I try to avoid reviews as much as I can before watching something – okay I'll try to find out if something is 'good' or not before I invest in it, or that it sound like something I'd like, but generally I prefer to make my own mind up. Reading reviews after finishing season 1 of this show has been quite funny, to see the criticisms of it. One standing out for me was fairly representative of a lot of online comments and was complaining that the show was just not funny – and the individual validated this opinion by saying they 'get' this sort of thing and consider Aqua Teen Hunger Force to be one of their favorite shows. To me this sums up the misconception around BoJack Horseman – people see an animated show with characters being all sorts of animals and they assume that we are in adultswim territory, simply because of this, nothing else.
Stepping aside the appearance of the show, what we actually have is a pretty funny satire on celebrity life and culture, with some fairly strong characters, and a real heart. Yes it has oddity and silliness too, but this does not put it into the same market as 20oz Mouse, Aqua Teen, or any other animated show of that ilk. When I came to it I really didn't know much about it other than people I trusted said it was pretty good, and some outline details of the setup. I think this helped as it allowed me to come to meet it wherever it wanted to be. The comedy is regularly funny, with decent asides, but they are all grounded in the narrative and characters; so while they are funny asides they also provide a functional aspect to the development. The writing is pretty smart, with not too much that falls flat. I was also impressed by the detail too – an example being that in the title sequence a 'D' goes missing after one of the episodes.
The characters are surprisingly strong, and not just in the main ones but also in the supporting characters – who become richer in small ways as a the season continues. I won't say they are the most finely crafted characters in fiction, however for sure they are stronger than I expected. The voice cast responds to this well – and there are a lot of big names here. Arnett is strong of course, and works well with Sedaris, Brie and others. The rest of the cast has a lot of famous turns in smaller roles, and I liked that often I did not even notice the star name because I was just enjoying their delivery.
The season is not 'rolling on floor hilarious', nor is it an amazing character drama; but it does mix elements of both to produce and engaging and entertaining show, and I look forward to starting on the second season.
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