
The character of Bojack Horseman is perhaps one of the most obvious examples of the role and influence of media in one's life. Due to a lack of positive parental figures in his life, he molded it to the exact parameters that television shows put out for him, and this is a detailed dissection of the process.
Horsin' Around

Bojack’s magnum opus, despite his best efforts, remained his nine season long sitcom, Horsin Around. It was a part of his identity that he refused to let go of. During the Oscar campaign with Ana Spanakopita he struggled not to defend it, he struggled to badmouth the show and distance himself from it. The show was his safe haven from all the damage he’d left back with his parents. It’s not just that he suddenly had a functional family on TV that he never had in reality, but he was the parent of that functional family. He emulated the type of perfect parent his parents did not even come close to and Bojack attempted to heal his inner child by showing himself what good parenting was. It was a reiteration that good parents can exist so his weren’t the norm but the exception.
However, he took that emulation so far that the only way he recognises family is through TV shows. After Sarah Lynn dies, partially due to Bojack himself, he sees a do over opportunity only in the little girl who plays his grand daughter on the reboot of Horsin Around, Ethan Around. He does not treat Hollyhock as that do over who at the time is presented as his actual daughter. He messes up with her multiple times during Stupid Piece of Shit in season 4 and only spirals when he finds out that she overdosed just like Sarah Lynn. He does nothing to prevent that eventual outcome despite having witnessed it with Sarah Lynn, because in his mind the familial relation rests only within the Horsin' Around cast, not his actual blood.
In the end, season 6 of Bojack Horseman, sees the horse lose all connection to Horsin Around. Angela Diaz, the network executive, has him sign away his rights to the show and Bojack is to be edited out of the existing footage. He has to watch himself be erased from such a large part of his identity. Once that identity is taken from him, what tether does he have left? It is this pivotal realisation that triggers him to attempt suicide that night in episode 15. He realised that now that he was being edited out he could not make a reboot or a sequel or profit off of it in any way. That really cemented that Herb and Sarah Lynn would never come back. That he would not get a do over on his sitcom life. It was like in season 5's Free Churro when he likened losing a parent to Becker being cancelled, you knew it could have gotten better but now it will not have the chance to. Until he had Horsin Around he thought he had a legacy, something positive to leave behind. But now that he does not have that anymore, his life is meaningless and the show can finally stop. The episode ends on Bojack’s face parallel with his audition tape for Horsin Around showing in one clean shot what exactly Bojack has lost. Horsin’ Around is dead and everything is worse now.

The Bojack Horseman Show

There is not much to be said for this 2007 disaster except that it serves the basis for his character’s insecurity. Bojack's stint on Horsin Around, although not taken seriously, was still his best work. Now The Bojack Horseman Show he was making with Cuddly Whiskers was met with praise from the network. That set an expectation on Bojack to deliver the work and with quality. Not in a place to grapple with his own skill as an actor outside the world of sitcom, he did what Bojack does best: he sabotaged himself. He roped Cuddly Whiskers into making the script of the show an absolute mess so that that’s what critics focus on rather than what could be sub par acting. The show would tank because it was horribly written, not because Bojack didn’t size up to the role. He wanted to hold onto the only thing working for him, TV acting. If the critics tore him to shreds on his acting, he would no longer have that reprise of TV and would have to reflect on his work on Horsin’ Around.
Philbert

This show, although successful, also did not see Bojack do any acting, hilariously enough. The shows script so intimately parallels his own life that he was already a living Philbert. He becomes so entrenched in the character because Philbert gets what Bojack did not, a free pass for all the morally dubious things he has done. Bojack in real life is urged to take accountability for himself over and over again by Diane especially at the premier party for Philbert, but Philbert never has to.
He loses himself in Philbert so much that he goes through a disassociative episode blurring the lines between the TV show and reality. The title sequence for the episode, The Showstopper becomes the title sequence used in Philbert. Bojack stops taking his costume off when he gets home, the set of Philbert is an exact replica of his own home so he often forgets where he really is. He sets up a paranoia induced mystery for himself to solve as if he really is a detective like on Philbert. The fact that he and his costar are dating in real life and on the show certainly does not help. The final plunge into paranoia comes when Diane writes Bojack’s own misdeeds into the show's script. Suddenly, the TV show is no longer showing him a life he fantasises about- guiltless and praised- but his own gruesome reality reflected back at him. It drives him to the edge and he almost chokes his costar and girlfriend Gina to death. This show serves as the evidence that where immersing himself in Horsin' Around may have left a positive impact on him, the same immersion into Philbert has most definitely not.
Looking at Life Through Technicolour Glasses

