A field guide to BoJack Horseman's Hollywoo
Springfield. South Park. Arlen. Quahog. Most cartoons are set in fictional cities, or real cities’ highly fictionalized equivalents. But as "BoJack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg says on the eve of its conclusion — the series’ final eight episodes are now streaming on Netflix — the animated series’ anthropomorphized “Hollywoo” is “not Toontown from ‘[Who Framed] Roger Rabbit.’ It’s Los Angeles.”
We agree: Los Angeles is all over our Field Guide to BoJack Horseman’s Hollywoo. So read on.
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BoJack Horseman
“I'm responsible for my own happiness? I can't even be responsible for my own breakfast!”
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No one can call you washed up if you live far above the maddening crowd in Laurel Canyon.
The higher the ground, the higher your status on Hollywoo’s merciless food chain. That’s why musicians and movie stars have called this neighborhood of lavish, glassed-in cages — er, mansions — home for decades. It may be lonely above it all, but the glittering views of the city below are to die for. (Just don’t throw yourself off the balcony.)
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Impress that up-and-coming indie director with Old Hollywoo elegance — then hit your favorite dive to drown your sorrows when you put your foot in your mouth.
Whether you prefer old-school haunts like Craig’s and The Ivy or newer imitators like Elefante — with its eye-catching statue of an elephant urinating in a crocodile’s mouth — West Hollywoo is the place to see and, more importantly, be seen. (For those times you most definitely don’t want to be seen, it’s a straight shot down Crescent Heights to your regular watering hole, Bellican’s.)
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Nothing says “comeback” like a trailer on the Warbler Bros. lot.
The studio system may have broken up decades ago, but it still means something in Hollywoo to report to set daily under Parrotmount Studios’ iconic water tower or on the Sony lot, a stone’s throw from the house David Selznick built for “Gone with the Wind.” It certainly beats judging on “Felicity Huffman’s Booty Academy: Los Angeles.”
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Stop by a Sunset Strip comedy club to pay your respects.
Before hanging out at Griffith Observatory and re-watching old episodes of “Horsin’ Around” became your hobbies of choice, you started out as a stand-up at the Laugh Shack, the Comedy Store, or another Hollywoo institution. Recapture the glory days by sneaking in for an up-and-comer’s set. Maybe you’ll get “pressured” into going on stage.
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Diane Nguyen
“This is all part of my writing process.”
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The backbone of the entertainment industry is also near the bottom of the income ladder: Writers take what they can when it comes to Hollywoo's exorbitant cost of living.
It's not really close to anything, and it's kind of close to everything: Your kitschy midcentury dingbat in Frogtown tries to evoke "Hollywoo glamour," but its grim, "post-divorce" interior is sure to leave you Le Triste. That’s all right, though: Everything you need is on your Macbook, which you can tote to the set of "Philbert" or on assignment for Crooshing USA’s next viral video.
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Grab-and-go subs are a tried-and-true favorite for hunching in front of your keyboard all day.
Writers who double as creatures of habit will have their own Hollywoo faves: Your sandwich spot of choice might be Fat Sal’s or Philippe's. Whichever way you slice the roast beef, hold onto that punch card so you can score the 11th hoagie for free.
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It might not be Ibsen, but Hollywoo is reading what you write — even if they don’t know it’s you.
A Hollywoo writer's life sometimes means serving up frappucinos at Starbucks while waiting for your McSweeney’s piece to take off. Sometimes it means tweeting Real and Relatable Content as a celebrity ghostwriter. Going viral with a trending listicle at Girl Croosh isn’t a bad way to get your name out there, either: The office is just down the street from the L.A. bureau of its predecessor, Buzzfeed.
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Keep your writerly blues at bay with the plethora of cultural pursuits Hollywoo has to offer.
Since parties make you anxious in a “real broad sense,” it’s best to hang out with your favorite person and spend a Sunday afternoon soaking up some culture. MOCA’s "Women on the Wall: An Exploration of Gender in Text and Media: Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer in Conversation with Helen Molesworth" might be a start. Be sure to silence your NPR ringtone before the show.
Creator's note: “I always loved ‘The Critic’ and how specifically ‘New York’ it was,” Bob-Waksberg says of his inspiration, referring to the animated program about a film critic voiced by Jon Lovitz. “I wanted to capture something similar about L.A.”
