From heartbreaking revelations to hilarious absurdity, this animated series left an indelible mark on viewers. Join us as we count down the moments from BoJack Horseman that continue to haunt and delight us years after the finale! Our list includes everything from Sarah Lynn's tragic fate to Todd's brutal honesty, and all the talking animal hijinks in between.
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00:00I need to know that you've got my back. If you threaten to walk, they'll listen.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the BoJack Horseman moments that have stuck with us the most, even years after ending.
00:12Spoilers will be mentioned, so this is your official warning.
00:15That stranger behind the counter gave me that free churro. That small act of kindness showed more compassion than my mother gave me her entire goddamn life.
00:24Number 20. Newtopia Rising, Book 1, The Search for a New Utopia
00:30In a show full of eccentric characters, lovable loser Todd stands out as one of the zaniest.
00:54As it turns out, his life's work has resulted in a science fiction rock opera about, well, it's not entirely clear what it's about.
01:01I feel like you're not even listening.
01:03Yeah, well, you know what? Maybe I would listen if the Turbidians had some reason to enter the Cave of Swollen Dreams that didn't break the pact they made in Act 1 with Queen Darnisa.
01:11BoJack helps Todd work out the ridiculously complex plot in music, giving him the chance to make it big.
01:16The story takes a dark turn, however, when BoJack sabotages Todd in order to keep him on his couch.
01:22Besides providing an abundance of hilarity, this storyline is also a pivotal character moment for both BoJack and Todd, as it shows the best and worst of them both.
01:31For a second, I actually convinced myself I was more than just a worthless screw-up.
01:36Fool me once. Fool me twice. Fool me chicken soup with rice.
01:41I guess there's a reason they don't call it the rock opera fun, they call it the rock opera business.
01:46Number 19. You said it with your actions.
01:48We're actually in the middle of breaking up right now, so if you could just...
01:51Anyone who watches this show can tell you that BoJack is...
01:54Ehh...
01:55Complicated, to say the least.
01:57Actually, I am a busy guy. I live a very active lifestyle.
02:00Many of his relationships can turn toxic in the blink of an eye, as seen with his on-again, off-again girlfriend and agent, Princess Carolyn.
02:08When she points out that he doesn't want a baby, as indicated by his actions, we're treated to one of the series' best cutaway gags.
02:14Oh, look at that baby! Isn't he the cutest baby you ever saw?
02:18What? What? What? No, no, what?
02:23Princess Carolyn points out a cute baby, and BoJack flips out, overturning the baby's stroller, and causing a car wreck as he tries to escape the scene.
02:30Step away from the stolen vehicle, sir!
02:33No, no, no, misunderstanding, officer. I was running away from my girlfriend, whom I don't respect enough to have a baby with.
02:38Hey, aren't you the horse from Horsin' Around?
02:41It exemplifies the off-the-wall brand of humor that's made the show so successful.
02:45Oh, face it. You're afraid of commitment.
02:48I'm not afraid of commitment. I commit to things all the time.
02:51Number 18. BoJack Steals the D
02:53Meanwhile, local authorities are already investigating several suspects.
02:57David Duchovny, Dick Van Dyke, DMX, and of course, Dane Cook, who we all know is a thief.
03:02BoJack and Diane have instant chemistry from the start of the show, which poses a problem since she's dating Mr. Peanut Butter.
03:08After a long night of drinking, and an increasingly absurd effort to one-up Mr. Peanut Butter,
03:13BoJack steals the Hollywood signs D for Diane. Get it?
03:18Why the hell would I steal a giant D?
03:20Ding dong! It's Diane!
03:22D-d-d-damm!
03:25What ensues is a hilarious scheme where BoJack teams up with Mr. Peanut Butter to return the D and maintain BoJack's innocence.
03:32I'll cut you a deal.
03:33I help you get rid of that D, and you never talk to Diane again.
03:38This moment has reverberated throughout the entire series, as after this episode,
03:42everyone refers to the city as Hollywood due to its lack of a D.
03:46I, and I alone, stole the D from the Hollywood sign.
03:51It was an easy choice for this entry, since it definitely balances the humor and heart of the show.
03:56I gotta go, they're about to move the D back. See you tomorrow?
03:59Number 17.
