One of Netflix's longest-running shows is about to end, with Bojack Horseman season 6 on its way. It’s been over a year since the fifth season of Netflix’s critically acclaimed original series BoJack Horseman was released. But the troubled anthropomorphic animated animals (and humans) are back this month to serve up even more existential crises — and maybe, just maybe, a little personal growth too.
We were first introduced to the titular antihero — the washed-up, selfish, depressed alcoholic ’90s sitcom actor BoJack Horseman — in August 2014. Though the show’s first season suffered from uneven pacing and meandering B-plots, the show evolved over the years, exploring deeper and darker themes and pulling off experimental one-off episodes (the nearly dialogueless season three episode “Fish out of Water” and single-character monologue “Free Churro” from season five immediately come to mind).
Over the course of BoJack’s five years on Netflix, every character has struggled to cope with their feelings, actions, relationships and general happiness, with personal highs and lows explored through themes of addiction, celebrity and self-accountability. And in its forthcoming final season, it’s finally time for them to grow up — or die trying.
BoJack Horseman Season 6 release date: when can I watch it?
BoJack Horseman season 6 is being released on Netflix in two halves: part one came out out Oct. 25, 2019, and part two — including the series finale — is out Jan. 31, 2020.
BoJack Horseman Season 6 trailer
The latest Bojack Horseman trailer, which hit the net on Jan. 15, shows our protagonist in a pensive, meditative moment. The narration is then revealed to be coming from one of Bojack's therapy sessions.
More interestingly, his therapist poses a question to him that suggests his mood may be finally changing.
The first trailer for BoJack Horseman season 6 revealed a lot of change that seemed to lie ahead for everyone:
We see BoJack attempting to get better and heal at Pastiches Malibu rehab clinic, Princess Carolyn juggling being a mom with work and Diane trying to make a difference in new videos on Girl Croosh. The big question it seems to ask is: Are people destined to repeat the same mistakes forever, or is it possible for people to change?
Where’d BoJack Horseman leave off?
If you haven’t watched season five of BoJack Horseman yet, you may want to skip over this section — spoilers follow!
In season five, BoJack’s addiction and recklessness reach their nadir. Despite the support of friends and medical professionals urging BoJack to seek help, he continues to abuse alcohol and pills, partly to cope with his past actions and the sudden deaths of former co-star Sarah Lynn and his mother. His addiction becomes so severe that the fictional world of his new TV character, Philbert, and his own reality start to blur, culminating in BoJack assaulting his new co-star Gina.
BoJack, realizing the severity of his actions, finally wants to come clean about all his past misdeeds, but Gina doesn’t want her career always to be tied to BoJack’s name and the assault, and Diane tells BoJack that Hollywoo(d) will simply look the other way for him anyway. If he truly wants to make amends, she says, he should take personal responsibility for his actions and seek professional help. So in the finale’s last minutes, BoJack finally bites the bullet and checks himself into rehab.
Meanwhile, instead of breaking up with girlfriend Pickles, Mr. Peanutbutter asks her to marry him, continuing his own cycle of not being able to address his own feelings; Princess Carolyn is on her way to adopt a baby; Todd creates a sex robot; and Diane is unsure about her future at media site Girl Croosh. Overall, the finale hints at personal growth for almost every character, setting up what should be an introspective final season.
BoJack Horseman Season 6 cast: who's in it?
All of our favorites (and least favorites) are back, including Will Arnett (BoJack), Alison Brie (Diane), Aaron Paul (Todd), Paul F. Tompkins (Mr. Peanutbutter) and Amy Sedaris (Princess Carolyn). As in previous seasons, we’ll likely hear the voices of many other famous people in guest roles, though no names have been released as of this writing.
Creator and showrunner Raphael Bob-Waksberg, whose debut short story collection titled Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory was released earlier this year, will continue to showrun in its final season. And production designer/producer Lisa Hanawalt, whose fantastic show Tuca & Bertie was both released and, sadly, canceled this year, will also still be involved in season six.
What’s next for BoJack Horseman?
Because Netflix has had a rocky relationship with its animated shows, it’s unclear whether Bob-Waksberg or Hanawalt will work together on a new show for the streaming service or pursue other projects. Though Tuca & Bertie was canceled after just one season, Netflix recently announced a Big Mouth spin-off titled Human Resources, so while unlikely, another BoJack companion show isn’t entirely out of the question.
In addition to releasing his first book, Bob-Waksberg also created the similarly existential show Undone for Amazon Prime Video, so maybe he’ll continue to explore other platforms and mediums post-BoJack.
Alison Brie will reprise her role of Ruth in Netflix’s forthcoming final season of Glow, while Aaron Paul will reprise his role of Jesse Pinkman for the Breaking Bad sequel movie El Camino out Oct. 11, also on Netflix.
