I have done similar in times of deep distress, and I did actually make my mom watch the whole show with me. It was amazing, I felt like she understood my inner world better. BoJack has gotten me through some of the darkest moments of my life. Even though it’s just a TV show I am eternally grateful to it.

It’s kind of a comfort show when one is depressed and lonely. I used to watch it all the time during the worst phase of my mental health. It comforted me to know that I am not the only one struggling, even if it’s a fictional character. It was comforting. Maybe your daughter feels the same way.

She’s most likely relating to one of the characters in the show. Nearly every character has mental health issues to some degree.

Season 1 is very different than the rest of the show I think, like it touches it’s overall message but it’s not til later it gets real. Maybe just ask her to show you her favorite episode, then that can open up a discussion as to why that’s her favorite, what piece of dialogue speaks to her most, does she think her favorite character comes out the other side of their journey better or at least on the path to being better. How does this relate to what she feels, was there something in the episode that you found relatable and why.

Love that you’re looking out for her and trying to understand!

In general, if your child is obsessing over something, it behooves you as the parent to investigate it. Which is why you’re here, so good on you. :D

Her fascination with the show may be completely unrelated to her troubles, it may be her reaching out. You won’t know either way until you look into it. All we as the fandom can really do is let you know that the show deals with the issues your daughter is facing, so there is a distinct possibility for that connection. The rest is up to you.

I have PTSD and depression and have told my dad so much about why I love the show and how much it means to me. Breaks my heart a bit that he won’t watch a bit of it for me.

My cousin literally sent their parents documentaries and films on being non binary and their parents didn’t bother to watch any of it which hurt my cousins feelings a lot.

I think your daughter is trying to share part of herself with you through art. That’s a good thing. I find it to be a wonderfully cathartic show at coping with the abuse I faced as a child and my current addiction issues. It makes you want to be better yet validates the parts of you you believe are shit.

I definitely think watching it with her and discussing it with her would be a smart move. Maybe even come to a friendly agreement that she won’t watch it unless you’re there to ease her off a bit. It seems likely that she relates to a lot of the characters on the show and finds comfort in seeing people go through similar emotions as her.

Watching shows over and over are usually a sign of feeling anxious about life. Watching THIS show over and over almost definitely means that you’re finding things particularily reletable, and watching it is a was for you to process and understand such emotions.

Definitely watch it with her, ask her about it, why she likes it, which character she likes the most and try to remember what it was like being a teen. I was a depressed teen, and I got out of it, but I sure wished I had a parent who would talk to me about how much it sucks being a teen.

Please watch the show and talk to your child, in a non judgemental and accepting way.

This show means a lot to me. I rewatched multiple times in a year when I was really struggling with my mental health. It’s funny and deals with mental health in a way that feels relatable. Please watch Bojack with your daughter if you can. My boyfriend watched with me after I kept asking him and we bonded over the show. He even made me a birthday card referencing a later gag in the show.

Hey! I’m a bit late to the chain but I’ve dealt with severe depression and bipolar like tendencies my entire life.

For me, personally, BoJack and other depressing media often times is somewhat cathartic to me. It reminds me that I’m not the only person in the world that deals with these things which helps me to ground myself in depressive episodes. I actually still do this not just with BoJack but tons of other media that most people probably wouldn’t watch on repeat.

That being said, I’d highly recommend watching with your daughter (if you can, the show can be very dark and hard for some people to watch) and help explain the themes of the show or help her to understand certain hard to watch topics. I struggled a long time because my family didn’t talk about those things. Therapy does wonders (super awesome that you’re doing what you can to help!) but for a long time I wished constantly that someone would be there to help me through what I was dealing with.

I strongly recommend watching the show if she has asked you to. I know life is busy but the episodes are only about 23 minutes each, so you could watch one or two a day without it cutting into life too much. If you’re really pressed for time, maybe watch while doing your skincare routine or while cooking or something? She clearly wants to connect with you through the show. By watching it and talking about the show together, you may give her the opportunity to talk about her own struggles too.

Even if it doesn’t lead to any deep convos about her mental health, watching the show and discussing it together is an opportunity to create a shared experience. When I was a teen, I had a difficult relationship with my mum (she didn’t understand my struggles with mental health at all), but in my late teens we started watching shows that I liked together and it made our relationship so much closer. I would introduce her to any piece of media that I really loved, and even though she didn’t care for all of it, she engaged because it mattered to me.

One addendum: season 1 isn’t really the same tone as the later seasons. My mum didn’t like season 1 (she got actively MAD about the Vincent Adultman arc lmao) but got more into the show as it went on (although she never liked Todd hahah). Watch season 1, but don’t form your opinion of the show based on it, because the tone really shifts and the story gets more emotionally and thematically complex with every subsequent season. My parents both watched it with me a few years ago at my insistence, and ended up really liking it. My dad related to Bojack’s experiences with mental health, especially with his internal monologue in the episode “Stupid Piece of Shit.” I think that any adult watching can find something to connect to in the narrative. It’s such a rich text, and I’m sure that if you give it a try, you will take something valuable away from it!

watch it.

i started watching Bojack Horseman when I was about 14 and quickly got obsessed. the portrayals of family dynamics, mental health, addiction and more hit so hard for me. as of right now, I have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and have spent literal years in therapy trying to get better. I was constantly getting hospitalized for mental health reasons when I first started watching too. the reason I was so obsessed with it was because I saw myself being portrayed, I decided to put in effort to get better after I finished the last season. to be fair, it’s an incredibly depressing show at times. overdose, addiction, abuse and so many more disturbing things are mixed into a show that on that outside is a comedy with animated animals. If I was you I would watch it not just because it’s an amazing piece of media but I think it could really help you understand your kid

I watched BJH all throughout my teens and was very depressed. I wish I had a dad like you who thought to ask questions.

I watched the show for the first time and binged it all the way through in one of my weeks off work and immediately started it over again. Now it’s one of my shows that I put on in the background or to fall asleep.

What drew me in was that I identify with Bojack in some ways. Some of the things said in the show put into words feelings that I previously had no way to describe. Kind of like. A feeling of not being alone. Because let me tell you, when you’re down in the depressive hole it feels like no one else has ever felt this way ever and no one will ever understand what you’re going through. They say they do but they don’t.

I think that watching the show ad nauseam isn’t concerning by itself. But I would encourage you to watch the show. Or at least a few episodes. (Start with Free Churro or The View From Halfway Down) Because when I was a teen I would often want to show my parents things I identified with kind of as a way to say what I’m feeling without actually saying it.

Do you want to know what one of the biggest lessons from that show is?

The power of communication. You need to talk to your daughter about what’s going on in her life instead of asking a bunch of strangers on the Internet to try and make sense of her issues for you.