Bojack Horseman, byfarthe most emotionally devastating show of all time that also features a talking whale named Tom Jumbo-Grumbo, has officially been renewed at Netflix for a sixth season. ConsideringRed Dead Redemption2justbrought in massive numbers, this is quite the joyous day for harrowing, stressful tales about horses.
SinceRaphael Bob-Waksberg’s adult-skewing animated comedy first premiered on the streaming service in 2014, it has grown into of the smartest, most cutting portrayals of depression and fame on TV, while also somehow managing to be just really, really freaking funny. Each episode balances countless background gags—a restaurant named “I Pita the Ful” is a personal favorite—with breathtaking moments of too-real revelations. In his five-star review of the latest season, our own Dave Trumbore named the series—which I must stress starsPaul F. Tompkinsas a yellow lab named Mr. Peanutbutter—as “one of TV’s best dramas.”
Bojack stars Will Arnett as the titular talking horse, a washed-up sitcom actor navigating mental illness, self-loathing, and a Hollywood comeback alongside internet blogging friend Diane Nguyen (Alison Brie), feline agent Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), and asexual deadbeat roommate Todd Chavez (Aaron Paul). After the series' relatively straightforward first season,Bojackhas proved it can get weird with it and experiment with the form and tone that animation provides. The completely dialogue-free underwater episode in season three, “Fish Out of Water”, is a masterpiece, but season five also featured a character-swapping flashback episode (“INT. SUB”) and an episode that consisted solely of a half-hour eulogy (“Free Churro”).
The show’s renewal marks another step on Netflix’s low-key commitment to R-rated animated comedies. Even as the streaming service’s Marvel series likeLuke CageandIron Fistget Thanos-snapped from existence, shows like the puberty sagaBig Mouthpremiered to its critically-acclaimed second season andMatt Groening’s crude fantasyDisenchantmentearned a two-season pickup.
