‘BoJack’ Creator Says Show Could’ve Ran for ‘Couple More Years,’ but Netflix Pulled the Plug
The first half of the final season of “BoJack Horseman” debuted October 25 to critical acclaim (eight episodes are now available, with the final eight launching in 2020), and if series creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg had it his way the show would not be saying goodbye next year. In a new interview with Vulture, Bob-Waksberg confirms “BoJack Horseman” ending was not his decision, but Netflix’s. The creator envisioned the series going on for “a couple more years,” he said, but Netflix was ready to end the show after Season 6. Bob-Waksberg, however, has no hard feelings against the streaming giant.
“You know, it’s a business,” Bob-Waksberg said. “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.”
Bob-Waksberg said he appreciated that Netflix told him prior to development on Season 6 that the next run of episodes would be the last for “BoJack.” The creator had requested Netflix do as much at the end of the first season. Bob-Waksberg said his first season ending was finite, which prompted Netflix to ask him to add in some cliffhanger-like threads to tease a second run. He told Netflix that, should the day come where a season wouldn’t need any more loose threads for a follow-up season, to just give him the heads up.
“They don’t have to do that, obviously,” Bob-Waksberg said. “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.”
When asked if he would ever return to “BoJack” in the future for a feature film, Bob-Waksberg said, “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.”
Bob-Waksberg stressed the show’s series finale is the same series finale that would’ve aired had the show continued for a couple more seasons. Netflix cutting the series short did not prevent Bob-Waksberg from ending “BoJack” on his own terms. “I feel like we got through a solid ending that I feel good about, and like it’s a nice cap on the show,” the creator said.
“BoJack Horseman” is now streaming on Netflix. Head over to Vulture to read Bob-Waksberg’s interview in its entirety.