BoJack Horseman isn’t just one of the greatest Netflix original shows of all time, but a foundational piece of modern animation. Set in a fictionalized version of the modern entertainment industry, BoJack Horseman follows the former sitcom star BoJack (Will Arnett), who has coasted off the success of his show Horsin’ Around many years after its cancelation. BoJack hires the writer Diane (Alison Brie) to help him write his autobiography, and begins to fall in love with her; unfortunately, Diane is already engaged to BoJack’s rival Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins).
Unlike other adult animated shows like Family Guy or South Park, BoJack Horseman provided legitimate commentary on the nature of modern Hollywood and dealt with serious issues such as depression, anxiety, and drug abuse. Here are the best episodes of every season of BoJack Horseman.
"BoJack Hates the Troops"
Season 1, Episode 2 (2014)
The first season of BoJack Horseman is hardly bad, but its adolescent sense of humor didn’t indicate the darker direction that the series would eventually head in. That being said, there is some humorous value in seeing a slightly different version of the series that simply places BoJack in various scenarios where his goofy sense of humor ends up causing conflict.
In “BoJack Hates The Troops,” BoJack is drawn into the national debate over respecting veterans when he gets into an argument with Neal McBeal (Patton Oswalt), a Navy SEAL who happens to be an actual seal.
"Escape from L.A."
Season 2, Episode 11 (2015)
BoJack has never been an entirely likable character. He’s a flawed protagonist who is certainly coping with serious issues, but that doesn’t excuse some of his egregious activities throughout the series.
BoJack is at his most unlikable in the episode “Escape from L.A.” After reuniting with his former girlfriend Charlotte (Olivia Wilde), BoJack takes her teenage daughter Penny (Ilana Glazer) to her high school prom after her date rejects her. The evening becomes unexpectedly intimate when BoJack can’t suppress his worst impulses. It indicated that BoJack’s road to recovery would be more difficult than the series had initially indicated.
"Fish Out of Water”
Season 3, Episode 4 (2016)
While the second season of BoJack Horseman had proven that the series’ writing had improved, it wasn’t until its third season that the show ventured into truly inventive visuals. “Fish Out of Water” isn’t formatted like a traditional installment in the series; it follows BoJack in a dialogue-free journey to an underwater film festival where he’s unable to communicate with any of the local residents.
“Fish Out of Water” allowed the series to be more subtle in its analysis of BoJack’s psychology. As BoJack observes the various inhabitants of the ocean, he reflects on the different lives that he could have lived if he had chosen not to be an actor.
"Time's Arrow"
Season 4, Episode 11 (2017)
“Time’s Arrow” explored the backstory of BoJack’s mother, Beatrice Elizabeth (Wendie Malick), whose background had been shrouded in mystery since the beginning of the series. While Beatrice’s constant calls to her son usually served as nothing more than an annoyance in BoJack’s life, “Time’s Arrow” reveals that as a young girl, Beatrice’s father (Matthew Broderick) forced her to leave behind her true love, Butterscotch.
The episode features a non-linear structure to convey Beatrice’s battle with dementia. As a result, Beatrice’s behavior in the earlier episodes of the series is more understandable.
"Free Churro"
Season 5, Episode 6 (2018)
If “Time’s Arrow” featured a nonlinear structure that kept viewers on the edge of their seats, the fifth season’s Beatrice-centric episode “Free Churro” confronted them with a stark version of reality. In the aftermath of his mother’s death, BoJack is forced to give an impromptu speech at her funeral and wrestles with his feelings in real-time. It’s among the show’s most emotionally draining installments.
The episode is singularly focused on BoJack, and his level-headed response to the loss of the woman who raised him shows how much he has grown since the beginning of the series. BoJack’s fear, anger, confusion, frustration, and heartbreak felt very realistic, even if the episode ends with a clever twist revealing that he had attended the wrong funeral.
"The View From Halfway Down"
Season 6, Episode 15 (2020)
Crafting a perfect finale for BoJack Horseman was no easy task for the show’s writers, and in many ways, the penultimate episode “The View From Halfway Down” served as a better wrap-up for the series than the actual final episode, “Nice While It Lasted.” While the finale suggested that BoJack had learned and bettered himself, the penultimate installment didn’t confirm his fate. It was left ambiguous whether BoJack's latest overdose had sent him headed toward an early grave.
“The View From Halfway Down” utilizes a similar nonlinear structure as “Time’s Arrow,” but this time it's from BoJacks’ perspective. Unaware of whether he’s dreaming or in the afterlife, BoJack is able to communicate with various figures from his past whose ghostly essences come to haunt him. The episode eventually reveals that BoJack is in limbo through a conversation he has with Diane, with a heart rate monitor leaving the audience guessing what his fate might be.