The animated character BoJack Horseman may be a washed up sitcom star on the show, but his self-titled Netflix Original series is a soaring success, it would seem. Although it has been streaming on the popular service for less than a week, the powers-that-be at Netflix have bestowed a renewal upon the animation – guaranteeing its return for a further 12 episodes.
Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and based on a character design by Lisa Hanawalt, BoJack Horseman tells the tale of a former TV star, that once starred in a fictional 1990s sitcom called Horsin’ Around. The end of that series, according to the show, resulted in the lead star spiralling on failed relationships, self-loathing and self destruction, with a cast of supporting characters around, enabling him all the way. The incredible tones of Will Arnett feature in the role of BoJack, and the rest of the cast is led by Aaron Paul, Alison Brie, Amy Sedaris, and Paul F. Tompkins. Arnett and Paul also serve as executive producers.
This bold move on the part of Netflix speaks volumes about the amount of confidence they have in the creative team behind this new show. Demonstrably branching out further into comedy, the service now has Orange Is The New Black, Derek, Lilyhammer, as well as BoJack Horseman and a promise of new episodes of Arrested Development at some undisclosed point in the distant future. That’s an impressive slate, and one the streaming giant is looking to build upon.
Will Arnett, in the meantime, has ridden his current wave of professional luck straight into the set-up of his new production company, Electric Avenue, a development deal with CBS Television Studio and early development of his first project: An adaptation of Johanna Stein’s ‘How Not To Calm A Child On A Plane And Other Lessons In Parenting From A Highly Questionable Source.’ But, first there are 12 new episodes of BoJack Horseman to complete, presumably with the intention of streaming them in 2015.