From The Sopranos To BoJack Horseman: The End Of The Second Golden Age Of Television

BoJack Horseman, Netflix, Disneyplus, & the oversaturation of TV.

In typical Netflix style, BoJack Horseman ended on January 31, 2020, as the last eight episodes of the sixth season unceremoniously dropped all at once. With 77 episodes in total, we part with Diane and BoJack staring off into the LA night sky as they consider the fate of their tumultuous friendship.

There has been much discussion on what this ending means. Writers from the brilliant to the mundane have debated what this gesture symbolically represents for the characters, as well as for the philosophy of the show overall.

This ending represents another, more tangible thing; however: the second Golden Age of Television is a bubble ready to pop.

Depending on who you talk to, there have been several Golden Ages of Television in the US. Many scholars place the first one roughly from the late 40s to 1960 with shows such as Studio One (‘48–’58), I Love Lucy (‘51–’57), and Playhouse 90 (‘56–’60). These shows were diverse in structure, but what set them apart was an emphasis on good writing and humor.

This era ended when network executives of the time began operating under the philosophy of “least-objectionable programming” or the focus on…