04:00The Great BoJack Jerk Off
04:02It's not what it sounds like. The show didn't wait around to show off BoJack's arrogance.
04:15In the second episode, we see him in a public feud with a Navy SEAL, who is an actual SEAL.
04:19That's the last box, and I had dibs on them.
04:22Really? You had dibs?
04:25Yeah, dibs. I just put them down for a second while I went to the bathroom.
04:29Look, I don't even want the muffins. I was just looking at them.
04:31But I gotta say, if you put muffins down, they're not your muffins.
04:34So what? I was supposed to take them into the bathroom with me?
04:38When BoJack takes a box of muffins, which Neil McBeal, the Navy SEAL, allegedly had dibs on,
04:42it's a battle between these two prideful animals.
04:45You're going to regret this, BoJack Horseman.
04:48And things only get worse from there.
04:50In fact, BoJack manages to offend just about everyone,
04:53as he accidentally calls the troops jerks, and then refuses to apologize.
04:56Have you no shame, BoJack Horseman?
04:59Fantastic guest voicing by Patton Oswalt and Keith Olbermann complete the disastrous controversy.
05:05You think I'm a hero.
05:07Well, I don't know if I...
05:08Say it, BoJack. Say I'm a hero.
05:13You're a hero.
05:15The troops are all heroes.
05:16Every single one.
05:19Great.
05:20But once again, we think Todd says it best.
05:22Well, that went slightly better than the worst it could have possibly gone, so...
05:29Hooray?
05:30Number 16. Herb doesn't forgive BoJack.
05:33Have you been eating your guilt this whole time?
05:35You don't look so hot yourself, Herb.
05:41I have cancer.
05:43This is a hard pill for anyone to swallow, whether they're a cartoon horse or not.
05:47While writing his book, BoJack and Diane decide to pay a visit to the former's old best friend and creator of Horsin' Around, Herb Kazaz.
05:54Things went well, until he attempted to apologize for throwing the writer under the bus back in the 90s.
06:13Herb refused the attempt at penance, instead opting to tell the equine exactly why he didn't deserve it.
06:18His scathing message was clear, that Bojack would have to live with his guilt.
06:22It was one of the first instances of a character not allowing him to apologize and move on from the regrettable choices he'd made,
06:28and a bitter reminder that forgiveness is never guaranteed.
06:31Oh, I'm not going to give you closure.
06:34You don't get that.
06:35You have to live with the sh**ty thing you did.
06:38For the rest of your life, you have to know that it's never, ever going to be okay.
06:43Number 15.
06:44Every day, it gets a little easier.
06:46Oh God, lungs on fire.
06:48Getting and maintaining the motivation to change is harder than it seems.
06:54Though Season 2's events had rocked his world, Bojack was intent on bettering himself.
06:59During the final episode, he attempted to get back into his fitness regime, namely, running up the hill next to his house.
07:04Despite his remarks about how awful it was, he managed to make it to the top before collapsing.
07:09Oh my God. Oh my God.
07:11Just when it seemed he was about to throw in the towel, another jogger stopped by to deliver a message that it would get easier the more he did it.
07:20It gets easier.
07:22Huh?
07:23Every day, it gets a little easier.
07:25Yeah?
07:26But you gotta do it every day.
07:28That's the hard part.
07:29But it does get easier.
07:31Though the words themselves were about running, the underlying lesson was clear.
07:35It was a surprisingly optimistic end, giving Bojack and the viewer hope for the future.
07:40Okay.
07:40Number 14.
07:42Vincent Adult Man.
07:43Hi.
07:44So you're the quote-unquote person singular that everyone's so crazy about.
07:49Tired of Bojack's shenanigans, Princess Carolyn decides to date a more grown-up man, which she finds in Vincent.
07:55He works at the business factory and loves seeing R-rated movies and riding the tall person rides at Disneyland.
08:00Tell me all about you.
08:02Mmm, I like business.
08:05Uh, transactions?
08:07Ah!
08:08Okay, real talk.
08:09Vincent is clearly three young boys in a trench coat.
08:13And for some reason, only Bojack can see that in this hysterical running gag.
08:17And the character's ignorance of this as he enters a long-term relationship with Princess Carolyn is absolutely absurd.
