BoJack Horseman season 5

Season of television series

BoJack Horseman

Season 5

Season 5 promotional poster

Starring|

* Will Arnett
* Amy Sedaris
* Alison Brie
* Paul F. Tompkins
* Aaron Paul

No. of episodes| 12
Release
Original network| Netflix
Original release| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)
Season chronology

← Previous
Season 4

Next →
Season 6

List of episodes

The fifth season of the American animated television series BoJack Horseman was released on Netflix on September 14, 2018, and consisted of 12 episodes.[1][2] The series continues to focus on anthropomorphic horse BoJack Horseman, a washed-up 1990s sitcom star who plans a return to relevance with an autobiography written by ghostwriter Diane Nguyen.

The season picks up where the previous season left off, with BoJack reconnecting with his mother, marriage troubles between Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter, and Princess Carolyn contemplating starting a family.

Season five was met with near universal acclaim upon release. The season includes one of the series' most acclaimed episodes, Free Churro, which received an Emmy Award nomination. Actress Issa Rae received a nomination at the 50th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for her work on the show. Critics noted the season's emotion and commentary, notably on the #MeToo movement. Season five contains many guest stars, including Wanda Sykes, Issa Rae, and Jessica Biel.

## Cast and characters

[edit]

### Main

[edit]

* Will Arnett as BoJack Horseman
* Amy Sedaris as Princess Carolyn
* Alison Brie as Diane Nguyen
* Paul F. Tompkins as Mr. Peanutbutter
* Aaron Paul as Todd Chavez

### Recurring

[edit]

* Rami Malek as Flip McVicker
* Stephanie Beatriz as Gina Cazador
* Hong Chau as Pickles Aplenty

### Guest

[edit]

* Ed Helms as Kyle
* Natalie Morales as Yolanda Buenaventura
* Issa Rae as Dr. Indira, Diane's therapist
* Laura Linney as herself
* Wanda Sykes as Mary Beth, Dr. Indira's wife and a corporate mediator
* Eva Longoria as Yolanda's mother
* John Leguizamo as Yolanda's father
* Bobby Cannavale as Vance Waggoner
* Angela Bassett as Ana Spanakopita
* Jaime Pressly as Sadie
* David Sedaris as Cutie Cutie Cupcake, Princess Carolyn's mother
* Jessica Biel as herself
* Aparna Nancherla as Hollyhock Manheim-Mannheim-Guerrero-Robinson-Zilberschlag-Hsung-Fonzerelli-McQuack
* Ken Jeong as Dr. Allen Hu
* Raúl Esparza as Ralph Stilton
* Brian Tyree Henry as Cooper Thomas Rogers Wallace, Jr.
* Daveed Diggs as Cooper Thomas Rogers Wallace, Sr.
* Margo Martindale as Esteemed Character Actress Margo Martindale
* Whoopi Goldberg as Mikhaela
* James Adomian as Stuart, Princess Carolyn's assistant
* Abbi Jacobson as Emily
* Daniele Gaither as Biscuits Braxby

## Episodes

[edit]

Further information: List of BoJack Horseman episodes

No.
overall| No. in
season| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date| Prod.
code

|
|
|
|
|
|

50| 1| "The Light Bulb Scene"| Adam Parton| Kate Purdy| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 501

Well into the production of Philbert, BoJack is having casual sex with his costar Gina Cazador and finds himself confused and aggravated by Flip. When he criticizes a scene where Philbert goes to a strip club, Flip changes it to him drawing Gina's character naked. He again asks for it to be changed, and so Flip writes a new scene where Philbert screws in a light bulb while naked. BoJack tries to get Todd to infiltrate WhatTimeIsItRightNow.com after Yolanda asks him to get a job, but he ends up becoming president of ad sales and is unable to help BoJack. BoJack also admits to Princess Carolyn that he feels uncomfortable doing the show because Philbert is a character that reflects the worst parts of him, but both she and Flip promise that he and the character are separate people, and he does the scene. Mr. Peanutbutter picks Diane up from the airport and hands over his completed divorce papers.

