BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
Widely heralded as one of the best animated series of all time, BoJack Horseman is a must-binge. Embark on a psychedelic odyssey of self-recognition with talking horse BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), his posse of anthropomorphic animal pals and the occasional human thrown in for good measure. Set in the star-studded hills of Hollywood, Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s topsy-turvy reality follows BoJack, a washed-up sitcom star from the 90s, as he decides to reignite his career after years of partying and substance abuse. Featuring the voices of Alison Brie, Aaron Paul, Paul Tompkins, Amy Sedaris and Lisa Kudrow, it is impossible to not have ‘now where do I know that voice from’ moments.
Whilst beautifully funny, the show provides some of the most sincere and profound social commentary in recent years. It shines a light on repressed human fears and opens a vein on the hardships of depression, addiction, sexuality and inadequacy. By season five, the show takes a long hard look at sexual harassment and powerful men in the film industry and was praised by Emily VanDerWerff as being ‘the best artistic rumination on #MeToo and an age of terrible men yet’. The undeniable charm of this animation is that you are unlikely to find a better show that encapsulates the human condition than this one, about a talking horse.
The Real Housewives of Orange County (Hayu)
Being in self-isolation is like being in the airport. There is no concept of time and drinking is acceptable at any hour. So grab yourself a glass of wine (you have earned it) and settle down for some ‘quality’ trash TV. I could spin you some lines about how RHWOC is a compelling portrait of high society exposing poisonous hierarchies and the obsession with material wealth which plagues these mere victims of their environment. But I will not. I respect you too much. The truth is it is ridiculous, but hilarious in a really outlandish, eye-rolling kind of way.
There is very little in the way of gossip these days, but fear not, Hayu can provide 254-episodes worth of petty cat fights and midlife crises. These women will sabotage, gossip and fight for reasons never entirely clear, only to make up immediately. Rinse and repeat. Vicki Gunvalson sums up their attitudes best: ‘They’re not the popular girls. We’re the popular girls. They want to be like us and they can’t.’
Get ready to see what it would have been like if teenagers in their most unbearably entitled phase were given mansions and credit cards. It is not profound, but it is certainly binge-worthy.
Words by Jonathan Rose and Tara Fair.