That would’ve been a horrible message to send across. BoJack dies to escape all the shitty things he’s done instead of living with it so he can better himself would’ve been horrible to tell to someone.

Not gonna lie, I was disappointed with the finale because it seemed anticlimactic at first. Especially because of how poignant the penultimate episode was. I also just really disliked Bojack and wanted him to face some kind of consequence for his abhorrent actions, even if the consequence had to be as extreme as death. However, Bojack having to live and grapple with his past actions is the hardest consequence for him. Death would be too easy of a solution for such a deeply nuanced show. Honestly, the only hope for Bojack to truly better himself is to keep on living. If he died from the overdose he would have gotten what he wanted: an easy way out. So yes, the less dramatic ending for Bojack made the most narrative sense for the show.