The saddest show on television is not a drama but rather a half-hour animated comedy. 

"BoJack Horseman," which is ramping up for its second season on Netflix, has gained a loyal following, but it still remains television's best kept secret.

"BoJack Horseman" was the best show of 2014. I stand by that claim, and believe that "BoJack" could even take that spot again in a very crowded field of contenders. 

The animated series takes place in a version of Hollywood inhabited by both humans and anthropomorphic animals. BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett) is a horse who was also the star of 1990s sitcom "Horsin' Around." Now, BoJack is a burned-out, boozing has-been who lives in a big empty mansion with no one but Todd (Aaron Paul) who calls BoJack's couch home. 

Season one saw BoJack hit some incredible lows. 

After his memoir, ghost-written by Diane (Alison Brie) becomes a hit, BoJack is once again in the public spotlight and now up for his dream role as Secretariat. Thus, season two starts on a more optimistic note. 

Animation and serialization often don't go hand-in-hand. Some of the greatest animated shows of all time, from "The Simpsons" to "South Park," typically start over every episode. Therefore, Homer can accidently destroy Springfield and Kenny can die in every episode and come back just fine. However, if BoJack says something heartless and terrible to Diane (which happened a lot during season one), she will still be mad at him in the next episode. 

"BoJack" will take you by surprise. For anybody who has ever gotten a kick out of the idea of animals acting like humans, then "BoJack" is paradise. There is no science involved, but this show is very detailed about what it would be like if animals acted like humans. 

And the human characters are equally ridiculous. In season one, BoJack's agent Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) dates Vincent Adultman, who is clearly three small children stacked on top of each other in a trench coat. However, Princess Carolyn is so used to taking care of the immature BoJack that she has no idea what an actual adult male behaves like. Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has also stated that this character represents his worldview that nobody really knows what they are doing, and all adults might as well be tall children.

The show's goofiness hides its dark, emotional heart. BoJack is one of the most honest portrayals of depression and loneliness that I can think of. In a season one episode, BoJack sincerely asks a crowd of people whether or not he is a bad person and it is chilling. Like any confident comedy, "BoJack Horseman" knows that you don't need constant jokes in order to be great.

Season two continues to take some bold storytelling risks and because it doesn't have to introduce an entire world, it gets off to an even stronger start than season one. BoJack has finally landed his dream role and he might have even found love, but given that this is "BoJack Horseman," that doesn't mean he is happy. 

Just a few episodes into season two and the show has decided to slow down its main storyline in favor of character development. So far, this has been a fantastic success.

One standalone episode, which is a series of vignettes centered around the show's three main romances, is unlike anything I've seen in an animated show. In another great example of how the show uses silly to bring out serious, Todd spends an entire episode trying to save a chicken from the slaughterhouse. What seems like another divergent Todd caper turns into a character study of Todd trying to find his purpose in life.

Like many sitcoms, "BoJack Horseman" isn't immune to having one character who doesn't quite fit in to the rest of the story. However, "BoJack" is also smart enough to comment on this.

Oh yes, "BoJack Horseman" is still a comedy, and one that is perfectly tailored for Netflix. Like "Arrested Development" (also starring Will Arnett), it is layered with jokes.

It is the kind of show that is meant to be paused, rewound, and rewatched over and over again. It is fun enough trying to figure out which celebrity voiced who when the names pop up in the opening credits (there is a brief one this season that has to be seen to be believed). Let's just say that "BoJack Horseman" is the only show I've ever watched with a talking horse that I have built a serious emotional bond with.

All 12 episodes of season two of "BoJack Horseman" will be on Netflix on July 17.

SEE ALSO: How A Comedian With No Experience Got Such Huge Names To Join 'BoJack Horseman'

SEE ALSO: Everyone’s freaking out about this incredible fake trailer for a Netflix show

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: If this hilarious trailer doesn't sell you on Season 2 of Netflix's dark cartoon comedy — nothing will

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the fourth episode of season two of "BoJack Horseman."

Netflix's original animated series "BoJack Horseman" has landed some huge names to lend voices to the show. During its short run, it has gotten Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons to play a tortoise and Naomi Watts to play herself. 

In the fourth episode of season two, entitled "After the Party," it landed its biggest star to date. 

In the episode, Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) throws his wife Diane (Alison Brie) a surprise party, despite the fact that she hates both surprises and parties. The party is immediately ruined after they get into a big fight.

Throughout the episode, it's hinted that Paul McCartney is hiding inside a giant birthday cake.

Throughout the entire episode a potential McCartney appearance is teased, but you don't think much of it.

Then in the episode's final moments, long after the party ended, McCartney actually bursts out of the cake, but no no one's around to see or know he was there.

He has a few quick lines.

"Surprise!" McCartney sings before noticing everyone has left.

"Hello? Anybody? This is Paul McCartney," he says.

Disappointed, he gets out of the cake.

"I came all this way to jump out of a cake? Honest. With a new suit on. Aye-yai-yai," he says before the episode ends.