08:24Princess Carolyn was right.
08:25You are a good listener.
08:26Thanks!
08:27You know, sometimes I feel like I was born with a leak.
08:30And any goodness I started with just slowly spilled out of me and now it's all gone.
08:34But also, absolutely gut-busting.
08:36Though the relationship ended dramatically in season two, we still hope to see more of Vincent in later seasons.
08:42Number 13.
08:43Half a Mind.
08:44All right, Beatrice.
08:45You got a good whiff.
08:46Now step away from your father's breakfast before he catches you a sniffing and gives you a spanking.
08:51Yes, mother.
08:52One of the show's greatest strengths is highlighting the damage caused by generational trauma.
08:56Though we see how it affects Bojack, it doesn't begin and end with his parents.
09:00In the old Sugarman Place, the viewer gets a glimpse of his mother Beatrice's childhood,
09:04revealing one of many reasons she was emotionally closed off as an adult.
09:07All right, folks, this is for posterity, so don't forget to look far away sad.
09:17Following the death of her brother, Cracker Jack, her mother began to spiral.
09:20She grew more erratic and impulsive, even getting into a car crash that resulted in her begging her husband for help.
09:26His response?
09:27To have her lobotomized.
09:29I want to be better.
09:31The moment where Beatrice runs to her mother only to find a shell of her former self is truly haunting
09:36and indicative of how far mental health help has come.
09:39Oh, hush.
09:40It's okay.
09:42I'm better now.
09:43I don't understand.
09:45Love does things to a person.
09:47Terrible things.
09:50Beatrice, promise me you'll never love anyone as much as I loved Cracker Jack.
09:55Number 12.
09:56What do celebrities know?
09:57Do they know things?
09:58Let's find out.
09:59Hollywood stars and celebrities.
10:01What do they know?
10:02Do they know things?
10:03Let's find out.
10:04On a lighter note, as it turns out, legendary author J.D. Salinger is still alive
10:09and very interested in producing game shows about celebrities.
10:13Mr. Peanutbutter takes on hosting duties
10:15and is meaner than usual to contestant Bojack,
10:21who is presented with ridiculously difficult questions.
10:24Welcome back.
10:25Will Bojack Horseman go down and show history as our worst contestant ever?
10:29So far, yes.
10:30Playing ingeniously on Bojack's insecurities about his celebrity,
10:35Daniel Radcliffe makes a guest appearance as the big celebrity,
10:38who is supposed to beat Bojack because he's more popular with audiences.
10:41And while Daniel's in the booth, Bojack, you have an essay question.
10:44What?
10:45You'll find your blue book on your podium.
10:47To what extent was feudalism a cause of the French Revolution?
10:50Wait, are you serious?
10:50As the tension builds between Peanutbutter and Bojack,
10:54their issues are brought to the forefront on live TV.
10:56And, naturally for television, they resolve their issues in a half hour.
11:00Bojack Horseman is tonight's winner!
11:02Number 11.
11:04The 90s.
11:05What do you say?
11:06Want to be my star?
11:07Seriously?
11:08Of course I do.
11:09Of course, Herb.
11:10Jesus Christ, thank you.
11:11Bojack's main claim to fame before his fun employment depressive state
11:15was his role in the 90s sitcom Horsin' Around.
11:17We get to witness this period of his life firsthand in a rather meta-flashback joke.
11:22We see Bojack from his humble beginnings to his less-than-humble prime.
11:25Of course, the relationship between Bojack and Herb,
11:28the creator of Horsin' Around, is critical to the episode.
11:31I gotta tell you, I'm gay.
11:33No doy.
11:34I know we haven't been close for the past couple years.
11:38Okay, I'm gonna hold back my no doys because there might be a lot.
11:40But you know me, right?
11:41You know that I'm a good guy.
11:43They're gunning for me at the network.
11:45And if I get kicked off this, I won't recover.
11:47As Herb kick-starts Bojack's career and is his best friend.
11:50But when push comes to shove, Bojack abandons his buddy in favor of his career.
11:54You're doing the right thing.
11:55I know it's hard.
11:56But if Herb's really your friend, he'll understand.
11:59Now, you've got a show to put on, so I'll let you get ready.
