BoJack Horsemanhas some of the most memorable characters around, andit’s a powerful show that resonated with lots of peopleand made many of their favorites lists. BoJack (Will Arnett) is a strong main character,an imperfect protagonist riddled by trauma; he’s always trying to be better, buthas an addictive personality that prevents him from moving forward, and his acting career isn’t really helping.
Next to him, there’s Diane (Alison Brie), BoJack’s close friend and confidante; Todd (Aaron Paul), BoJack’s perspectiveless roommate; Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins), a childish Golden Retriever actor; and Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), BoJack’s agent and ex-girlfriend.Over six seasons, we learn to love and accept these main characters, but we also meet a lot of cool supporting characters, too. Here are the most underratedBoJack Horsemancharacters who aren’t one of these core five.
10Sextina Aquafina
Voiced by Aisha Tyler (Seasons 1-2), Daniele Gaither (Season 3)
The sassy and confident pop star Sextina Aquafina(Aisha TylerandDaniele Gaither)is one of the most magnetic presencesinBoJack Horseman, even if she’s only a side character that appears sometimes. When Diane starts running Sextina’s Twitter account, she accidentally tweets out as Sextina that she is getting an abortion,which makes Sextina become a new feminist icon. Her tweet apparently helped women who’ve read it feel less alone in their choices, despite Sextina never even being pregnant.
This gives her a boost in popularity, andshe embodies the pop star persona that’s been exposed to the industrysince childhood. Her life is scrutinized all the time, and the tabloids are always waiting for her next (wrong) move, much like plenty of pop stars of the 2000s, 2010s, and even today, experienced. Sextina was voiced by Aisha Tyler in the first two seasons, and by Daniele Gaither in Season 3; she’s seen at Princess Carolyn’s wedding in the finale for the final time.
9Pinky Penguin
Voiced by Patton Oswalt
Pinky Penguin (Patton Oswalt) is a nervous wreck, but he represents a part of the world that’s slowly dying. Pinky is a publicist and owner of Penguin Publishing — a counterpart to real-life’s Penguin Books, no doubt about it — and he’s quite the bookworm. A character in love with the dying medium, like printed books and network television,Pinky somehow always chooses a job that will soon become obsolete. He’s first an owner of a book publishing company, and then switches to television, though he’s not very successful at either.
It’s hard not to cheer for Pinky and his success, sincehe’s always shown as completely distraught and messy. For anyone who wishes to make their family comfortable but somehow constantly gets into the wrong type of business, Pinky is the most relatable character. Voiced by Oswalt, Pinky is one of the most underrated characters inBoJack Horseman, and he appears in several episodes and in every season of the show.Oswalt’s voice actingmakes Pinky even more likable, as he’s able to embody the nervousness and distress of the character perfectly.
8Hollyhock
Voiced by Aparna Nancherla
Hollyhock (Aparna Nancherla) has a very long last name: Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzerelli-McQuack, but we’ll just call her Hollyhock. This is becauseHollyhock lives in a household with eight gay polyamorous fathers, and carries all of their surnames; interestingly, she believes at some point that BoJack is her real father. They bond over this presumption, and Hollyhock enters BoJack’s life with some hope that he will accept her. It turns outHollyhock is BoJack’s half-sister on his father’s side, but she still quickly becomes one of the most vital characters in BoJack’s life.
Hollyhock is sweet, intelligent, and a good person (horse?) overall.She does have similar qualities to BoJack, like being anxious, retreating, and often lazy, but she’s kind of the version of BoJack that he could’ve been if he had grown up in a loving household like her. Hollyhock is voiced by Aparna Nancherla, and her performance suits the nervous but sweet personality of the young girl. Nancherla herself performs her stand-up routines bybringing anxiety to the forefront, asking questions most people who often overthink things do.
7Lenny Turteltaub
Voiced by J. K. Simmons
The oldest agent in Hollywoo, the fictional version of Hollywood inBoJack Horseman, is undoubtedly Lenny Turteltaub (J. K. Simmons). At some point,he mentions meeting Buster Keaton, who began his acting career in the 1910s. Lenny is a turtle, which was a clever choice of the showrunners, since turtles have very long lifespans. This means Lenny has gathered plenty of experience over time, undoubtedly shaping the way he sees Hollywoo, the media and entertainment machine, and his own business priorities.
Lenny is also very cool because of his dry wit and humor, something J. K. Simmons embodied well when he voiced him. Simmons himself often plays characters who are like that — cynical and full of dry humor and retorts, brooding but kind and actually nice when times are tough. Lenny is a businessperson,a hustler who understands how the machine works, and he’s one of the more grounded, cooler side characters inBoJack Horseman.
6Ralph Stilton
Voiced by Raúl Esparza
Ralph Stilton (Raúl Esparza) is Princess Carolyn’s boyfriend in Seasons 3 and 4, and even though they break up, she mentions he’s the first ex-boyfriend she didn’t consider terrible. Indeed,Ralph is mild-mannered, kind, and has a great sense of humor. He’s wealthy and modest, and usually non-confrontational; he’s got a big family, and a big heart, which makes him underrated in theBoJack Horsemanuniverse.
Ralph is one of the few genuinely great characters in the show who hasn’t been molded by trauma, mental health problems, or poor boundaries. He’s voiced by Raúl Esparza, who’s more prominent on Broadway as a constantly brilliant leading man; on TV, he can be seen inHannibalandA Murder at the End of the World. One of his best works is voicing Ralph, andhis soft and smooth tone of voice fits the gentle mouse-man well. Though Princess Carolyn ends up feeling inadequate to Ralph and their relationship comes at a bad time, he remains one of the coolest and most underrated side characters inBoJack Horseman.
5Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz
Voiced by Andre Braugher
The lateAndre Braugherappeared inBoJack Horseman, in case you weren’t aware, and he voiced Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz, the candidate for governor who ran against Mr. Peanutbutter. He appears in Season 4, and is a humanoidwoodchuck who has a knack for politics and is generally a good personwho wishes to help and engage with voters. He’s underrated because of the silly premise that Mr. Peanutbutter runs for governor against him and becomes a more popular candidate despite never being in politics or understanding how it works.
Experienced, quiet, and hardworking politicians like Woodchuck are likely intensely frustrated by all the popular stars getting involved in politics when they don’t know anything about them; Woodchuck embodies that feeling and vibe,being a level-headed stand-up guy who just can’t catch a break. Much like Braugher’s character,Captain Holt, inBrooklyn Nine-Nine, Woodchuck is a bit dry, no-nonsense, and humorless, though he shows some talent for getting people to at least chuckle.
4Ana Spanakopita
Voiced by Angela Bassett
Ana Spanakopita (Angela Bassett) is one of the most memorable side characters of theBoJack Horsemanuniverse, mostly because she’s voiced by Angela Bassett. You can clearly hear theconfidence in her tone of voiceand that magnetic presence Bassett has. This helps shape Spanakopita into a serious contender in the show business world;she’s a publicist, a no-nonsense kind of person, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to turn her clients into award-winning superstars.
As a woman in Hollywoo, Spanakopita understands how to get what she wants…
She drops all of her clients for BoJack, and engages in an interesting power play with him, all while rallying up potential awards for his new role.Spanakopita is nicknamed “The Oscar Whisperer” by Lenny Turteltaub, though Princess Carolyn often refers to her by other food names, since spanakopita is a Greek spinach pie. As a woman in Hollywoo, Spanakopita understands how to get what she wants and that she has to stay confident and ruthless. Despite that, she’s one of the more underrated characters inBoJack Horseman.
3Gina Cazador
Voiced by Stephanie Beatriz
Gina Cazador (Stephanie Beatriz) is a human character and an actor starring alongside BoJack in a new series,Philbert, where she plays his investigative partner and internal affairs detective, Sassy Malone. Gina is pretty chill;she can be a bit sarcastic and dry-humored sometimes, but she’s overall a fun character. Sometimes cynical, too, Gina prefers to keep to herself on set and hang out alone with her headphones in. Gina is effortlessly cool, and an interesting character voiced by Stephanie Beatriz, who has a similar kind of charisma.
Gina and BoJack start a romantic relationship, mirroring the one they have on-screen forPhilbert, but BoJacknearly kills her one dayby choking her while high.Gina develops trauma from that event, becoming colder, brasher, and snappier on set. Despite receiving high praise and finally making it in Hollywoo, after years of trying,Gina’s psyche gets undone by an unfortunate encounterwith the one person she thought she could trust. Because of this, Gina deserves more love and acknowledgment, showing the darker side of BoJack, and a common mental response to a near-death experience.
Voiced by LaKeith Stanfield
Guy (LaKeith Stanfield) appears in the final season ofBoJack Horseman, and is Diane’s newest love interest and eventually her husband.Guy is the best, really, even if he has flaws like any other person. Guy has an ex-wife and a son from that marriage, and he’s wary of introducing his new girlfriends to him. However, when he goes too far with Diane by making her leave out of the bathroom window, so his son doesn’t see her, Diane confronts him about it. Though shaky and flawed at the beginning, Guy ends up marrying Diane,supporting her journey in taking antidepressants, and encouraging her to chase her real dreams and passions.
Despite some viewers cheering for Diane and BoJack, Diane couldn’t have gottena better ending in the series. She deserved to break free from her self-destructive patterns, and she needed a partner who would present them to her without judgment or force. BoJack was always going to just encourage her vices, and her his, and they never would have worked. Guy is a humanoid American bison, big, strong, and laid-back; his emotional and sensitive sides can be seen often. LaKeith Stanfield voices Guy, andhis calm tone of voice suits Guy’s chill personality, for sure.
Voiced by Echo Gillette
Kind, cheerful, intelligent, wise beyond her years, Maude (Echo Gillette) is the adorable humanoid bunny that ends up being Todd’s live-in girlfriend in Season 6. Todd went through a lot in previous seasons, realizing he’s more than likely asexual, which makes it hard for him to find a partner. When Todd develops a dating app for people like him, BoJack, who meets Maude at her workplace, suggests Maude join the app;she does, and she and Todd begin a steady relationship that lasts. The reason Maude is the best and most underrated is because she’s so cool; she’s good, caring, and silly, while being more mature than Todd.
Todd is, generally,a beloved character inBoJack Horseman, and his presence often provides some comic relief. When we begin getting to know him a lot more, we see that he’s a good person, although a bit chaotic; Maude’s appearance helps us get a rounded story about Todd, though she’s not just a filler character created for his purpose.Maude represents the gentler side of the entire series, showing love and relationships can be calm and refreshing without continuously being intense or having twists and turns. Maude gives Todd the necessary steadiness he’s been looking for throughout the series, but she also becomes more open and communicative. A gem of a character, indeed.
BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman was the star of the hit television show “Horsin' Around” in the ’80s and ’90s, but now he’s washed up, living in Hollywood, complaining about everything, and wearing colorful sweaters.