51| 2| "The Dog Days Are Over"| Amy Winfrey| Joanna Calo| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 502

After Diane's therapist suggests she break her routine, she decides to go to a party at Mr. Peanutbutter's house but learns he is dating pug waitress Pickles Aplenty. She abruptly leaves for Hanoi, Vietnam, her family's country of origin, but finds herself out of touch with the culture. She quickly adapts to it and meets an American film crew member who does not believe she speaks English, a ruse she perpetuates until she accidentally speaks when a light falls next to her. Diane returns home to be given her signed divorce papers; she tells Mr. Peanutbutter that she is happy for him in his new relationship, but breaks down crying in private.

52| 3| "Planned Obsolescence"| Aaron Long| Elijah Aron| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 503

BoJack discovers that Gina has a love for musicals and was always interested in singing, so he convinces Flip and Princess Carolyn to listen to her perform without telling her beforehand. She gives a mediocre performance and leaves embarrassed, and while she acknowledges that BoJack making her do it cleared up any ambiguity about her chances, she asks him to not get involved in her personal life again. Mr. Peanutbutter convinces Pickles to watch the International Space Station being blown up with him despite her worries that they are moving too fast, and accidentally admits that he still has feelings for Diane. Yolanda takes Todd to meet her hypersexual family, where her twin sister tries to seduce him by dressing as Yolanda, and her mother deduces that he is asexual and asks him to help her discover her own asexuality. After a mishap with a barrel of ancient lube leads to a fight, Yolanda comes out to her family and is accepted, but Todd breaks up with her after realizing she lied to her family about his credentials to make him look more impressive.

53| 4| "BoJack the Feminist"| Anne Walker Farrell| Nick Adams| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 504

Diane is deeply disturbed when Flip casts bigoted, misogynistic Vance Waggoner as Philbert's troubled partner. Mr. Peanutbutter is hurt that Princess Carolyn thinks he is not gritty enough for a reboot of Dog Day Afternoon, so he sets out to cause as much conflict as possible, but only ends up helping everyone he meets. BoJack is hailed as a feminist icon after he expresses unrelated disgust at an award ceremony for Waggoner, which escalates when he says that choking women is wrong and becomes a sensation. Waggoner ducks any further controversy by proclaiming himself a feminist and drops out of Philbert, and Princess Carolyn brings in Mr. Peanutbutter to play his role. BoJack realizes that Philbert is perpetuating misogyny despite claiming to be a deconstruction of it, and asks Diane to come on as a consultant, which she agrees to despite Flip's sexist attitude. Ana Spanakopita, Waggoner's publicist, meets with Diane to inform him that he has again been fired from his new film for bigotry, but also plays for her the recording of BoJack alluding to the incident in New Mexico.

54| 5| "The Amelia Earhart Story"| Adam Parton| Joe Lawson| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 505

As a young woman in Eden, North Carolina, Princess Carolyn falls for and is impregnated by the son of the wealthy family she cleans for. Her mother gives her her necklace and encourages her to marry into the family for the good of hers, but Princess Carolyn miscarries and instead leaves for Los Angeles to go to college. In the present, she returns to meet Sadie, a teen mother who is looking to give her unborn child up for adoption. Through a series of phone calls, she learns that BoJack injured his back in a stunt accident on the Philbert set. She tries her best to charm Sadie by reverting to her old Eden mannerisms, but Sadie sees through the ruse and decides she is not a suitable candidate to adopt.

55| 6| "Free Churro"| Amy Winfrey| Raphael Bob-Waksberg| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 506

In a flashback, Butterscotch picks BoJack up from soccer practice after a depressed Beatrice fails to get him, and spends the entire car ride complaining about her. In the present, Beatrice dies and BoJack speaks at her funeral, his eulogy eventually becoming about himself as he tries to deconstruct his warped views on love, the relationship between him and his parents, and his mother's last words, which he realizes were actually her reading the sign on the wall of the intensive care unit. BoJack comes to a realization that while he will never have the good relationship with Beatrice that he always wanted and that he does not understand what she wanted herself, she deserves the open casket that she requested and opens it, only to realize he was in the wrong funeral parlor the entire time.

