I haven’t been watching much in terms of actual shows for a good while, then while listening to a podcast a host casually mentioned they had rewatched Chernobyl, how it still holds up, that there’s a reason it got as much acclaim as it did, etc. So I thought I’d give it a go and wow, loved it (still one episode left to watch).
Had me thinking, what else have I missed out on? What are some “absolute cinema” TV shows that still hold up and and are considered must watch?
I’m always ready to plug Bojack Horseman. Yes, it’s an animated show about an anthropomorphic horse, with tons of silly, animal puns and visual gags, and cartoon-ish storylines, and it will sometimes just rip you open emotionally. Will Arnett is a phenomenally gifted voice actor. And despite this, one of the best episodes of television I’ve ever seen is one in which he has barely any lines.
The usual advice, of course, is that it takes until the middle of the first season to get really good. (The first few episodes aren’t bad, they’re just light comedy.)
It did some really cool experimental stuff as well, such as:
An episode that’s 90% the main character’s monologue, delivered straight into the ‘camera’.
An episode from the perspective of someone with advanced dementia, where a lot of the important details are scribbled out.
An episode from the perspective of someone who’s (perhaps) dying, and it’s all explicitly stated to be a hallucination as their neurons are misfiring.
A lot of exploration into themes of nihilism and pointlessness.
And it all works. That show is amazing.
“The view from halfway down” saved me from suicidal ideation, thoughts and intent. It was the first light that got me to realise suicidal ideation is not normal, it’s not a solution. It got me to listen to what friends were saying, and eventually led to me accepting the breakdown that got me professional help before I hurt myself. Not saying it’s the trigger, or the totality: I had a lot of help along the way. But definitely significant in so many dark times.
The way Bojack Horseman approaches gender, sexuality and mental health is always extremely accepting, able to draw comedy because of it and not against it, and then being so utterly heartbreaking at times.
Yeh, “sad horse” show. But it has so much depth.
The constant development of BoJack, of Todd, of Diane causes you (well, it did for me) to reassess previous episodes in new light.
Truly incredible.
I really love this show. I’ll rewatch it every now and again. After my own mom died, “Free Churro” really hit differently. It’s a really beautiful dive into the thoughts and emotions that can come up when your mom is recently dead but your mom was also chronically an asshole.
The exploration of Beatrice’s and Bojack’s relationship thoughout the series, and the flashbacks to how Beatrice’s own trauma shaped her and her relationship with Bojack, and Bojack’s final acceptance that now, finally, he knows there’s no chance she’ll ever be the mother he wanted or the one he needed, really helped me come to grips with what I was going through, mentally and emotionally.
The rest of the show is also really good. I’m a big fan of Character Actress Margo Martindale.
The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn’t a search for meaning. It’s to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually, you’ll be dead.
Check out Undone.
Depressing horse show. Really good though.
Bojack is a depressed narcissist feeling sorry for himself. The main character is a self centered asshole.
So Trump?
I had written that show off because it looked like every other raunchy adult cartoon. I was so wrong about it.