It might be hard to believe, but as revealed in the credits, that is, indeed, former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney:

"BoJack" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg was so uncertain McCartney would actually lend his voice to the show, that he had a backup cameo of sorts planned.

"A lot of our celebrities who kind of play themselves ... we don't really know who its gonna be," Bob-Waksberg told Business Insider. "It's kind of an 'insert celebrity here' situation. Someone's gonna be in that cake and jump out. We talked like 'Who's the celebrity gonna be' and at first we had Kevin Bigley who did a lot of voices on our show. He kind of did an impression of Michael Bublé which is really funny. And then we got this email from Linda [Lamontagne] our casting director saying 'Hey, I think we can get this guy [Paul McCartney].' And I was like, 'No way! I don't believe you! We're sticking with the Michael Bublé impression.'" 

While Bob-Waksberg had his doubts about whether or not McCartney would actually come on the show, casting director Linda Lamontagne used the word "tenacity" when describing how she eventually got McCartney to appear on the show.

"It's the material ... it's the script ... the scripts are so good on this show that they [McCartney's company] did respond." Lamontagne told Business Insider. "It took a little bit and we sort of had to wait it out for when we could get him and we were fortunate to be able to record him when he was in New York."

It was a cameo so surprising that even Bob-Waksberg didn't know it was going to happen until the last second. 

"I was driving to work one day and I stopped for a smoothie and I was waiting for my smoothie and I got a call from Noel Bright, our executive producer, who said, 'Hey, did you get that email this morning?' And I said, 'No, what email?' And he said 'Yeah, he's [McCartney's] recording today. He's calling in in five minutes. You need to get over here.' And so I ran out of the smoothie place, got into my car and raced to the studio." recalled Bob-Waksberg.

Bob-Waksberg eventually made it to the office on time to record McCartney (he describes the musical legend as "a real sweetheart"). 

Typically, "Bojack Horseman" is made in Los Angeles. When they use voices of actors who live in other cities, they will typically go to a studio in whatever city they live in and Bob-Waksberg will direct them over the phone. However, they bent the rules a bit for McCartney.

"With him, because he's such a big star, we actually sent a guy with a microphone to his house. That's some real special treatment." said Bob-Waksberg.

Season two of "BoJack Horseman" begins streaming on Netflix on July 17.

SEE ALSO: Why you should watch 'BoJack Horseman'

AND: There is one essential rule that 'BoJack Horseman' animators have to follow

AND: 2 rejected characters that didn't make it onto "Bojack Horseman"

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: If this hilarious trailer doesn't sell you on Season 2 of Netflix's dark cartoon comedy — nothing will

Netflix has changed how we watch television in many ways.

Thanks to addicting shows like "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards" which are put out all at once, Netflix can be thanked for introducing binge-watching to the world.

While some people think binge watching might not be healthy for you, Netflix has also had an undeniably positive influence on comedy. That is most evident in its animated series "BoJack Horseman," which is almost impossible to picture on any traditional network.

"BoJack" is filled to the brim with background jokes. It is the kind of show where you have to pay attention to multiple parts of the screen at once. Sure, the dialogue and situations are all funny, but blink and you'll miss a hilarious sign or t-shirt somebody is wearing.

Netflix makes this all possible.

"Because you can watch things over and over again on Netflix, with that model of show watching, I want people to want to go back and pause and rewatch everything to catch all the background gags." Co-Producer and Production Designer Lisa Hanawalt said in an interview with Business Insider. "It's really just a way of fleshing out everything in the show."

While another of Netflix's original comedies, "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," was originally made for network television, "BoJack Horseman" was really sculpted to accommodate binge-watching viewers.

"Yeah, I mean we really did design it for Netflix. It would be a really different show if it was on a regular TV channel." Hanawalt said. 

The "Netflix model" can have its challenges. For a drama, it is hard to talk about all the twists when everybody is watching it at a different pace. However, it finally means people are watching comedies from beginning to end in order, making it better to tell a story, and easier to cram in more jokes.

Because it is streaming, "BoJack" has been able to take a lot of creative risks.

"I've seen criticisms of not just our show but of other Netflix shows as well. They're saying, 'oh, you know, if this was on a week-to-week schedule it wouldn't work. And well, it's not on a week-to-week schedule. That's the point." Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg told Business Insider. 

"It's a different way to watch television, and a different way to make television. We definitely write towards that and the way we think about our season arcs and the way we kind of push things forward. My thinking is, if people are gonna watch these episodes in order, we don't have to re-establish things all the time. We don't have to repeat ourselves the way other shows would have to." 

All of this allows for the kind of jokes that you might miss the first time around.

"There's no reason to kind of do the same thing twice because, you know, if people want to watch episode five again, then they can go back and watch episode five." Bob-Waksberg said.

Those who do go back and rewatch will be rewarded with even bigger laughs. There are some running jokes such as Vincent Adultman, that are pretty clear. Then there are others you might not spot right away.

In this one scene, you were likely paying attention to BoJack (Will Arnett) and Todd (Aaron Paul) fighting:

In the background is the site of a crocodile wearing Crocs, which is just one of the show's many elaborate animal-based visual puns.