In the end bojack has always framed his life through sitcom philosophy. He references TV shows like Maude in Free Churro wanting a grand gesture to fix his relationship with his mom like it happens in sitcoms.
It is why the Escape from LA episode is also framed like a sitcom: with the happy title sequence of Kyle and the Kids and the exaggerated events that only happen in sitcoms like a celebrity taking a normal girl to prom. It’s sitcom framing is why it went so pear shaped in the end with Bojack traumatising Penny and Charlotte, because as early as season 2 the creator of the show, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, wanted to make it clear that Bojack’s life was not and could not be a sitcom. It took Bojack himself four more seasons to realise that.
Bojack thinks you cannot have a happy ending or else life would not go on. It is only through constant action and issues that sitcoms can continue to have episodes. And above all, you cannot "stop dancing". If Bojack stops dancing, stops having a constant slew of problems or drama, the show stops. The show stops and you find yourself halfway down to nothingness.

Bojack Horseman is over and everything is worse now.
-Zahrah Habib 26020505
This blog is a really great analysis of the Bojack Horseman character. I haven't watched any of the shows you've mentioned but I do vaguely recall seeing this character on TV. It's pretty fascinating that through the various shows he stars in, the character has been brought to life. The blog has explained the progression of issues being dealt with in the shows in a lot of detail, which really helps me understand the analysis even though I haven't watched the series'. I do have a question though, when you refer to the Bojack Horseman using the show to somehow make sense of his own insecurities and family issues, are you talking about the writer of the shows or the…
This was a very interesting blog; I haven't really seen the show, but this has made me want to watch it soon. I loved your analysis of the show and think it was done very well. The idea that media has so much impact in our lives is something that people don't really acknowledge which does worse than good. Bojack and his relationship with the show "Horsin' Around" which becomes an integral part of his identity is so indicative of reality and people's connection with the media they consume. The idea that watching shows with found family tropes can be very comforting to those who might be struggling. Thus, the show's depiction of the impact of media, creation and consumption…
Wow, what an interesting read. I personally have never seen the show, so this is all new to me. It seems like topics of self sabotage, depression and mental health are all prevalent throughout the show, with an accurate depiction of how it may affect someone's life while simultaneously making relatable content for the person watching the show. I think today more than ever these themes can be applied into the real world. I wanted to ask your opinions on using humor and media content to spread messages and themes to the audience, and whether that may reduce or increase the desirability to watch the media, as some may deem it too 'political' and not entertaining enough
This was such an amazing insight into the show! After reading your post, it is clear to me that Bojack's self sabotaging tendencies and moral ambiguity actually end up hampering his ability to really aim high. I was curious to know how you thought this would relate to individuals in the public eye today who struggle to take hold of the opportunities at their disposal just becasue they deal with psychological issues like impostor syndrome or bipolar disorder?
Love the detail. It is very thorough and insightful; especially how it traces Bojack's dependency on television narratives to fill the void left by his dysfunctional upbringing. Linking different parts of the series, from Bojack's Oscar campaign to his final existential crisis, amazing! I think the show's creators use Bojack's character to critique Hollywood and the nature of fame, delve deeper into the specifics of his mental health issues, such as depression, addiction, and self-sabotage. Within a broader cultural context, these themes tend to resonate well with real-life issues faced by not just celebrities but by the general public as well especially with the growing use of social media.