Not All Horse, Not

All Man
BoJack Horseman and its Links
to Postmodernism

Jaclynn Rogers
ENGL284 with Dr. J. Nelson
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At first glance, the popular Netflix original series BoJack Horseman may look

unimpressive at best. A trendy adult-animation where anthropomorphic animals live and work

alongside humans while simultaneously spitting animal puns, pop culture references, and

extensively alliterative phrases like they are old gum—it sounds too absurd to gain much of a

following. However, the duality of this absurd humor paired with the heavy themes of addiction

and the human search for meaning, to name two, is a prime example of the rejections posed by

postmodernism in the present world. BoJack Horseman displays three primary connections with

postmodernism: the rejection of a grand metanarrative, the emphasis on the ever-changing self,

and the challenge of determining an unambiguous sense of what is right and what is wrong.

To understand how BoJack Horseman represents postmodernism, it’s critical to have

some understanding of the postmodernist movement. Postmodernism by definition holds many

ideas together that may not otherwise have merged. In a way, it parallels reader-response

criticism: both have an emphasis on the multiple meanings of a work and the respective validity

of each meaning. However, postmodernist criticism posits that those meanings rely on the reader

and the reader’s self rather than the text alone. Despite the fact that one would have to look

outside of the text at the reader to fully create meaning, postmodernism denies the external point

of reference used by critics and philosophers previously; because there is no one ultimate truth

that connects all the miscellaneous pieces of the universe, there is no one ultimate reality

(Bressler 89). Likewise, one ultimate truth is impossible to establish: right and wrong are not two

extremes on either end of a spectrum but rather the spectrum itself. Finally, postmodernism

manifests that even human nature does not exist outside of the society it develops in; human

psychology itself is determined not biologically or genetically, but rather socially and culturally

(Duignan).
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BoJack Horseman is a show that constantly references itself and media production in

Hollywood, cementing itself as a work of metafiction. However, it doesn’t display the

overlapping sense of universality that a grand metanarrative would. Rather, it aims to show the

interconnected narratives of the characters as they interact and evolve. Though Bojack is in fact

the show’s titular character, BoJack Horseman doesn’t merely tell the story of his fluctuations

through stardom in Hollywood. The “supporting” characters, so to speak, play as big of a role in

this world as BoJack himself does; in fact, there are episodes where he barely makes an

appearance. Though these characters fit a narrative stereotype to some degree, the show thrives

on turning these stereotypes on their head.

There’s the millennial wastrel Todd, who moved into BoJack’s house, a modern

monstrosity perched on a hill, five years ago and does nothing but eat breakfast

cereal and smoke weed. There’s Princess Carolyn, BoJack’s ex/agent/sex buddy

whom he disappoints not just romantically but also professionally, turning down

every project she brings him. There’s even a built-in frenemy, Mr. Peanutbutter, a

yellow lab whose own former show, “Mr. Peanutbutter’s House,” was a rip-off of

BoJack’s long-running sitcom…(Rodrick).

The fifth season looked more closely at these characters than ever before. Princess Carolyn’s

family and backstory were revealed in “The Amelia Earhart Story,” and throughout seasons four,

five and six, the viewer follows along in her quest to have a family of her own. Diane, BoJack’s

ghostwriter/confidante, had an entire episode about her trip to Vietnam; after her divorce from

Mr. Peanutbutter, she attempts to return to her roots despite growing up in Boston. Todd’s

coming-to-terms with his asexuality is one of the main plots as he navigates relationships with

both friends and partners. The story of BoJack Horseman isn’t only about BoJack, and these
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smaller narratives that play alongside BoJack’s provide a richer storytelling experience for the

viewer. The fluctuations between each character arcs and side plot force the viewer to see more

than just the overreaching narrative of BoJack’s story.

Central to the school of postmodernist thought is the idea that the self can evolve and

change. In BoJack Horseman, this changing sense of self is critical not only to the characters but

the viewer as well. One of BoJack’s most prevalent dilemmas is his struggle between wanting to

be an objectively good person and his inability to stop destroying the relationships he has. In

season one’s “Downer Ending,” BoJack goes on an extreme bender after reading what Diane has

ghostwritten in his memoir, and in a drug-induced rant he desperately asks her in front of a panel

of other ghostwriters,

Do you think it’s too late for me? I mean, am I just doomed to be the person that I

am? The person in that book? I mean, it’s not too late for me, is it? It’s not too

late? Diane, I need you to tell me that it’s not too late. I know that I can be selfish

and narcissistic and self-destructive, but underneath all that, deep down, I’m a

good person, and I need you to tell me that I’m good. Diane? Tell me, please,

Diane, tell me that I’m good (Bob-Waksberg).