Here's another densely packed shot:

In just this shot alone, you see Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) using a bone as a coffee stirrer. Meanwhile, there is one crew member in the background wearing a "Misprints" shirt, a play on the band Misfits.

Meanwhile, another crew member wears a shirt that says "I'm A Zelda," which refers to a debate over two characters from the show within the show called "Mr. Peanutbutter's House."

This model has allowed the writers to look at the show's story overall and make sure that it is constantly changing.

"...when we started work on season two there were jokes that we would pitch and we'd think, 'you know, that really sounds like a season one joke...season two BoJack wouldn't say that.' Things are shifting. Things are changing. I think that definitely comes from working on the Netflix model and thinking about that." Bob-Waksberg said.

The complete second season of "BoJack Horseman" will be available on Netflix Friday, July 17.

SEE ALSO: The most emotional and bold show on TV is an animated comedy about a talking horse

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: If this hilarious trailer doesn't sell you on Season 2 of Netflix's dark cartoon comedy — nothing will

When you're creating an animated show revolving around anthropomorphic animals, there are certainly a lot of creative liberties you can take.

Of allthe cartoons that have ever involved human-like animals, few have been as unique in their approach to the subject as "BoJack Horseman." The show chronicles a depressed former sitcom star (Will Arnett) who happens to be a talking horse. In BoJack's world, humans and animals live amongst each other, and nobody bats an eye at it.

In order to maintain this unique and detailed world, the "BoJack Horseman" animators have to follow one small but essential rule: No tails.

Lisa Hanawalt, the show's production designer and co-producer, has been drawing pictures of animals since she was a kid without tails. She has been friends with "BoJack" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg since they first met at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California.

Hanawalt says the absence of tails is just part of her "personal style" of drawing.

"It's just sort of...not how I draw animals,"Hanawalt tells Business Insider. "I've drawn a couple animal people with tails in my personal work but it makes more sense to draw them without, and I'm not sure why." 

This decision isn't always easy though. There are some animals that are truly defined by their tails. Hanawalt almost broke her own rule when designing the lemurs in season one.

"Even for the lemurs in the first season I was like, 'Well should they have a tail?' Because with lemurs, the tail is pretty important. And we tried a version with them and a version without, and we were like 'Yeah, they just need to not have tails.'" Hanawalt said. 

However, there are times when rules do need to be broken.

For Lenny Turtletaub (J.K. Simmons), the hot shot producer who happens to be a tortoise, Hanawalt decided he needed to keep his shell on. 

During the season two episode "Escape From L.A.," a scorpion makes an appearance as a prom DJ, and a scorpion is nothing without its stinger.

"So he's got his big tail thing but I rationalize it by saying its coming out of his upper back." Hanawalt said.

This might be because there is a fine line to balance between bringing these anthropomorphic animals seem human while reminding us that they are human. While Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) might not have a tail, he still chases the mail truck just like any dog would do.

"In some ways we're making it up as we go along." Hanawalt concluded.

The entire second season of "BoJack Horseman" premieres on Netflix on July 17.

SEE ALSO: Why you should watch 'BoJack Horseman'

AND: This brilliant animated comedy on Netflix has mastered the art of writing for binge-watchers

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: If this hilarious trailer doesn't sell you on Season 2 of Netflix's dark cartoon comedy — nothing will

Meet Netflix's "BoJack Horseman," an animated comedy which brought surprising emotional stakes to a show about talking animals. Season 2 just rolled out to subscribers on Friday, July 17. And for some reason, nobody seems to know about this show.

Hopefully that will change.

"BoJack Horseman" was the best show of 2014. I stand by that claim, and believe that "BoJack" could even take that spot again in a very crowded field of contenders. 

At the end of last season, burned out 1990s sitcom star BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett) overcame a series of obstacles and disappointments and finally landed his dream role as Secretariat. Season one went to some incredibly dark places, but depending on how Bojack handles his comeback, this season could actually be uplifting.

Returning from last year's all-star voice cast is Aaron Paul (Todd), Alison Brie (Diane), Paul F. Tompkins (Mr. Peanutbutter), and Amy Sedaris (Princess Carolyn). This season also adds Lisa Kudrow as the voice of BoJack's new girlfriend. The trailer also teases a reunion between Bojack and his long estranged mother.

"Bojack Horseman" is back and I won't be surprised if it's better than ever.

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for the fourth episode of season two of "BoJack Horseman."

Netflix's original animated series "BoJack Horseman" has landed some huge names to lend voices to the show. During its short run, it has gotten Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons to play a tortoise and Naomi Watts to play herself. 

In the fourth episode of season two, entitled "After the Party," it landed its biggest star to date. 

In the episode, Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) throws his wife Diane (Alison Brie) a surprise party, despite the fact that she hates both surprises and parties. The party is immediately ruined after they get into a big fight.

Throughout the episode, it's hinted that Paul McCartney is hiding inside a giant birthday cake.

Throughout the entire episode a potential McCartney appearance is teased, but you don't think much of it.

