Rehab," the show finally deals with BoJack's addiction problems. Throughout the series, his dependence on drugs and alcohol gets him into serious trouble. While some of his inebriated antics provide hilarious anecdotes, it also causes Sara Lynn (Kristen Schaal) to die from a drug overdose.
BoJack's experience in rehab, and his efforts to stay sober, are portrayed in the first half of season 6. BoJack has to face the traumas of his past, but he also gets to empathize with people in the present; the show allows a glimpse into the life of a young teen addict, Jameson H. (Kiersey Clemons). BoJack sees how his own past has affected his drug use by seeing how Jameson's present has damaged her.
Divorce
Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane's divorce is a good look at intimacy and relationships. Though a seemingly odd couple at the beginning of the show, they have a sweet and productive relationship: Diane's sardonic intellect is balanced by Mr. Peanutbutter's blithe attitude.
But as the show continues, they can't seem to make it work. The show deals with divorce by offering the space to show how the two try to make it work. The finally divorce in season 5 but in the last season, they share a loving moment while Diane is in Chicago and Mr. Peanutbutter is in 'Hollywoo.' They realize how much they have grown, they contemplate rekindling their relationship and emphasize that their divorce is part of what has made them better people. The show wants to make clear that divorce is not always acrimonious.
Death
Death is always present in BoJack Horseman. Sometimes, it's for comedy, with multiple suicide attempts by Penguin Publishing employees. Other times its tragic and long-lasting, like the death of Sara Lynn. Though, one of the greatest episodes that deal with death is Season 5 Episode 6, BoJack's mother's funeral, titled "Free Churro." The whole episode is a eulogy, given by BoJack, that chronicles his abusive childhood, his father's death, and his career on TV.
The audience becomes the mourners as BoJack directly addresses us throughout the episode. As he remembers his mother, the audience is invited to remember deaths from their own lives. Specifically, BoJack shows how death affects us in life: its emptiness, its ambivalence, and, at times, its comedy. In the end, the writers can't help but end on a joke, as BoJack realizes he gave a 20-minute speech at the wrong funeral.
#MeToo
In season 5, BoJack dates Gina Cazador (Stephanie Beatriz) after they do a series together called Philbert. While high on opiates, Boijack violently chokes her in front of the entire set. The show is especially keen to highlight how violence can resurface and how it affects livelihoods. Gina doesn't want to be remembered as the "girl who got choked by BoJack Horseman" in the public eye. Gina's concern represents the real fear about career, image, and safety when going public with stories of violence.
Meanwhile, as BoJack's attack resurfaces and affects her acting, the show shows how inner working relationships suffer, and the potential harm to victims. Gina's behavior on a new movie causes people to think she is "crazy" to work with, a bad sign in the industry as directors Justin Kenyon and Kelsey Jannings discuss her viability.
Depression
BoJack Horseman had an experimental phase in season 3 when animation sometimes took over the narrative. This included episodes like "Fish Out of Water," an episode with a surreal underwater adventure. The purpose of these experimental episodes is to represent various themes and issues throughout the show.
One example is Diane's depression. After she stops taking her medicine, the show exemplifies her spiraling self-destructive thoughts. Her character changes into a crude, constantly shifting pencil drawing showing her instability. It's a powerful portrayal of experiencing symptoms of depression.
Discrimination
One of BoJack's greatest sins that haunts him throughout the show is his guilt over his friend, Herb Kazzaz (Stanely Tucci), who paved the path for his stardom. Herb and BoJack came up in L.A. together doing stand up comedy while Herb tried to write and BoJack act. When Herb sold the show Horsin' Around he provided the lead role for BoJack.
When the network found out Herb was gay, they effectively fired him. Instead of following his friend in an act of solidarity, BoJack claimed he stayed to protect his fans. His lack of courage haunts him until the end of the show for not helping Herb.
Anxiety
Mental health is a general theme in BoJack Horseman and is part of the deep friendship between BoJack and Diane: the two first meet at BoJack's party where she admits feeling anxious.
Anxiety often mingles with BoJack and Diane's depression. They have spiraling negative thoughts that continue to tell them they are worthless, ugly, fat, and a failure, among others. The damage of these thoughts weighs on the characters, causing both Diane and BoJack to break down in various moments throughout the show. In addition to their breakdowns, they each reach of comforts in the wake of anxiety. BoJack binge eats and drinks, Diane smokes, each method is a way their characters cope with anxiety.
Single Parenting
In Season 6 episode 2 "The New Client," Princess Carolyn gets an episode all her own where the balance between working full time and taking care of her new baby, Ruthie, weighs on her. The episode's plot follows her feature in a story on women in Hollywoo(d) who can "do it all."
The episode shows just how hard it is to do it all. The effect of multiple Princess Carolyns filled by moody purples and blues in her office doing various maternal and clerical tasks shows just how much effort it takes to "have it all," portraying a real struggle of working single parents.
Sexuality
Beyond Herb getting fired for being gay, BoJack Horseman is one of the first shows, or certainly one of the first animated shows, to dive deeply into representing asexual characters. In season 4 episode 3, Todd officially comes out as asexual. Throughout his character development, he struggles with his feelings, dates around, and eventually finds a partner in Maude (Echo Gillette).
Their enjoyment of each other is a portrayal of a relationship without sex that isn't obsessed with the fact that they don't have sex. In an episode where Todd and Ruthie stumble into a Marshmallow Test, Todd calls Maude to ask if he should take the marshmallow now or wait the 15 minutes. Their agreement to steal the marshmallow shows their successful chemistry.