Will BoJack Horseman Season 7 Ever Happen?
In January 2020, "BoJack Horseman" — by any measure one of the greatest TV series of the last decade — came to a close after six seasons. It ended on a bit of a familiar note, with BoJack (Will Arnett) and Diane (Alison Brie) sitting on a rooftop, having a conversation that's at first hilarious, then takes something of a profound turn, before closing on the two sitting in a silence that is equal parts awkward and comfortable.
The rollercoaster final season saw BoJack complete rehab, become a professor at Wesleyan University, deal with the fallout of some of the very shadiest of his past actions, relapse super-hard, nearly die, and — finally — make a measure of amends with the most important people (and animals) in his life. From Diane to Todd (Aaron Paul) to Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) to Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), BoJack's relationships all ended up in pretty okay places by the time the sweet strains of Catherine Feeny's "Mr. Blue" took us to the credits; it's hard to imagine a better ending to BoJack's story. (And by that, we mean that said story probably should've ended in the disaster that the harrowing and brilliant penultimate episode, "The View From Halfway Down," portended.)
However, it's hard to deny that creatively, it sure seems like "BoJack" had quite a bit of gas left in the tank. This is a good thing — a show that good doesn't come along very often, and when it does, it's best for it to not overstay its welcome. It's worth asking the question, though: will a seventh season of "BoJack Horseman" ever happen?
We won't keep you in suspense: the chances of that are so slim as to be nil. Sorry, fans, we hate to write it as much as you hate to read it, but "BoJack" is done.
BoJack Horseman's creator seems to think its legacy is complete
In an interview with NPR published the day after the series' final episodes premiered on Netflix, "BoJack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg waxed philosophical about the series legacy, and how he used an ostensibly silly cartoon about talking animals to explore issues that many creatives can't or won't touch.
"I think in terms of the show, we kind of come at it from two levels," Waksberg said. "One, is what is the redemption or forgiveness that BoJack is owed, or is seeking from the public at large? And then also, what are the private amends he needs to make, or how does he salvage the personal relationships that he has with the people in his life? And I think those are two different questions that require two different answers... And I don't know if we as an industry, or a society, or as individuals have found satisfying answers to these questions."
Waksberg headed into similarly heady territory with his recent Amazon series "Undone," and while "BoJack" may be over, we get the feeling that he's not finished shining a light on the personal and interpersonal struggles that define the human (or horseman) experience.
"['BoJack'] was not a show that set the world on fire," he said. "This is not 'Friends,' but it's a show that's connected with people. And every time I meet someone who says, you know, your show meant something to me, your show changed the way I see myself. Your show helped me articulate a feeling that I had that I was never able to identify. I think, like, wow, we did it, you know, which is — it's tremendously encouraging."
If you ask us, "Friends" is fine, but we'll take "BoJack" — in our humble opinion, one of the three or four greatest television series of all time — any day.
Netflix canceled BoJack Horseman outright
When discussing the potential of a seventh "BoJack Horseman" season, something important to consider is the fact that it didn't merely end as a result of the story coming to a pre-planned conclusion. Netflix canceled it outright, letting Raphael Bob-Waksberg and his team know that Season 6 would be the big finale. As he told Vulture, he once asked Netflix to give him a heads-up when the show had run its course. Sure enough, when Season 6 rolled around, the streamer told him in advance that it would be BoJack's last hurrah, affording him the chance to end the story in an organic fashion.
Despite working with Netflix to conclude "BoJack Horseman" as properly as possible, Waksberg has expressed that he's not entirely against keeping the franchise alive in other ways. "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," he explained to Vulture. At the same time, he's not actively working on anything of the sort, and it's not likely he will any time soon. He adds, "I feel like there's something nice about making a thing, and that's the thing, then going on to make other things."
Will Arnett wouldn't mind voicing BoJack again down the road
If, by some stroke of luck, one more season of "BoJack Horseman" or a piece of spin-off media comes to fruition, there's one name that must be on the cast list for it to be a success: Will Arnett. For all six seasons of the show, he voiced BoJack to perfection by consistently turning out vocal performances that ranged from hilarious to heartbreaking. Without him, any kind of "BoJack" revival would be missing a key ingredient, but would he return to the role? As the man himself has revealed, he's not opposed to doing so.
In August of 2021, Arnett sat down with Digital Spy to discuss the end of "BoJack Horseman" and the future of the world and the characters it brought to popular culture. During the chat, he touched on his willingness to play BoJack once again, and he seems pretty open to it. "I think that I have such faith in Raphael [Bob-Waksberg], I think that he's such a unique, talented voice, that were he to say 'Hey, I've got another story that I want to tell in this world,' I would fall right in line behind him," Arnett said.
With that, time will tell what the future holds for "BoJack Horseman," but as it stands, holding your breath for Season 7 would be highly unwise.