12:02This was a good conversation.
12:03Productive.
12:04If you're lucky, I'll never talk to you again.
12:06A brilliant mix of sadness and humor,
12:08this one allows us a lot of insight into our complicated equine anti-hero.
12:12Wait a minute.
12:18This isn't the bar.
12:19Number 10.
12:20Princess Carolyn's 40th birthday.
12:22Getting older is hard for everyone.
12:24Princess Carolyn, Bojack's agent and ex-girlfriend,
12:27had spent most of her adult life working towards her goals,
12:30no matter the cost.
12:30How old are your kids now?
12:32I don't have any children.
12:34Oh, well, it'll happen.
12:35You're still...
12:38Anyway.
12:39Throughout the episode, we see her attempt to win a project that would save her career
12:42and all the pitfalls that come with it.
12:44Hello?
12:45Lady, you work too hard.
12:47At the end of the day, everyone else leaves,
12:49but she remains alone in the office,
12:50lamenting that she has nowhere else to be.
12:52Are you gonna head out soon?
12:54Where else would I go?
12:56Then, her phone tells her happy birthday,
12:58the first one to do so all day.
13:00As if that wasn't depressing enough,
13:02it then throws in that she turned 40,
13:04a sign of how much of her life she'd already worked away.
13:06Happy birthday, Princess Carolyn.
13:11Thanks, phone.
13:12You are 40.
13:15Number 9.
13:16Dealing with bad days.
13:18Ruthie, this story has gotten really dark.
13:21It has a happy ending, I promise.
13:22The imagination is a powerful tool, for better or for worse.
13:26In Ruthie, the plot is told through the lens of Princess Carolyn's
13:29great-great-great-granddaughter.
13:31My mom told me that I come from a long line of strong female cats.
13:36Princess Carolyn was the runt of 12, and it made her one of the toughest.
13:39It was a light-hearted episode with plenty of jokes,
13:42until it suddenly hits you with an emotional rug pull.
13:44After having a horrible day, wherein she finds out she miscarried,
13:48among other personal tragedies,
13:49Princess Carolyn ends up talking to Bojack.
13:51She goes into detail about how on bad days,
13:56she imagines how a far-off relative will one day speak highly of her.
13:59When told those fantasies are fake,
14:01she simply says they make her feel better.
14:03But it's...
14:04fake.
14:06Yeah, well, it makes me feel better.
14:08It's then that the viewer realizes that Ruthie was never real,
14:12and never would be,
14:13completely recontextualizing the entire episode.
14:15It has a happy ending, I promise.
14:17Number 8.
14:18Beatrice's Call to Bojack
14:20What do you want, Mom?
14:21Though she had a few sympathetic moments later on in the series,
14:24for the most part,
14:25Beatrice Horseman's main objective
14:26seemed to be making her son's life as painful as possible.
14:29You're a clown, you know that?
14:31And you've always been a wonderful pillar of support.
14:33Gin, please? Is there gin coming?
14:35I'm here, aren't I?
14:36This was made clear in the first episode of the second season.
14:38Bojack, wanting to change,
14:40had been doing his best to maintain a happy-go-lucky attitude.
14:43Those attempts were dashed as soon as his mother called.
14:46I read your book, Bojack.
14:48Oh.
14:48It takes a real narcissist to think anyone wants to buy a book about him.
14:52You know how I feel about Anne Frank.
14:54She served up a dose of the cold, hard truth,
14:57that no matter how hard he tried,
14:58or how many projects he distracted himself with,
15:00he would never be happy.
15:02She explained that misery ran through their family,
15:04and that there was no cure for being himself.
15:06With just one call, Bojack was right back at square one.
15:10You were born broken.
15:12That's your birthright.
15:14And now you can fill your life with projects,
15:17your books and your movies and your little girlfriends,
15:20but it won't make you whole.
15:24You're Bojack Horseman.
15:26There's no cure for that.
15:27Number seven, Bojack Underwater.
15:30The Pacific Ocean Film Fest, or POF,
15:33is the biggest underwater film festival in the world.
15:37You make a splash there, people are going to notice.
15:41Mine.
15:41This series is known for its intelligent and hilarious dialogue,
15:45which is why it was so surprising when the show made an episode with almost no speaking.