Diane’s response, weeks later, is “I don’t think I believe in deep down…. I kind of think all you

are is just the things that you do.” This denial of objective goodness fits right in among

postmodernist thought. BoJack’s frenetic need to be good becomes harrowing as the series

progresses and the viewer sees the extent to which BoJack’s self-destruction goes. Not including

things that occur before the series begins, BoJack’s biggest wrongdoings include the following:

sabotaging his best friend Todd’s rock opera so he can’t move out of BoJack’s living room;

drunkenly stealing the “D” from the Hollywood sign in a grand romantic gesture for Diane who
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is already engaged to Mr. Peanutbutter; travelling hundreds of miles to see a friend he hasn’t

spoken two in thirty years, and then, when he is unable to sleep with her, he tries to sleep with

her daughter; hooking up with the only woman Todd has ever pursued romantically; pulling his

TV daughter Sarah Lynn back into the world of drugs for a bender that ultimately kills her; and

assaulting and nearly strangling a costar in a frenzy during his pain-reducing opioid withdrawal

(Bob-Waksberg). Clearly, BoJack is not an objectively good person; when considering his

traumatic childhood and past issues, however, the black-and-white contrast of good and bad

merges to gray. The very culture in which BoJack grew up in was toxic and debilitating, and his

early years in Hollywood were destructive as he developed into an adult; these loathsome

foundations allude to him simply being wired to be rotten, too. BoJack receives a call from his

estranged mother, Beatrice, in season two’s “Brand New Couch” in which she tells him, “Well,

you come by it honestly, the ugliness inside you. You were born broken, that’s your birthright…

You’re BoJack Horseman, there’s no cure for that,” (Bob-Waksberg). Postmodernist theory

states that human psychology and behavior itself is a result of the cultural and social norms in

which it develops; likewise, understanding the circumstances why BoJack is so troubled make

his story less evil and more tragic. However reprehensible BoJack and his actions are, the

viewer’s self plays a major role in their interpretation of the show. A person who has

experienced an abusive childhood, major depression, or addiction probably won’t excuse

BoJack’s behavior, but they will have more of an understanding and be less condemning than

someone who hasn’t shared those experiences. This gray area of morality parallels

postmodernism’s same gray area between the truths of right and wrong.

On the whole, BoJack Horseman is an endlessly entertaining show that juxtaposes itself

constantly. It is both a funny show about horse-people and a gritty look at the dark underbelly of
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stardom. It is light-hearted and wacky while also being intensely sad and thought-provoking.

Even the lovable Mr. Peanutbutter whirlwinds from being a goofball who likes tennis balls to

having lines like, “The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn’t a search

for meaning, it’s to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually, you’ll be

dead,” (Bob-Waksberg). These ironies, in addition to the range of perspectives and denial of a

definite right and wrong, solidly root the show in postmodernism, allowing the BoJack

Horseman to be many things simultaneously.

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Works Cited:

Bob-Waksberg, Raphael, et al. BoJack Horseman, created by Raphael Bob-

Waksberg, performance by Will Arnett, et al., Netflix, 22 Aug. 2014 to

present.

Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: an Introduction to Theory and Practice.

Longman, 2011.

Duignan, Brian. “Postmodernism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 18 Oct. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/postmodernism-

philosophy.

Kirkwood, Megan. “The Postmodernism (and Nihilism) of BoJack

Horseman.” Medium, Medium, 23 Oct. 2018,

medium.com/@kirkwoodmegan1/the-postmodernism-and-nihilism-of-bojack-horseman-

65dc19083bd9.

Rodrick, Stephen. "DARK HORSE." New York Times Magazine Jul 24 2016:

26,29,49,6. ProQuest.  Web. 27 Oct. 2018.

Shmoop Editorial Team. “Metafiction in Postmodern Literature.” Shmoop, Shmoop

University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/postmodern-literature/metafiction-

characteristic.html.