Then in the episode's final moments, long after the party ended, McCartney actually bursts out of the cake, but no no one's around to see or know he was there.

He has a few quick lines.

"Surprise!" McCartney sings before noticing everyone has left.

"Hello? Anybody? This is Paul McCartney," he says.

Disappointed, he gets out of the cake.

"I came all this way to jump out of a cake? Honest. With a new suit on. Aye-yai-yai," he says before the episode ends.

It might be hard to believe, but as revealed in the credits, that is, indeed, former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney:

"BoJack" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg was so uncertain McCartney would actually lend his voice to the show, that he had a backup cameo of sorts planned.

"A lot of our celebrities who kind of play themselves ... we don't really know who its gonna be," Bob-Waksberg told Business Insider. "It's kind of an 'insert celebrity here' situation. Someone's gonna be in that cake and jump out. We talked like 'Who's the celebrity gonna be' and at first we had Kevin Bigley who did a lot of voices on our show. He kind of did an impression of Michael Bublé which is really funny. And then we got this email from Linda [Lamontagne] our casting director saying 'Hey, I think we can get this guy [Paul McCartney].' And I was like, 'No way! I don't believe you! We're sticking with the Michael Bublé impression.'" 

While Bob-Waksberg had his doubts about whether or not McCartney would actually come on the show, casting director Linda Lamontagne used the word "tenacity" when describing how she eventually got McCartney to appear on the show.

"It's the material ... it's the script ... the scripts are so good on this show that they [McCartney's company] did respond." Lamontagne told Business Insider. "It took a little bit and we sort of had to wait it out for when we could get him and we were fortunate to be able to record him when he was in New York."

It was a cameo so surprising that even Bob-Waksberg didn't know it was going to happen until the last second. 

"I was driving to work one day and I stopped for a smoothie and I was waiting for my smoothie and I got a call from Noel Bright, our executive producer, who said, 'Hey, did you get that email this morning?' And I said, 'No, what email?' And he said 'Yeah, he's [McCartney's] recording today. He's calling in in five minutes. You need to get over here.' And so I ran out of the smoothie place, got into my car and raced to the studio." recalled Bob-Waksberg.

Bob-Waksberg eventually made it to the office on time to record McCartney (he describes the musical legend as "a real sweetheart"). 

Typically, "Bojack Horseman" is made in Los Angeles. When they use voices of actors who live in other cities, they will typically go to a studio in whatever city they live in and Bob-Waksberg will direct them over the phone. However, they bent the rules a bit for McCartney.

"With him, because he's such a big star, we actually sent a guy with a microphone to his house. That's some real special treatment." said Bob-Waksberg.

Season two of "BoJack Horseman" begins streaming on Netflix on July 17.

SEE ALSO: Why you should watch 'BoJack Horseman'

AND: There is one essential rule that 'BoJack Horseman' animators have to follow

AND: 2 rejected characters that didn't make it onto "Bojack Horseman"

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: If this hilarious trailer doesn't sell you on Season 2 of Netflix's dark cartoon comedy — nothing will

"BoJack Horseman" production designer Lisa Hanawalt, who creates the shows wild anthropomorphic creatures, has a wild imagination and a unique take on animals. Most of that is visible on the show. While the few rules they have for the show can be flexible, there are some things that just can't make it to air.  

"Last season I drew a crab lady that was just horrific and everyone was just like 'uch! no!'" Lisa Hanawalt told Business Insider. 

Luckily, Hanawalt is transparent, and she enjoys posting the rejected characters online. Here's the crab lady that terrified everybody:

There are certain characters that don't make it on because they completely break the rules of the show. At one point, Hanawalt decided to have fun and create a half-plant woman.

"Just to troll ["BoJack Horseman" creator] Raphael [Bob-Waksberg], sometimes I like to do things that totally don't work in this universe at all," said Hanawalt. "I drew a big lady with a plant for a head and he's like, 'No there's no anthropomorphic plants in this world!' And then I was like, 'Come on, why not?' And then I put it up in my office just to piss him off."

While it didn't work well for the "BoJack" universe, Hanawalt still decided it belonged on a t-shirt, which you can now buy online:

"I really like her, but she definitely doesn't belong on BoJack." Hanawalt said of her plant creation.

SEE ALSO: There is one essential rule that 'BoJack Horseman' animators have to follow

AND: Why you should watch 'BoJack Horseman'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The star-studded trailer for the next season of 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee' shows off the best cars yet

Looks like Banksy might have been bingewatching Netflix lately.

This past week, everything has been coming up Disney following the company's D23 event, in which it announced all of its upcoming movies for the next two years. 

During D23, it also announced some ambitious new plans for its amusement parks. This all set the stage for notorious street artist Banksy's latest art project — which borders on social experiment — called "Dismaland." It's pretty similar to the plotline of an episode of "BoJack Horseman."

Dismaland, a fake amusement park in the UK, lays out a decrepit version of Disneyland. The park will be around for the next five weeks. 

