Disclaimer: “Bojack Horseman” is a TV series on Netflix that may not be appropriate for all viewers. This review and the show make references to sex, graphic language, drinking, drugs and smoking. The Oracle does not recommend the show for our younger readers, and Common Sense Media estimates it is appropriate for ages 15+.

Have you ever laid in bed, watching shows that tell the stories of perfect people living perfect lives? The main characters live in spacious houses, have a hot new date and wake up in the mornings looking perfect. You know that it is just a show, but you can’t help but compare it to your own existence. Questions emerge, the biggest one being: Why is my life nothing like this? Watching shows filled with unrealistic standards of living gets exhausting.

But thankfully for us, we have “Bojack Horseman” on Netflix. Created in 2014 by the incredible Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the six-season cartoon tragicomedy is the opposite of a surface-level watch. The show stars Bojack Horseman, voiced by Will Arnett, who struggles with the complexities of narcissism, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse and childhood trauma.

Set in Los Angeles, the show explores the darkness of fame and the pernicious effects of being a movie star. Following Bojack through his self-destructive endeavors in “Hollywoo,” viewers meet different types of characters that all have one thing in common: flaws.

The show is animated, which allows Waksberg to have full creative reign over the types of characters we meet. Bojack’s agent is a pink cat, Princess Carolyn, his frenemy is a yellow dog, Mr. Peanutbutter, his best friend is a human, Dianne Nyguen and his roommate — who he has no recollection of ever formally inviting into his home — is also a human, Todd Chavez.

In an interview with Uproxx, Waksberg said, “One of the things I’ve found really interesting about the show is that a lot of people really relate to our animal characters, more than we thought they would. Part of that is, because they are animals, people project themselves onto them. If Bojack just looks like Will Arnett, people go, ‘Oh, I know who that guy is. That’s a Will Arnett type.’ But because he’s a horse, people can go, ‘Oh, I’m kind of like him in some ways.'”

In this fantastical society, which features all types of animals and insects, we see Bojack form and destroy a variety of relationships he is part of. He continually takes the wrong turn and makes the wrong decisions. In Bob-Waksberg’s world of the absurd, there is something so fundamentally human about imperfect situations.

Real life is not linear; therefore, Bojack’s isn’t either. In one episode he will be thriving, rebuilding bridges he has burnt in the past. But, in another, he goes on insane month-long benders, losing touch with reality, and hurting people who try to care for him.

The show is compiled of painful backstories, stunted character developments and jokes that make the intensity of the storylines a little less dark. The comical aspect of the show acts as an underpinning, allowing the series to explore the depths of mental illness and drug addiction without the tragedy becoming too overbearing.

“Bojack Horseman” is the perfect show for anyone who is ready to watch something that makes you cry, cringe, scream and laugh all at once. The show is animated and only features characters with fundamental flaws.

Amidst all of the sadness, “Bojack Horseman” has impactful life advice spliced into each episode. When Bojack decides to become more active, he gets encouragement from a local jogging baboon. He says, “It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day — that’s the hard part. But it does get easier.”