Where to Stream: BoJack Horseman

Powered by Reelgood

Listen up Emmys, because I have a bone to pick with you. I know I’m not the only one in a fighting mood. From New York Times critics to the most casual fan with a Twitter account, everyone has an opinion on television, and everyone has an angry #HotTake today about why their favorite show or actor should have won. But you should listen to me because I’m right. BoJack Horseman deserves a Creative Arts Emmy and you know it.

Netflix’s animated comedy is basically everything the Emmys loves wrapped up in one 22-minute package. It’s sad comedy (check) about a self-hating anti-hero who is his own worst enemy (check) that skewers Hollywood as a whole (big check). It’s even littered with big names, and you know the Emmys love a well-placed name drop. Not only does its main cast feature the voice acting talents of Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Aaron Paul, Paul F. Tompkins, and Amy Sedaris, but beloved, award-winning stars like Margo Martindale, Patton Oswalt, Rami Malek, and Lin-Manuel Miranda often make appearances. It even has a multi-season arc about depression. You love depressed antiheroes, Emmys. This is practically tailor-made for you.

But the reason BoJack deserves a win isn’t because it checks a bunch of requirements or because it has an excellent cast that continuously delivers shockingly powerful performances. It deserves a win because it’s redefining what animated comedies can be in a big way. Not only is it a consistently a funny watch — an increasingly impressive feat during the age of sad coms — but it’s also an emotional one. Everyone from major characters like Princess Carolyn (Sedaris) to supporting characters like Judah (Diedrich Barber) has their own struggles and their own insecurities they have to deal with. This past season, Princess Carolyn confronted her crushing fear that she would never have a child. Todd (Paul) gave a name to his asexuality and explored this side of his life. Mr. Peanutbutter (Tompkins) started to realize that not everyone loves him. These may look like stories about a neurotic cat, a zany stoner, and a excitable labrador, but there’s more to it than that. It may be surrounded by humor, but there’s heart at the center of BoJack.

That’s what we need to celebrate — a show that’s willing to take tonal and creative risks all while being sensitive to its characters and inclusive. Instead, the same few shows were nominated yet again for Outstanding Animated Program. This year, the only new addition to the category was Elena and the Secret of Avalor. The rest of the category was rounded out with Archer, Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, and South Park. I say this as a diehard fan of three of those shows: There is no way BoJack‘s spectacular “Fish Out of Water” didn’t deserve a place at this particular Emmy table.

The one category in which BoJack actually got its first Emmy nomination, Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, was even more infuriating. Kristen Schaal ultimately lost to Seth MacFarlane for Family Guy. Yes, it’s always impressive when one actor provides multiple voices for a show. I’m consistently impressed by Justin Roiland on Rick and Morty. However, both Family Guy and MacFarlane have won several Emmys before, and the show has been in a stagnant place for years. Kristen Schaal’s Sarah Lynn chronicled the pain and confusion that comes with super stardom and ended with one of the most emotional deaths of 2016. Every time she was on screen Schaal managed to infuse Sarah Lynn with a manic energy that somehow sounded like both a rallying cry and a plea for help. What other show or actress can make you tear up over the catch phrase “That’s too much, man”? Schaal deserved that statue, and it would have been a huge, overdue win for BoJack as a whole. Instead Peter Griffin got it.

There was once a time when all of the aforementioned shows were innovative. There was once a time when they all deserved their awards nominations and wins, and I would argue that Bob’s Burgers, Archer, and South Park all deserve to still be part of awards conversations, given the right episode. But our awards shows should celebrate projects that are both innovative and genuinely powerful pieces of art. It needs to be BoJack’s turn. Give the depressed horse show a chance. Though you’d never guess it from its embarrassing lack of awards attention, it’s consistently one of the best, funniest, and most emotionally raw shows on television.

Stream BoJack Horseman on Netflix