If you visit the park, this is the first thing you will see:

It offers attractions such as this, in which a band of paparazzi photograph a dead Cinderalla. It feels less like a fun time with family and more like dark social commentary: 

And this one, which will most likely bring "Blackfish" to mind:

For anybody who has been paying attention to Netflix's lineup this summer, Dismaland might look oddly familiar.

In the second episode of season two of "BoJack Horseman," Netflix's only animated show, Todd (Aaron Paul), BoJack's (Will Arnett) freeloading roommate, decides to start his own amusement park. Having been convinced that Disneyland isn't real, he decides to call his amusement park Disneyland.

Todd's version of Disneyland offers a lot of makeshift rides that somewhat violate various copyright laws.

Banksy's art experiment feels like it violates just as many health codes:

By the episode's end, Todd is taken to court by Disney for copyright infringement — until a loophole is found. The loophole? Walt Disney accidentally trademarked "Diisneyland" instead of "Disneyland."

By the end, Disneyland is so creaky and filled with grease fires that it goes aflame and begins to collapse. Luckily for Banksy, he shouldn't have those same troubles.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Johnny Depp looks ready for an awesome comeback in this movie about Whitey Bulger

Netflix's animated comedy "BoJack Horseman" is back for a third season, and its the highest-rated show by critics this summer, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

BoJack is a Netflix cult favorite that satirizes Hollywood and celebrity worship. After a mixed critical reception to its first season, the show has been a critical darling its second and third. The third season, which came out on July 22, is currently sitting at a whopping 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rotten Tomatoes confirmed to Business Insider that this is the highest rating of any show released this summer.

In the show, the titular character BoJack Horseman is a has-been sitcom star — and a horse — in a world where anthropomorphic animals live alongside humans. At the start of the series, Horseman is plotting his big comeback with a tell-all book.

We won't spoil the plot of the show in case you haven't watched, but beyond the critics, BoJack is also Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' favorite Netflix show.

BoJack isn't the only hit Netflix has had this summer. Its new show "Stranger Things" has generated buzz and snagged a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Here's how Netflix describes it: "a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl."

SEE ALSO: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' favorite Netflix show is a hilarious satire you should probably be watching

Join the conversation about this story »

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"BoJack Horseman" was the most popular digital original show in Russia during the third quarter of 2016, according to Parrot Analytics.

The show wasn’t nearly as popular in any other major market.

"BoJack," an offbeat Netflix cartoon about an alcoholic talking horse, ranked between six and eight in the US, the UK, France, and other markets. In all of those places, "Stranger Things" was the top show. But in Russia, "Stranger Things" got second place.

Parrot measures popularity by looking at Demand Expressions, a measure which (lacking ratings from Netflix, which doesn't release them) combines data on file sharing, social chatter, Wiki activity, fan ratings, and other factors.

Russia generated 4.6 million Demand Expressions for "BoJack," while the much larger US market generated only 4.2 million. Parrot tells us that Russian audiences also generated more than twice as much "active consumption," which includes social chatter and file sharing.

Why do Russians love BoJack? Maybe the heavy-drinking country appreciates an alcoholic hero. Maybe the occasional enemy of the US appreciates a satire of Hollywood. Maybe the country was particularly fond of a bit in season two with a KGB spy who wakes up from a 30-year coma and resumes his mission to take down America.

"I’m awaiting orders to take down the American pigs... and dogs and various animals," the spy says over the radio.

The spy is ready to destroy a knockoff version of Disneyland when he realizes that the park will destroy itself. He exclaims: "You know, I came here today to blow up Disneyland, but now I realize I don’t need to take down capitalism. Capitalism sows the seeds for its own destruction. It’s a snake that eats itself. It’s only a matter of time!"

And he walks away whistling.

SEE ALSO: How Netflix got 'BoJack,' the funniest show on the internet

DON'T MISS: The 20 most popular shows in the world

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A top movie actor reveals how he learns different accents

This interesting chart comes from a Parrot Analytics report on the top digital original shows in the third quarter of 2016.

As you can see, "Stranger Things" won in every market except for Russia, where "BoJack Horseman" took the top slot. If you look closer at the numbers, the divide is even more striking: "BoJack" ranked between sixth and eighth in every other market.

Can we draw massive geopolitical conclusions from this map? Well, it does kind of make sense that the Western powers would like a nostalgic, escapist return to the 1980s, while Russia would like a dark satire of American culture starring an alcoholic talking horse.

Indeed, you get a sense of the outlook in "BoJack" from the appearance in season two of a KGB spy who wakes up from a 30-year coma and resumes his mission to destroy America.

"You know, I came here today to blow up Disneyland, but now I realize I don’t need to take down capitalism," he remarks at one point. "Capitalism sows the seeds for its own destruction. It’s a snake that eats itself. It’s only a matter of time!"

Anyway, "BoJack" and "Stranger Things" are both Netflix originals, part of the red-hot catalog that is powering explosive global growth for the Silicon Valley company. You can draw your own conclusions from that.

