BoJack Horseman (season 1)
| BoJack Horseman (season 1) | |
|---|---|
 Season 1 promotional poster | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Original release | August 22, 2014 |
The first season of the animated television series BoJack Horseman premiered exclusively via Netflix's web streaming service on August 22, 2014.[1] The season consists of 12 episodes.[2]
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported 56% favorable reviews based on 18 critics, with the site's critical consensus reading, "It's intermittently funny, but in most respects, BoJack Horseman pales in comparison to similar comedies". On Metacritic, the season received a rating of 59 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "BoJack Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Story, Chapter One" | Joel Moser | Raphael Bob-Waksberg | August 22, 2014 |
| Bojack is a 52 year old former sitcom star trying to write a memoir. After his publisher insists he hire a ghostwriter, he contacts Diane Nguyen. Meanwhile, his relationship with his agent, Princess Carolyn, ends, and his freeloading roommate, Todd, convinces him to throw a party to settle his own debts. At the party, Bojack meets Diane, who is also the girlfriend of his former sitcom rival Mr. Peanutbutter. | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "BoJack Hates the Troops" | JC Gonzalez | Raphael Bob-Waksberg | August 22, 2014 |
| BoJack finds himself the subject of national media attention after an altercation with a Navy SEAL at a supermarket. | |||||
| 3 | 3 | "Prickly-Muffin" | Martin Cendreda | Raphael Bob-Waksberg | August 22, 2014 |
| BoJack reconnects with his troubled former co-star Sarah-Lynn, who moves into his house and creates pandemonium. | |||||
| 4 | 4 | "Zoës and Zeldas" | Amy Winfrey | Peter A. Knight | August 22, 2014 |
|
BoJack decides to mentor Todd when he makes plans for a rock opera. Diane's ex-boyfriend Wayne writes an article about Mr. Peanutbutter. Guest starring: Margo Martindale as Herself | |||||
| 5 | 5 | "Live Fast, Diane Nguyen" | Joel Moser | Caroline Williams | August 22, 2014 |
|
BoJack accompanies Diane to Boston when she returns home for her father's funeral, and he befriends Diane's mom, her three brothers, and the adoptive brother who is the "black sheep of the family". Meanwhile, Todd and Princess Carolyn monopolize on a scam when people mistakenly believe Bojack's home is the home of David Boreanaz, which gets quickly out of hand. Guest starring: Ira Glass as Diane's ringtone | |||||
| 6 | 6 | "Our A-Story is a "D" Story" | JC Gonzalez | Scott Marder | August 22, 2014 |
|
Upon returning from Boston, a drunken BoJack steals the "D" from the Hollywood sign in an attempt to impress Diane. Now, BoJack and Mr. Peanutbutter must find a way to get the D back to the Hollywood sign. Following the David Boreanaz scam, Todd is in prison where he is invited to join two prison gangs: the Aryans and the Latin Kings. Guest starring: Yvette Nicole Brown as Beyoncé, Chris Parnell as Aryans Gang Member, Horatio Sanz as Latin Kings Leader. | |||||
| 7 | 7 | "Say Anything" | Martin Cendreda | Joe Lawson | August 22, 2014 |
| BoJack sabotages himself with an epic bender. Meanwhile, Princess Carolyn experiences a day of personal and professional failure after the Vigor Agency merges with the agency FME, which is led by her former rival Vanessa Gekko. At the same time, she realizes she has sacrificed many of her dreams while pursuing BoJack, who is unattainable: a realization she comes to on her 40th birthday. | |||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Telescope" | Amy Winfrey | Mehar Sethi | August 22, 2014 |
| When he learns that Herb Kazzaz is dying from terminal rectal cancer, BoJack tries to mend fences while Diane accompanies him. Meanwhile, Todd meets two masked girls who try to carjack him. BoJack tries to apologize to Herb for betraying him twenty years ago, but Herb refuses to forgive him and angrily throws him out. Later, a distraught BoJack unexpectedly kisses Diane, putting a strain on their friendship. | |||||
| 9 | 9 | "Horse Majeure" | Joel Moser | Peter A. Knight | August 22, 2014 |
| A lovestruck BoJack tries to sabotage the wedding of Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter. Meanwhile, Todd accepts a surprising new professional role as a driver for Mr. Peanutbutter, who loses his driver's license following an incident with the mailman. | |||||
| 10 | 10 | "One Trick Pony" | JC Gonzalez | Laura Gutin Peterson | August 22, 2014 |
|