15:59Taking a page out of Lost in Translation's book,
16:02Bojack attends the Pacific Ocean Film Festival,
16:04where he is a complete outsider,
16:06due to his lack of understanding of underwater language and culture.
16:11He becomes entangled in a misadventure with a newborn seahorse,
16:19and, as always, animal jokes abound.
16:24Showing off some of the series' most beautiful animation and best slapstick humor,
16:29Fish Out of Water is now one of the most critically acclaimed episodes.
16:32Number six, Bojack Watching the Horses.
16:35To say the third season was an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement.
16:39The funeral was huge.
16:40There were so many people there.
16:42And I kept thinking, I did this to her.
16:44And everyone was just standing around like,
16:46well, this was bound to happen, but
16:48it wasn't bound to happen.
16:50I'm really sorry, Bojack.
16:52I don't know how to be, Diane.
16:54In the finale, it seems to be taking an especially tragic turn.
16:57Bojack was hurtling down the road
16:59when he suddenly closed his eyes and took his hands off the wheel.
17:02It seemed his dark intentions were about to come to fruition
17:04when he opened his eyes
17:05and was met with the sight of a herd of horses running through the valley.
17:08The music swelled as he took in the scene.
17:29The expression on his face made it clear that his outlook on life had shifted.
17:32To be able to convey so much without saying a single word
17:35is a testament to how good the series was at creating a poignant scene.
17:39Number five, Prom.
17:41Bojack tries to reconnect with his oldest real friend, Charlotte,
17:44who he still has feelings for.
17:46But the attempt goes haywire when he discovers she's now married and has a family.
17:49Classic Bojack, he steers into the skid
18:10and stays as the family's guest for months.
18:13He even agrees to take Charlotte's daughter Penny to the prom
18:15and the two have a chaotic but meaningful night.
18:18Then Penny makes a move on him.
18:19Bojack rejects it as he should.
18:21Whoa, Penny, come on.
18:22If you want to do it, I'm ready.
18:24But after a final rejection from Charlotte, his demons get the better of him.
18:29No.
18:29Mom.
18:30Charlotte.
18:31Penny, go to your room.
18:32We didn't even do anything.
18:33Now, Penny.
18:38Charlotte, I am so sorry.
18:40Don't.
18:40Don't you dare.
18:41It's the most heartbreaking moment in the series
18:43to see a character we've come to love fall so hard.
18:46I will call the police.
18:48And if you ever try to contact me or my family again, I will f***ing kill you.
18:53Number four.
18:55Todd tells Bojack off.
18:56Hey, Todd.
18:58Where you been?
18:59Oh, hi.
19:00You were in Ojai?
19:01No, I was just saying hi.
19:02You know things are getting real when the comedic relief character
19:04is forced to be the voice of reason.
19:06After finding out Bojack had slept with one of his childhood friends,
19:09Todd finally snapped.
19:11I let you turn my house into your company's headquarters for the last month.
19:14Yeah, but that's not because you're my friend.
19:16That's because you felt bad about Emily.
19:18You know about Emily?
19:19I think I know.
19:21Why?
19:21What do you think I know?
19:22I mean, I know what I think,
19:24but I don't know if the thing that I think
19:26is the thing that you think I know, you know?
19:28So, you know I had sex with Emily.
19:30You had sex with Emily?
19:32He made it clear that the actor's usual technique
19:35of feeling bad for himself wasn't going to work anymore.
19:37He needed to actually try and become a better person.
19:40He twisted the knife even further
19:41by saying that Bojack was the common denominator in all of his issues
19:45rather than his substance use or childhood trauma.
19:48You can't keep doing this!
19:49It was a truly sobering and brutally honest moment
19:52that made it clear that he had successfully severed
19:54one of his few remaining genuine relationships.
19:57It's you.
20:01F*** it, man.
20:03What else was there to say?
20:05Number 3.
20:06The Eulogy
20:06When this girl at the jack-in-the-box
20:08asked me if I was having an awesome day,
20:10I thought,
20:10well, today,
20:11I'm actually allowed to feel shitty.
20:13Today, I have a good reason.
20:14So, I said to her,
20:15well, my mom died.
20:16And she immediately burst into tears.