SEE ALSO: The 20 most popular shows in the world

DON'T MISS: Mankind is facing an apocalyptic moral test, evolutionary psychologist says

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NOW WATCH: A top movie actor reveals how he learns different accents

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings loves his company's dark animated comedy “BoJack Horseman,” but Chinese censors appear less enthusiastic. The series has been pulled after only a few days of availability in the country.

While Netflix doesn’t operate in China, the streaming powerhouse signed a deal in April to license its content to iQiyi, China’s biggest streaming service. The deal was an important step for Netflix, which has struggled to crack the tricky Chinese market.

Last month at the Code conference, Hastings said Netflix had previously misjudged its chances of making Netflix work in China as a standalone entity, at least in the near term.

“We had our natural optimism that was slowly beat down,” he said. And when asked late last year about Netflix’s chances to enter China, he responded frankly: "It doesn't look good." Netflix needed a workaround.

That workaround was this deal with iQiyi, made in April, which was meant to bring Netflix’s original shows and movies into the country.

One of those titles was “BoJack Horseman,” which follows a has-been sitcom star (and half-horse), and satirizes Hollywood and celebrity worship. In 2015, Hastings told CNBC that "BoJack Horseman" was his favorite original series, beating out its classic hits like “Orange Is the New Black” and “House of Cards.” He even wore a BoJack sweater once on an earnings call.

But something in BoJack seems to have irked the censors when it began to show in China this month.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that all three available episodes of “BoJack Horseman,” which began streaming on iQiyi just a few days ago, had been pulled. “Adjustments need to be made to the content," iQiyi said to Bloomberg.

While “BoJack Horseman” is edgy comedy, this news leaves an open question about how other Netflix originals will fare at the hands of Chinese censors. “Making a Murderer,” which fundamentally questions a governmental system, is still up, according to Bloomberg. And “Stranger Things” is coming soon.

SEE ALSO: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' favorite Netflix show is a hilarious satire you should probably be watching

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The animated Netflix comedy "BoJack Horseman" announced its renewal for a fifth season on Thursday with an animated video of the title character's iPhone. 

The show posted the announcement clip on its Twitter account. The video displays iMessages from a "clingy Netflix exec," telling BoJack (voiced by actor Will Arnett) that he's "back for a season 5."

Netflix released the series' fourth season on September 8.

No date has been set yet for the season five premiere, though the show has been producing a season each year since it debuted in 2014. 

Watch the announcement below:

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For the most part, Netflix has won over critics with its innovative approaches to adult animation. 

Since the premiere of "BoJack Horseman" in 2014 — which CEO Reed Hastings has previously called his favorite Netflix show— the streaming service has released five other original animated shows that deal in mature themes.

Its latest, "Disenchanted," an animated fantasy series from "The Simpsons" and "Futurama" creator Matt Groening, has received positive reviews ahead of its premiere on August 17.

To find out which of these six shows critics liked the most, we turned to reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Here are Netflix's six original adult animated shows, ranked from worst to best, according to critics:

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6. "Neo Yokio"— 33%

Critic score: 33%

Audience score: 57%

Netflix description: "Joined by his faithful mecha-butler, Kaz Kaan pursues love, fashion and supernatural forces amid Neo Yokio's sinister high society."

Seasons released: 1

5. "F is for Family"— 81%

Critic score: 81%

Audience score: 89%

Netflix description: "Follow the Murphy family back to the 1970s, when kids roamed wild, beer flowed freely and nothing came between a man and his TV."

Seasons released: 2

4. "Disenchantment"— 83%

Critic score: 83%

Audience score: N/A

Netflix description: "Princess duties call, but she'd rather be drinking. Free-spirited Bean exasperates the king as she wreaks havoc with her demon and elf pals."

Seasons released: 1 (upcoming on August 17)

Setting off the fall TV season, a few fan-favorite shows shows are returning with new seasons next month.

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5. "The Good Place" (Season 3) — Premieres September 27 on NBC

Summary:"The show follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell, 'House of Lies,' 'Veronica Mars'), an ordinary woman who enters the afterlife and, thanks to some kind of error, is sent to the Good Place instead of the Bad Place, which is definitely where she belongs."

4. "BoJack Horseman" (Season 5) — Premieres September 14 on Netflix

Summary:"Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the '90s, 20 years later. He’s a curmudgeon with a heart of...not quite gold...but something like gold. Copper?"

3. "American Horror Story: Apocalypse" (Season 8) — Premieres September 12 on FX

Summary:"A groundbreaking anthology horror drama series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk."

Netflix's "BoJack Horseman" follows a middle-aged actor who navigates alcoholism and addiction in Hollywood (and also happens to be a horse). The show's fifth season premiered on Netflix in September and will likely be renewed for a sixth season soon.

Here are 12 things that might surprise you about the animated comedy series.

The creator hoped to make the characters more relatable by drawing them as animals.

In an interview with Slashfilm"BoJack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg discussed the importance of making a show set in a world where animal characters live amongst humans.