56| 7| "INT. SUB"| Aaron Long| Alison Tafel| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 507

A married couple, Diane's therapist and a mediator for WhatTimeIsItRightNow.com, tell each other recent work stories where all the characters are changed to nonsensical versions of themselves. Diane's therapist tells her to give herself space from BoJack after she is put off by what she heard about him, and so BoJack tracks her down and she convinces him to take her services. Diane is hurt when she finds out and stops seeing her therapist, only for BoJack to quit when he learns that he was in therapy the whole time. Princess Carolyn requests a new office from Todd, but he is upset that she supposedly ate the last piece of string cheese in their apartment, leading to a fight that resolves when Todd finds his cheese and agrees to start paying rent. Diane confronts BoJack and becomes enraged when he says they are the same. She rewrites a scene so it reflects the circumstances of what Diane heard on the recording, something only she and BoJack will understand.

57| 8| "Mr. Peanutbutter's Boos"| Anne Walker Farrell| Kelly Galuska| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 508

The episode is told over four separate Halloween parties at BoJack's house, where at each party Mr. Peanutbutter takes a different partner. In 1993, he brings Katrina, who gets in a fight with him after he continually abandons her against his wishes. In 2004, he brings Jessica Biel, who fights with him after she sees BoJack dressed as a mummy, which invokes her fear of them. He takes Diane in 2009, where Diane, a big fan of BoJack, tries to talk to him just as he learns that Butterscotch died. Taking his reaction as a dismissal, she berates Mr. Peanutbutter for taking her to a party when he knows they make her uncomfortable, and he promises to never do it again. Todd, meanwhile, moves in with BoJack. In 2018, Mr. Peanutbutter takes Pickles, but upsets her when he cannot stop talking about his three ex-wives. Diane points out to Mr. Peanutbutter that his problem is his ability to grow up with his partners, and she promises Pickles that she will be alright if she manages to get through the party.

58| 9| "Ancient History"| Peter Merryman| Rachel Kaplan| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 509

Season one of Philbert wraps production, leaving Mr. Peanutbutter to ponder his next career move. Princess Carolyn is forced to meet with Ralph when Mr. Peanutbutter pitches a show based on a copyrighted greeting card made by his company. She then learns there is a mother putting her almost born baby up for adoption. Ralph drives her to the hospital, but she is forced to tell him that she does not consider him a part of her life anymore, which inspires the mother to keep the baby. Emily creates a dating app for asexuals and Todd notices she is distracted by her continuous stream of unfulfilling boyfriends, so he creates a poorly designed sex robot named Henry Fondle, which she is put off by. Hollyhock comes to visit and dumps BoJack's painkillers in a panic when she finds them, forcing them to try and get more, which leads to BoJack unintentionally committing to a relationship with Gina while trying to steal some from her house. BoJack and Hollyhock get caught in a sting operation during a drug deal and flee, during which Hollyhock boosts herself over a fence on BoJack's back and realizes he does not need his pills for pain. When she confronts him about this, an incensed BoJack tells her she can't understand the emotional pain he's been facing his whole life, and the "one bad experience" she had with his mom is tame compared to what he's endured. Before she departs, BoJack apologizes to Hollyhock and promises not to take painkillers unless he's injured again. After she leaves, BoJack gives into his withdrawal and impulsively drives into oncoming traffic.

59| 10| "Head in the Clouds"| Amy Winfrey| Peter A. Knight| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 510

Two months later, BoJack has almost recovered from his broken arm, has increased his painkiller consumption, and has still not publicized his relationship with Gina. The day of the Philbert premiere, Princess Carolyn learns that Flip lifted a line in the show from a joke on a popsicle stick, and the two estranged joke writers come demanding compensation. Princess Carolyn instead fixes the relationship between the two and they sign a release form. While trying to get rid of Henry Fondle, Todd ends up taking him to work, and the robot becomes the CEO of the company by complete accident. At the premiere, Diane is put off by BoJack saying that the show made him feel better about the wrongs he has done, and privately confronts him, getting him to admit to what he did with Penny after a long argument. Disturbed, Diane leaves in disgust and accidentally untethers a giant Philbert balloon, while a shaken BoJack impulsively kisses a now successful Gina in front of a crowd. Henry Fondle orders a second season of Philbert. Mr. Peanutbutter drives Diane home, upset by Pickles not staying to watch the premiere, and she invites him inside after a tender conversation where she decides to quit the show.

