BoJack Horseman season 1

The first season of the animated television series BoJack Horseman premiered exclusively via Netflix's web streaming service on August 22, 2014. The season consists of 12 episodes.

While the first half of the season received mixed reviews, the second half garnered much more positive reviews. Ben Travers of IndieWire believed one possible reason for mixed reviews of the show was critics reviewing only the first half of the season, noting the increase in quality of the second half and stating that it "saved the series from mediocrity". Critics cited the seventh episode, "Say Anything", as being the turning point of the season, with it changing drastically in tone and developing a darker, deeper meaning. This change was so drastic it resulted in IndieWire changing its policy to only review entire seasons of shows on Netflix, instead of just the first six episodes, which would have boosted BoJack Horseman's C+ grade. This change in perception is starkly noticeable in the show's other seasons, which received critical acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.

Main

 * Will Arnett as BoJack Horseman and Butterscotch Horseman
 * Amy Sedaris as Princess Carolyn and Sharona
 * Alison Brie as Diane Nguyen, Joelle Clarke, and Vincent Adultman
 * Paul F. Tompkins as Mr. Peanutbutter and Andrew Garfield
 * Aaron Paul as Todd Chavez

Recurring
• Patton Oswalt as Pinky Penguin, Neal McBeal, Gary Nguyen, and Bob Maggot

• Rachel Bloom as Laura

• Wendie Malick as Beatrice Horseman

• Kristen Schaal as Sarah Lynn

• Stanley Tucci as Herb Kazzaz

• Margo Martindale as herself

• Olivia Wilde as Charlotte Carson

• Chris Cox as Tina The Bear / various

• J. K. Simmons as Lenny Turteltaub

• Dave Segal as Paparazzi Robin

• Adam Conover as Paparazzi Blue Jay, A Ryan Seacrest Type, and Bradley Hitler-Smith

• Keith Olbermann as Tom Jumbo Grumbo

• Cedric Yarbrough as Officer Meow Meow Fuzzyface

• Raphael Bob-Waksberg as Charley Witherspoon and various characters

Guest
• Nicholas Gonzalez as Cartel Man

• Judy Greer as Pam

• Aisha Tyler as Sextina Aquafina and Carol Himmelfarb-Richardson

• Wyatt Cenac as Wayne

• Mike O'Malley as Artie Nguyen

• Melissa Leo as Ma Nguyen

• Kelen Coleman as 	Zoë and Zelda

• Yvette Nicole Brown as Beyoncé

• Chris Parnell as Klaus (Aryan Gang Leader) and News Reporter

• Horatio Sanz as Aldo (Latin Kings Gang Leader)

• Stephen Colbert as Mr. Witherspoon

• Kristin Chenoweth as Vanessa Gekko

• Kevin Bigley as Quentin Tarantulino and Dick Cavett

• Chris Cox as Marv Sbarbori / various

• Anjelica Huston as Angela Diaz

• Fielding Edlow as Roxy

• Naomi Watts as herself

• Wallace Shawn as himself

• Ken Jeong as Dr. Allen Hu

• John Krasinski as Secretariat

• Keegan-Michael Key as Sebastian St. Clair

• Maria Bamford as Kelsey Jannings

Reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a score of 71%, based on 28 reviews with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus states, "It's intermittently funny, but in most respects, BoJack Horseman pales in comparison to similar comedies." On Metacritic, the season received a rating of 59 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Erik Adams' review of the first six episodes gave the series a C+ grade; in the review, Adams wrote that the show "spoofs the emptiness of celebrity, but does so without any novelty or true insight". At Slate, Willa Paskin was more enthused. "[It] is perhaps a little more clever than it is uproariously funny, but it is often very clever, and, moreover, well-tuned to the ludicrousness of the sort of low-level fame that surrounds BoJack". She likened it to 30 Rock in its ability to "[present] big ideas without having to commit to them".

Chris Mitchell from Popzara was equally optimistic about the show's future, saying that "Fans of FX's Archer or Fox's Bob's Burgers will definitely want to check this one out, as its rapid-fire delivery is always consciously spot-on". The New York Times described the show as "hilarious and ribald". Margaret Lyons of Vulture gave a positive review, describing it as "radically sad. I love it".

However, the second half of the season received much more positive reviews. Ben Travers of Indiewire believed one possible reason for mixed reviews of the show was critics reviewing only the first half of the season, with the second half changing drastically in tone and developing a darker and deeper meaning. This change was so drastic it resulted in Indiewire changing its policy to only review entire seasons of shows on Netflix, instead of just the first six episodes, which would have boosted BoJack Horseman's C+ grade.