"I think by making BoJack a horse, it allows an audience to project themselves on him in a way that if you were looking at a picture of Will Arnett, you might not be as inclined to," Bob-Waksberg explained to Slashfilm. "There does exist an odd universality to these animals. By making them more foreign, they become more relatable."

If he could start the show over, Bob-Waksberg said he would hire a more diverse cast.

One of the principle characters on "BoJack" is a Vietnamese-American named Diane Nguyen, voiced by Alison Brie. In January of this year, Bob-Waksberg was confronted by a fan about hiring a white actress to voice an Asian-American character.

"I love Alison Brie's work, but why did she have to voice Diane in your show?""BoJack" fan Lou McLaren asked the showrunner on Twitter. "POC representation without employment seems ... off."

"I love my entire cast, but if I were doing it today, I would not cast the show (or any show) with all white people,"Bob-Waksberg tweeted back. "I've really soured on the idea of 'color-blind' casting as an excuse to not pay attention."

Most "BoJack" guest stars appear on the show as themselves.

Many celebrities have visited the "BoJack" set to lend their voices to the show, but creator Bob-Waksberg said it was more difficult in the beginning to bring them on board.

"Before we actually thought we could get people ... we wrote this part for Andrew Garfield," Bob-Waksberg said at the FYC event for "BoJack" in May. "We went out to Andrew Garfield, he said, 'No, thank you,' and they asked me, 'Well, do you want to change it and actually go after someone else?' And I said, 'No, it has to be Andrew Garfield!'"

Cast member Paul F. Tompkins, who voices Mr. Peanut Butter, then stepped in to fill the role of Andrew Garfield in his absence. Since the critical success of the show in later seasons, celebrities like Zach Braff, Jessica Biel, Felicity Huffman, and Margo Martindale have lent their voices to play themselves in the series.

• Artists for Netflix's adult animated series "BoJack Horseman" ratified a new union contract Friday with production company Shadowmachine for representation by The Animation Guild.
• The crew behind the show, which is in production for season 6, has wanted to unionize since starting production on season 1, largely because union-represented animation crews on other Shadowmachine and Netflix series had better pay and benefits. 
• After months of failed negotiations and efforts that included a walk-out and a demonstration, TAG business representative Jason MacLeod tells INSIDER the crew stood together to reach a fair deal.
• Read more stories like this on INSIDER.

The crew behind Netflix's "BoJack Horseman" unionized Friday and ratified a new contract with production company Shadowmachine that established wage minimums and employer-paid health and retirement benefits through The Animation Guild.

"BoJack Horseman" is currently in production on its sixth season, but members of its crew have been interested in unionizing since work on season 1 began. Jason MacLeod, the business representative for TAG, told INSIDER the majority of the crew became interested in collective action while working on season 6.

While writers and voice actors on the show have been represented by unions since the series' inception, artists negotiated unsuccessfully for unionization for months, starting in October 2018. The crew protested with a ten-minute walk-out in March and a demonstration in May.

The crew and its advocates also posted about their efforts on social media, including on the subreddit r/bojackhorseman and on Twitter. "BoJack" actors Paul F. Tompkins and Patton Oswalt also expressed public support during negotiations. 

"I think the animation artists working on 'BoJack Horseman' looked around and saw that they were not being treated comparably to the voice performers or the writing talent on the show, and collectively said 'we've had enough,'" MacLeod said in an email. 

Desires to unionize spiked after Shadowmachine, which produces "BoJack" for Michael Eisner's The Tornante Company, began production on TBS' "Final Space," which is currently in production on its second season.

"In some instances the difference in wages alone could be significant," MacLeod said. "The improvements in health benefits and retirement benefits provided by a union agreement only add to the disparity. The artists noticed this, and decided they wanted to act."

Artists for "Final Space" were performing the same creative tasks as those on "BoJack's" team, but were unionized, and received salaries "$400-500 per week" more because of union wage minimums, according to sources, including a "Bojack" crewmember, who spoke to Cartoon Brew. 

Netflix, which distributes "Bojack" and its production designer, Lisa Hanawalt's, new animated show "Tuca & Bertie," licenses both shows from The Tornante Company. Most of Netflix's in-house animation productions are unionized, along with more than 50 of the other animated series on the streaming service.

Shadowmachine had to negotiate unionization with both The Tornante Company and the "BoJack" crew, and by March enough of the crew, about 75 percent, had signed representation cards with TAG. TAG represents other high-profile adult animated series like "Rick and Morty," which had its own publicized, and eventually successful, battle for unionization benefits in 2014. 

At first, Shadowmachine refused to acknowledge the crew's numbers, leading to the walk-out, but negotiations then began in April. Shadowmachine also proposed a contract that did not include union benefits and was rejected.

The contract ratified on Friday includes the fair wage minimum imposed by TAG, along with an employer-paid healthcare plan that allows artists to keep their doctors and health benefits as they move between employers and projects. The new retirement system has a voluntary 401k plan in addition to employer-paid retirement benefits. 

"Sometimes there is recognition by employers that they will need to address unequal distribution of wages and benefits - and they do that voluntarily, but sometimes workers have to stand up and demand a fair deal," MacLeod said.