60| 11| "The Showstopper"| Aaron Long| Elijah Aron| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 511

In the second season of Philbert, a series of strangulations start to occur. BoJack begins to hallucinate the runaway Philbert balloon and brief flashes of his everyday life being on a dark TV set, as well as a golden set of stairs leading up to a bright destination. When he receives a letter under his door that promises to expose his deeds, (actually a Philbert advertisement) he begins to conflate his real life with Philbert's and investigates everyone close to him, including Diane, Princess Carolyn, and Charlotte. He has a bizarre musical dream performed by Gina that questions the true motivation of his addiction to fame. Gina finds his stashes of painkillers and leaves him when he tries to take them back by force, while on the show, her character discovers Philbert is actually the one responsible for the stranglings. He starts to choke her, and BoJack does not stop when Flip ends the take, forcing Mr. Peanutbutter to pull him off as everyone watches in horror. BoJack flashes out of reality to the stairs and ascends them, finding himself in a crudely drawn empty space with the Philbert balloon floating above him.

61| 12| "The Stopped Show"| Anne Walker Farrell| Joanna Calo| September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)| 512

Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane argue over having sex after the Philbert premiere two months prior, but end up having sex again. After another argument, Diane seems to convince Mr. Peanutbutter to be honest with Pickles and rejects his offer to start another relationship, but he is unable to tell Pickles the truth and instead proposes to her. BoJack awakens unable to remember the previous night until Princess Carolyn shows him a video taken of it, having been leaked to the media. She sets up an interview with chinchilla Biscuits Braxby, who softballs BoJack and Gina during their interview. Gina tells BoJack that she will not take action against him for the sake of her burgeoning career, but never wants to interact with him again outside their professional lives. Henry Fondle is ousted from WhatTimeIsItRightNow.com for his sexual misconduct, and Todd takes him out to a field to kill him with a taser. Philbert is cancelled as a result, giving Princess Carolyn the opening she needs to go to Eden just as Sadie gives birth to a female porcupine; Sadie she gives it to Princess Carolyn for being the only prospective parent that was kind to her. BoJack asks Diane to write an article about all his misdeeds, but she instead takes him to a rehab clinic. He asks her why she is helping him after all he has put her through, and she tells him a story about a friend who abandoned her in high school, but who she still took care of when she went through a crisis. As BoJack walks inside, Diane warmly waves to him before driving away.

## Production

[edit]

### Development

[edit]

Series creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg served as an executive producer for the season.

Thirteen days after the fourth season's release, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth season in September 2017.[3] Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Steven A. Cohen, and Noel Bright continued to serve as executive producers for the season.[4] Cast members Will Arnett and Aaron Paul also returned as executive producers alongside production company The Tornante Company.[4] Shortly following the season's release, Netflix renewed the series for a sixth and final season.[5]

### Casting

[edit]

Will Arnett and Aaron Paul continued to appear as the series' titular protagonist BoJack Horseman and Todd, respectively.[6] Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, and Paul F. Tompkins were also confirmed to return for the season.[6] Season five also includes multiple guest stars, notably including Wanda Sykes, Issa Rae, and Jessica Biel.[7] Rami Malek stars as Flip McVickers, a recurring character present in the season.[7]

## Marketing and release

[edit]

To promote the series' renewal, Netflix posted a video announcement on social media, showcasing a text exchange between a "Netflix exec” and BoJack, who informs him of the renewal.[8] Prior to it's release, it was reported the season would premiere on the subscription-based streaming video on demand platform Netflix, like all previous seasons of the show.[9] The season was released on September 14, 2018, consisting of 12 episodes[6][2]

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical response

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 92/100[10]
Rotten Tomatoes| 98%[11]
Review scores
Source| Rating
Vox|
The A.V. Club| B+[12]
IGN| 9.6/10[7]

