BoJack Horseman

So I checked out Will Arnett's animated show on Netflix. It is quite different from the family sitcom fare that he does for CBS on The Millers, although Margo Martindale makes a couple of fabulous guest appearances. BoJack Horseman is about a 50-year-old washed-up actor trying to regain his past glory by writing a memoir about himself, but he's fighting substance abuse and other self-destructive behavior. The show features lots of in-jokes about Hollywood (or Hollywoo, as it becomes when the D gets stolen from the Hollywood sign), as well as silliness about the anthropomorphic animals. Will Arnett always does well portraying characters with a deep well of sadness inside them, and the dramatic storylines can get quite dark at times. It parodies our warped celebrity culture and how fucked-up the actors, agents, and other people in the industry can become in a soulless business. There's lots of guest actors, though I can never recognize their voices until I see the credits (unless their names are used in the show itself). I wonder if Jason Bateman would ever guest star here, if he thought it would be cooler than to be on The Millers.

There weren't many references to Arrested Development, although the sixth episode featured several puns on Ben Stiller's name as well as a plot from AD's first season (when George Sr. was courted by two rival prison gangs and became "the belle of the ball"). Also there's a Charlie Brown reference during one of BoJack's drug-fueled hallucinations. I'm not sure if the "Silver Spoon" diner is a reference to the sitcom, or if I'm just making an unfounded connection because I've been watching Silver Spoons lately to enjoy the glory that is Jason Bateman as Derek Taylor. He was such an adorable little "bad seed." Too bad that he got written out in season 2.

Anyway, BoJack Horseman has already been renewed for season 2, so there's yet another series commitment that Will has to juggle if there's going to be season 5 of AD. I'm happy for his success, of course, but I'm still wrapped up in the deep well of sadness that is Gob, and I want to see him again.