"In this case, while I'm happy to say we did reach a deal with the employer, it took the crew standing together to achieve that. It takes courage to take a step like that, but this crew never backed down."

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• The first trailer for Netflix's sixth season of "BoJack Horseman" is here, teasing the title character's time in rehab while his friends try to sort out their lives as well. 
• The coming season will be the final installment of "BoJack Horseman," and will air in two parts.
• Part one of the final season begins on October 25, while part two will be available to stream on January 31, 2020. 
• "BoJack Horseman" was the first original animated series produced by Netflix when it premiered in 2014. 
• The show stars Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Aaron Paul, Amy Sedaris, and many more familiar faces.
• Watch the full trailer for season six below.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

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• "BoJack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg told The Los Angeles Times on Monday that "it's a shame" Netflix doesn't give shows time to build before canceling them.
• Netflix canceled "Tuca and Bertie," which he executive produced, this year after one season.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Two of Raphael Bob-Waksberg's acclaimed Netflix animated shows have been canceled this year: "BoJack Horseman" after six seasons and "Tuca and Bertie" after one (he created the former and executive produced the latter).

Both of the series' final seasons have 100% critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rob-Waksberg told The Los Angeles Times, speaking about the quick cancelation of "Tuca and Bertie," that "it's a shame" that Netflix seems to have moved away from letting shows build an audience before cutting them.

His full quote is below:

"When we started on 'BoJack,' it was understood that the Netflix model was to give shows time to find an audience, and to build that audience, and I remember being told, 'We expect the biggest day 'BoJack' Season 1 is going to have is when we launch 'BoJack' Season 2.' We didn't get a full two-season pickup, but that was the understanding, that these things take time to build. It was my understanding that that was, at the time, the Netflix model: to give shows time to build. I think it's a shame that they seem to have moved away from that model."

Deadline reported earlier this year that the streamer doesn't see the value in long-running shows because they become too hard for new viewers to binge or are too expensive to continue to invest in unless they take off, like "Stranger Things."

Bob-Waksberg confirmed in an interview with Vulture last week that it was Netflix's decision to cancel "BoJack Horseman," though he was understanding about the way it ended since the series lasted six seasons.

"I said [to Netflix] I would appreciate it if I could have the forewarning to give the show a proper finale, and not set up some cliffhangers that will never pay off," Bob-Waksberg said. "When [Netflix] picked up season six, they said, 'Hey, remember how you asked for that heads-up? We think that this is your heads-up. So I'm very grateful that we got that notice."

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in 2015 that "BoJack Horseman"was his favorite show. He even wore a "BoJack Horseman" sweater during an earnings call that same year.

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• "BoJack Horseman" premiered its last episodes on Friday. Debuting in 2014, the show documents the life of a depressed actor (who is also a horse) as he navigates Hollywood. The series has become one of the longest-running shows on Netflix. 
• In 2016, the series' creator, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, tweeted out the email he used to convince Netflix higher-ups to approve an episode that was mostly silent. Several critics have since called that chapter one of the best episodes in TV history.
• Bob-Waksberg's email is a testament to pitching your next proposal. The creator landed a "yes" by highlighting the idea's value to his boss. 
•  Click here for more BI Prime content.

Friday marked the end of the beloved Netflix series "BoJack Horseman."

Launching in 2014, the cartoon highlighted the misadventures of a depressed celebrity horse living in Hollywood. As one of the platform's longest-running shows, the series has been acclaimed as one the best animated shows of all time. Last year, the series even landed an Emmy nomination.

In 2016, show creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg tweeted out the exact email he used to convince Netflix higher-ups to greenlight one of the show's most famous episodes. Airing during season three, the episode "Fish Out of Water" followed the titular character as he reunited an infant seahorse with its parent — and it was almost completely silent.

Bob-Waksberg knew having a silent episode would be a big gamble, so he sent a pitch to his bosses detailing exactly why they should green light the project. In the email, he highlighted what he called "fun facts": successful projects such as "Shaun the Sheep" and Pixar's "Wall-E" that had nontalking protagonist or long stretches of silence. He also pointed out the overwhelmingly positive praise for these films on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to prove that mostly-silent media could be successful.

"Sometimes when you want to do something new and challenging some people in charge might need some convincing," Bob-Waksberg wrote on his Twitter feed. "In my experience, it is always worth taking the time to convince those people." 

This strategy can also lead to success in your workplace. By showing that similar projects have been profitable for competitors, you can prove to your boss that the idea has value.

With that in mind, Jocelyn Glei, author of "Unsubscribe: How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions, and Get Real Work Done," advises you add all the information your boss needs upfront to make a decision. Also, you want to propose solutions and potentially cover any issues that might arise from the idea, Business Insider previously reported.  

Here's the full email Bob-Waksberg sent to executives in 2015, which he then tweeted out in 2016.

All of these "fun facts" eventually gave Bob-Waksberg the "yes" he hoped for.

Six seasons later, "Fish Out of Water" is still referred to as one of the greatest episodes of TV ever made. 

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