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 98% based on 48 reviews, with an average score of 9.3. The site's consensus reads "BoJack Horseman continues confidently down the thematic rabbit hole with a fresh and poignant season that's as devastating as it is hilarious".[11] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the season holds a score of 92 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim [10] For Vox, Emily VanDerWerff gave the season a score of 4.5 out of 5, praising the show's "truly sustained artistic response to the #MeToo movement".[13] Ben Travers of IndieWire, who writes that the "series seems infallible", notes the season's effort to look inward and address controversy, even its own.[14] Les Chappell writing for The A.V. Club called the season "painfully funny and also one of the most incisive looks at the [human condition] there is". The review notes "The Light Bulb Scene" as a highlight of the season.[12] In a review from IGN, Alicia Lutes praised the season, saying it "continues [the series'] streak" of "storytelling and emotional risks".[7]

### Accolades and nominations

[edit]

At the 46th Annie Awards the season won two awards, Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production and Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production for "The Dog Days are Over" and "Free Churro", respectively.[15] The season was also nominated at the 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program, also for "Free Churro", but ultimately lost to an episode of The Simpsons. [16] The season won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Animated Series in 2019.[17] Issa Rae received a nomination at the 50th NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, but lost to Samuel L. Jackson for Incredibles 2.[18]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Clopton, Ellis (June 27, 2018). "TV Roundup: 'BoJack Horseman' Sets Season 5 Premiere Date". Variety. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
2. ^ a b "BoJack Horseman season 5: How many episodes are in the new series? | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV | Express.co.uk". www.express.co.uk. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
3. ^ "'BoJack Horseman' Renewed for Fifth Season at Netflix". EW.com. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
4. ^ a b Petski, Denise (September 21, 2017). "'Bojack Horseman' Renewed For Season 5 At Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
5. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (October 30, 2018). "'BoJack Horseman' Renewed for Season 6 at Netflix (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
6. ^ a b c Lawrence, Derek (June 27, 2018). "BoJack Horseman season 5 gets release date, first look". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
7. ^ a b c d Lutes, Alicia (September 14, 2018). "BoJack Horseman: Season 5 Review". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
8. ^ Otterson, Joe (September 21, 2017). "'BoJack Horseman' Renewed for Season 5 at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
9. ^ Baysinger, Tim (September 4, 2018). "'BoJack Horseman' Season 5 Trailer: Will Arnett's Cartoon Horse Is Back on TV, Still a Complete Mess (Video)". TheWrap. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
10. ^ a b "BoJack Horseman: Season 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
11. ^ a b "BoJack Horseman: Season 5". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
12. ^ a b "BoJack Horseman's back to work in season five, and he's uncomfortably close to home". AV Club. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
13. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (September 15, 2018). "BoJack Horseman season 5 is a bold, bracing look at a culture that shirks responsibility". Vox. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
14. ^ Travers, Ben (September 14, 2018). "'BoJack Horseman' Has Become So Great It's Beyond Reproach — So Season 5 Critiques Itself". IndieWire. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
15. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (February 2, 2019). "Annie Awards: 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Wins Best Animated Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
16. ^ Carras, Christi; Nordyke, Kimberly (September 14, 2019). "Creative Arts Emmys: Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
17. ^ DaMour, Henrique (January 13, 2019). "Critics' Choice Awards 2019: See the full winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
18. ^ "NAACP Awards: 'Black-ish,' 'Black Panther' Top Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. March 30, 2019. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* BoJack Horseman at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

BoJack Horseman

Episodes|

| Season 1|

* "BoJack Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Story, Chapter One"
* "BoJack Hates the Troops"
* "Say Anything"

|

Season 2|

* "Brand New Couch"
* "Hank After Dark"
* "Escape from L.A."
* "Out to Sea"

Season 3|

* "Fish Out of Water"
* "Stop the Presses"
* "That's Too Much, Man!"

Season 4|

* "Thoughts and Prayers"
* "Stupid Piece of Sh*t"
* "Ruthie"
* "Time's Arrow"

Season 5|

* "The Light Bulb Scene"
* "Free Churro"

Season 6|

* "The New Client"
* "The View from Halfway Down"
* "Nice While It Lasted"

Related|

* Characters
* BoJack Horseman
* Music
* Awards and nominations

* Category

*[No.]: Number
*[Prod.]: Production
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template