Channel Surfing: BoJack Horseman - "The BoJack Horseman Story, Chapter One"

Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.

In the past few years, Netflix has had a rather successful streak of creating original programming that not only appeals to subscribers, but has won Emmys and has entered a universal discussion. The shows have a quality in their binge watching nature and thanks to House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Arrested Development, the platform has experienced a resurgence and is stuck in the phase where they can do anything and see what sticks. So what do they do? They get Will Arnett to play an alcoholic horse who used to be on an 80's TV series. Populated by alternative comedy's best and brightest, the question is not so much why this show exists as why it feels so familiar.

With the first episode "The BoJack Horseman Story, Chapter One" ending essentially with a vomit joke that plays into a rather blatant theme song (created by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys) stating how we already know the plot. The show isn't going for highbrow satire of celebrity culture nor is it willing to let the audience work on a lowbrow level. There's a lot of complex jokes here, including characters such as a penguin (Patton Oswalt) who runs the Penguin Book Publishing company or Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) who is a dog. Also, does the target audience stand any chance of getting the Charlie Rose parody at the start? It plays with things in a kooky way reminiscent of Out There. However, where that series embraced its social deviance, BoJack Horseman is rooted in something strange. It is self-referential and features Arnett as the titular BoJack and his obsession with his own series Horsin' Around. 

Even if it is just introducing us to the characters, it does a rather poor job of doing so. This plays not so much as Adult Swim level of humor, but more Fox's failed Animation Domination High Definition with High School USA and Ax Cop. It feels that being a slob full of insensitivity will compensate for any of the story's problems and too many of the jokes end with an act of irresponsibility. Yes, there is something interesting in his book publisher Diane (Alison Brie) dating his rival Mr. Peanutbutter, but everything around it (including Aaron Paul's awful stoner character Todd) is a little too on the nose. It isn't that lowbrow/high concept is hard to do. One simply needs to look at Rick and Morty to see a successful attempt to skewer an otherwise humble genre.

To say the least, what is Netflix's goal with finally jumping into the adult animation genre with this? They have the power to do anything that they want, and this bizarre comedy which already by having anthropomorphic characters is a little off-putting. There's nothing really redeemable about the first episode other than this guy is self-involved. It sucks that Arnett, whose work on Arrested Development remains beloved, continues to have awful show after awful show to his name. Running Wilde, Up All Night, and The Millers are all shows that are below him. Add in a rather impressive cast and there's questions as to why this needs to be so derivative. Maybe the lowbrow audience at Netflix is feeling unloved. Maybe that explains it all. Even then, why does it need to exist? The pilot doesn't really say much to its defense. Even the animation doesn't have much endearment to it.
What is the point of BoJack Horseman and why does it need to exist? It doesn't do anything fun with the concept other than make jokes about horses needing to eat and drink a lot. The only benefit is that the episodes are all out at once and can be enjoyed in spurts. Even then, why spend the time watching pandering humor that tries to be smart with its subversive character designs, but lowbrow with its emotional drives? It didn't need much to be interesting. In a time where solid shows like You're the Worst and Black Jesus exists, there are way more interesting shows out there to be watching. This may be a strike against Netflix, provided that the remaining episodes are as straightforward and mediocre as the first one.