BoJack shoots a movie at Mr. Peanutbutter's house called "Mr. Peanutbutter's Hollywoo Heist" (a movie adaption of the incident in "Our A-Story is a "D" Story"), which is directed by Quentin Tarantulino, as Todd comes up with ideas to improve the movie. Diane finishes her book and sends the prototype copy to Pinky Pinkerton. BoJack reads the prototype and is angered by what Diane has written, and forbids her to send it out. After she shares a teaser of the book on BuzzFeed as a preview, BoJack fires her. Guest starring: Wallace Shawn as Himself, Naomi Watts as Herself | |||||
| 11 | 11 | "Downer Ending" | Amy Winfrey | Kate Purdy | August 22, 2014 |
|
Despite a positive response to his memoir's excerpts, BoJack insults Diane and the work that she's done for the book. Later, he, Sarah-Lynn and Todd go on a drug-infused frenzy in an attempt to rewrite his memoir. BoJack hallucinates a life with his former friend Charlotte, in which they have a daughter and live happily into old age. At a Ghostwriter convention, BoJack gives a heartfelt apology to Diane and give his blessing to publish her copy of his book. Guest starring: Ken Jeong as Dr Hu | |||||
| 12 | 12 | "Later" | Martin Cendreda | Raphael Bob-Waksberg | August 22, 2014 |
|
Three months after his memoir is released, BoJack is being considered for a role that is his lifelong dream. BoJack discovers that while the book may have resurrected his career, it also might have ended all of his personal relationships. Meanwhile, Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter make plans for different businesses. Guest starring: John Krasinski as Secretariat | |||||
Reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported 56% favorable reviews based on 18 critics, with the site's critical consensus reading, "It's intermittently funny, but in most respects, BoJack Horseman pales in comparison to similar comedies".[3] On Metacritic, the season received a rating of 59 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[4]
Erik Adams' review of the first six episodes gave the series a C+ grade; in the review, Adams wrote that the show "spoofs the emptiness of celebrity, but does so without any novelty or true insight".[5] At Slate, Willa Paskin was more enthused. "[It] is perhaps a little more clever than it is uproariously funny, but it is often very clever, and, moreover, well-tuned to the ludicrousness of the sort of low-level fame that surrounds BoJack". She likened it to 30 Rock in its ability to "[present] big ideas without having to commit to them".[6]
Chris Mitchell from Popzara was equally optimistic about the show's future, saying that "Fans of FX's Archer or Fox's Bob's Burgers will definitely want to check this one out, as its rapid-fire delivery is always consciously spot-on".[7] The New York Times described the show as "hilarious and ribald".[8] Margaret Lyons of Vulture gave a positive review, describing it as "radically sad. I love it".[9]
However, the second half of the season received much more positive reviews. Ben Travers of Indiewire believed one possible reason for mixed reviews of the show was critics reviewing only the first half of the season, with the second half changing drastically in tone and developing a darker and deeper meaning. This change was so drastic it resulted in Indiewire changing its policy to only review entire seasons of shows on Netflix, instead of just the first six episodes, which would have boosted BoJack Horseman's C+ grade.[10]
References
- ↑ "Netflix teases 'BoJack Horseman' animated series". CNET. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "'BoJack Horseman' gallops onto Netflix". USA Today. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "BoJack Horseman: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
- ↑ "BoJack Horseman – Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
- ↑ Adams, Erik (August 21, 2014). "Netflix's entry into the adult-animation race, BoJack Horseman, stumbles out of the gate". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ↑ Paskin, Willa (August 22, 2014). "The Longest Face". Slate. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
- ↑ Mitchell, Chris (August 29, 2014). "BoJack Horseman Popzara Review".
- ↑ Neil, Genzlinger (August 24, 2014). "A Talking Horse of a Different Color: Blue". Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ↑ "BoJack Horseman's Radically Funny Sadness -- Vulture". Vulture. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ↑ Ben Travers (June 27, 2015). "7 New Netflix Shows to Binge Watch in July 2015 - Indiewire". Indiewire. Retrieved January 16, 2016.