20:19With the whole episode being a masterclass
20:21in writing and acting,
20:22it's hard to choose just one moment.
20:24The entirety of Bojack's eulogy to his mother
20:26is unforgettable,
20:27from his recollection on making a restaurant worker cry,
20:30to his realization that he'll never have a good relationship.
20:32I was prepared for more cruelty.
20:34I was sure that she would get in one final zinger
20:36about how I let her down
20:38and about how I was fat and stupid
20:40and too tall to be an effective Lindy Hopper.
20:43How I was needy and a burden and an embarrassment.
20:46All that I was ready for.
20:48I was not ready for,
20:49I see you.
20:50With either of his parents now that they're both gone.
20:53Only my mother would be lousy enough
20:55to swipe me with a moment of connection on her way out.
20:57You get to see him deal with his complex feelings
21:00of grief in real time,
21:01including the bitter understanding
21:02that a random stranger showed him more kindness
21:05than his family ever had.
21:06Just when it seems things couldn't get more bleak,
21:08it's revealed that he had been
21:09at the wrong funeral the entire time.
21:11An ending that gets the viewer to laugh
21:13despite everything they've just seen.
21:15Is this funeral parlor B?
21:17Number two, The Drug Trip.
21:19So you really think you could write a better book by Friday?
21:22Damn right I can,
21:23so you can throw this turd of a book in the garbage
21:25and then light the garbage on fire.
21:27When Bojack tries to write his biography in a single day,
21:30Doctor Who, no, not that one, helps him out.
21:33Bojack, Sarah Lynn, and Todd do some unspecified drugs
21:36and that results in one raucous, uproarious night.
21:39We got a book to write!
21:43Yeah, oh my god, this is so good!
21:44Oh, this is awesome!
21:46Oh, Todd!
21:48Okay, Todd, how is it going with the heartwarming anecdotes?
21:52Bizarre hallucinations make for some darkly humorous moments,
21:55not to mention a few attempted murders.
21:57A few seriously traumatizing moments take us through Bojack's psyche
22:00and show us his fears and regrets.
22:02The animators really thought outside of the box on this one,
22:05mixing various animation styles in a fluid sequence,
22:08equal parts hilarious, heartbreaking, and horrifying.
22:11Shouldn't we help him?
22:13No, he loves treading water.
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22:43Number 1. Sarah Lynn's Death
22:45Talk about a fitting episode title.
22:47Across the first few seasons, viewers had come to love Sarah Lynn.
22:50I always wanted to be an architect,
22:52but you know, one of those architects where at night,
22:54she's a high-end call girl, and by day, she's an international super spy.
22:58Despite her antics, it was clear that underneath it all,
23:01she was just a girl who'd been exploited her entire life.
23:03Nobody knows what we went through.
23:05Nobody who wasn't on that show.
23:07But we knew each other before we were anybody,
23:10and that's how we can be friends,
23:11because we're not like those other people.
23:13In the penultimate episode of the third season,
23:15she and Bojack went on a lengthy bender,
23:17where they traveled all over,
23:19eventually ending up in a planetarium.
23:21As Sarah Lynn dreamily recounted her childhood dreams
23:23of becoming an architect,
23:24he was focused on his own legacy.
23:26He happily pointed out how nothing but that moment mattered.
23:29See, Sarah Lynn?
23:30We're not doomed.
23:30In the great grand scheme of things,
23:33we're just tiny specks that will one day be forgotten.
23:36So it doesn't matter what we did in the past,
23:38or how we'll be remembered.
23:40The only thing that matters is right now.
23:42Not even realizing that she'd already passed,
23:44him repeating her name only added to that haunting realization,
23:48causing an emotional gut punch that still hits hard today.
23:51Sarah Lynn?
23:54Sarah Lynn?
23:55Which Bojack Horseman moment has stuck with you the most?
23:58Let us know in the comments below.
23:59Bojack, just stop.
24:01You are all the things that are wrong with you.
24:04It's not the alcohol or the drugs.
24:07But we're tous at that embarrassingこと,
24:14but we'll have trouble for some of this for уст to say.
24:15Maybe they never ought to be able to don't understand.
24:18びい みい みい みい みい みいällい みい みい みい みい みいこ F-