Enter the network executives. They hate the mirror. They hate the silence. They want "attitude." They want "edge" that appeals to teenagers who buy sugar-frosted cereal. Under pressure, the show begins a slow, agonizing transformation. The black-and-white film is replaced with neon lights. The existential dread is swapped for a catchphrase: "Wassup, bitches!"
As the credits roll to the sound of a synthesized fart, the room is deafeningly quiet. [S3E2] The BoJack Horseman Show
"BoJack, honey," Princess Carolyn sighs, her eyes darting between her ringing phones. "The network doesn't want high art. They want the horse who says 'Whaaaat?' and slips on a banana peel. We need to find a middle ground before they pull the plug." Enter the network executives
"So..." BoJack says, his voice cracking. "We're thinking Season 2 is where it really finds its feet, right?" They want "attitude
The year is 2007, and BoJack Horseman is standing in a room full of people who are paid to tell him he’s a genius. This is the birth of The BoJack Horseman Show .
The show was cancelled before the West Coast airing finished. BoJack spent the next seven years on his couch, rewatching Horsin' Around and wondering why the "serious art" felt so much lonelier than the sitcom.
BoJack tries to fight it, but the lure of a "hit" is too strong. He lets them add a wacky neighbor. He lets them add a laugh track. By the time they reach tape night, the show is a bloated, nonsensical mess of toilet humor and forced cynicism.