Apr 24, 2019

There is no crossover episode between "Bojack Horseman" and "Tuca & Bertie".

Key members of the adult animated series "Bojack Horseman" gathered at an awards review event at Netflix headquarters in Los Angeles on Monday to share anecdotes and fun insights after a screening of the hilarious and heartfelt season five episode "Free Churro."

Asked why "Bojack" has garnered such a loyal following, spawned five seasons, and already has a sixth season underway, creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg explained that the show has inadvertently provided viewers with a forum for reflection. He said, "People are seeing themselves in this show, oddly enough, and are surprised to see themselves in it. It's a very silly, goofy show, but it also goes to very realistic places and talks about things very openly and nakedly."

Bob-Waksberg believes that the show has evolved into something unique by contrasting emotionally complex ideas and controversial topics with colorful animation in a world full of visual gags and acid humor. At its best, the show "verbalizes the way we feel about ourselves and the world around us. It sneaks that into this bright, silly, animated world, but underneath it all there is a real heartbeat. That's what people love about it."

For Bojack production designer Lisa Hanawalt, the fact that most of the main characters are anthropomorphic animals helps viewers identify with the characters. She says, "If they were all human, they would remind you of certain people you know in your life, but with animals, you can project yourself onto them. It makes it easier to empathize with the characters, and it's more cathartic."

Next week, her own animated series, "Tuca & Bertie," for which she is creator and executive producer, will debut on Netflix, and despite the similarities in style and concept (both shows deal with anthropomorphic animals), she said her show and Bob= Waksberg's show will not overlap, and she confirmed that the characters will not interact.

"It's a different world than 'Bojack. It's not the same world," she said. 'I'm sorry, but there are no crossover episodes; it's a looser, more cartoonish world than 'Bojack.' The only overlap is that Bob-Waksberg is executive producer on the Hanawalt venture.

Tuca & Bertie will premiere on Netflix on May 3; Netflix has not yet announced a release date for the sixth season of Bojack Horseman.