'Bojack Horseman' Is Ending Because Of Netflix, But The Creator Isn't Mad About It
The Netflix animated series Bojack Horseman is coming to an end with the show's sixth season. The first eight episodes of the final season just dropped on October 25 (solidifying its place as one of the best animated shows ever), and the second half of the season will arrive sometime in 2020. If you're sad to see the series go, you can blame Netflix, who chose to cancel the series. Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has confirmed that the show could have continued for a couple more years before wrapping things up, but the streaming serviced decided it was time to end.
Speaking with Vulture, Bob-Waksberg confirmed that it wasn't his decision to end the show this season. However, while some might be bitter about that kind of development, he was actually rather grateful, especially since they gave him the warning going into this season:
"They don't have to do that, obviously. But I said I would appreciate it if I could have the forewarning to give the show a proper finale, and not set up some cliffhangers that will never pay off. So when they picked up season six, they said, 'Hey, remember how you asked for that heads-up? We think that this is your heads-up.' So I'm very grateful that we got that notice."
There have been so many instances when a series doesn't know that it will end up being canceled before getting a chance to do a season that wraps up the story they were hoping to tell, especially at Netflix. So it's nice that the streaming service was able and willing to give the Bojack Horseman writers some time to finish their story.
Though fans may not be pleased that the series is coming to a close before the creator would have finished the show, Bob-Waksberg knows how this industry works. He added:
"You know, it's a business. They've got to do what's right for them, and six years is a very healthy run for a TV show. Frankly, I'm amazed we got this far. So I can't complain. I think if we premiered on any other network, or even on Netflix on any other time than when we did, I don't know if we would've gotten the second season...A lot of things on Netflix don't get second seasons. I think it's a very busy landscape. It's hard to make an impression. I think we just got very lucky when we premiered."
Granted, it's a little harder to understand the streaming side of the TV business when Netflix doesn't make their viewership numbers so readily available. That changed somewhat slightly with some information that was brought to light on how Netflix calculates and classifies viewers, but more transparency would be useful for both fans and the industry at large.
So this is the end for Bojack Horseman right now, and while there's always a chance the show could make some kind of return in the future, Bob-Waksberg doesn't seem interested in making that happen:
"I don't want to rule anything out, but I will say, I am very happy with where we leave all the characters at the end of the show. Right now, I'm not itching to tell more stories in this universe, even though there were more stories that I would've been happy to tell."
Catch up on Bojack Horseman on Netflix now before the final episodes of season six arrive next year.