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Princess Carolyn
“Put the corpse on ice, I'm on my way.”
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Ah, Silver Lake. The commute to work is murder, but there’s nothing more relaxing than adding a brisk walk around the reservoir to your day planner!
Your spoiled client/ex-boyfriend may force you to “duck and roll” rather than try to park near your apartment, but no matter: You’ve been ensconced in one of L.A.’s hippest neighborhoods so long you gentrified it before the hipsters did.
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Follow your favorite chef to his new venture, a hole-in-the-wall Italian joint.
Like Colombo’s in Eagle Rock, another of the city’s satisfying red-sauce spots, the clientele at Sandro’s Place is smattered with celebrities — Miss Carrie Underwood, Miss Carey Mulligan and Miss Carey, Mariah, to name three — but it’s still quiet enough for date night with your baby daddy.
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You’re a career gal through and through. A robot even. Beep bop boop blurp bleep!
CAA. UTA. WME. GTFO! First at Vigor — in a glitzy highrise overlooking the Santa Monica Pier — and then at your own shingle, Vim — mercifully closer to home — you’ve distinguished yourself as one of the best agents in Hollywoo. And certainly the most tireless.
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Wait, you get time off?
Your one day off a year might involve a bottle of red wine and a few episodes of “The Good Wife” in your condo, if you’re lucky. But why bother? It’s only a matter of time until someone comes to your door with another fire to put out. Oh, fish!
Creator's note: As Bob-Waksberg recalls, “BoJack Horseman” originated with a strong sense of place. He first developed the title character, a washed-up actor voiced by Will Arnett, after crashing at a friend of a friend’s “isolating” Laurel Canyon home: “Who would live in this house?” Similarly, he says BoJack’s agent, a high-strung cat named Princess Carolyn (voiced by Amy Sedaris), can be explained by her monster commute from Silver Lake to Santa Monica in the early seasons: “That would drive any person to madness.”
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Mr. Peanutbutter
"I've finally realized: I'm good at people liking me."
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Spanish-style villa in Beverly Hills? Ultra-modern manse in Los Feliz? Who cares? As long as it’s filled with people, you’re happy.
When you’re the life of the party, life is a party — which means you need ample space to entertain, whatever your preferred aesthetic. Just remember: The city of Beverly Hills frowns upon backyard fracking.
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Rub elbows with other A-listers at a swanky Hollywoo hideaway.
That “Birthday Dad” greeting card won’t get made into a movie-turned-prestige TV show without some schmoozing! Trust us: You’re bound to run into eager producers, potential co-stars and several of your ex-wives at hotspots like the Sunset Tower Hotel and the Chateau Marmoset.
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Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.
A consummate entertainer never turns down a gig — which is why we’ll find you headlining “Untitled ‘Horsin’ Around’ Knockoff,” co-starring in the detective drama “Philbert” and emceeing the Golden Globes. But your most high-profile role may be as host of the beloved game show “Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let's Find Out!”
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The ultimate hobby of California screen idols: running for governor.
Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger may have beaten you to the punch, but that’s no reason not to recall the current governor, challenge him to a ski race, amend the state constitution, learn to ski, lose to your friend Todd, campaign to replace him and drop out so your ex-wife Jessica Biel can run in your place. It’s the California way.
Creator's note: Bob-Waksberg credits supervising director Mike Hollingsworth with setting the tone for the series’ sharp, loving satire of the city in his animation of the pilot presentation, in which BoJack goes to a grocery store called J’Vons — a very L.A. mash-up of JONS and Vons. As Bob-Waksberg explains, it showed that “you can be silly and goofy and still have it feel like the real Los Angeles.”
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Todd Chavez
"I never know if I can handle anything. That's what makes my life so exciting."
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Couch-surfing is where it’s at.
If you’re willing to crash at a friend’s place, no neighborhood in Hollywoo is off limits — you may never live in a house this fancy again! Just be sure to keep an eye on your string cheese...
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Tom Waits. Ed Ruscha. Harry Bosch. Todd Chavez. All geniuses. All greasy spoon guys.
Hollywoo is home to more classic diners than you can shake a French fry at: Norms, the Original Pantry, Silver Spoon, House of Pies. So grab a booth and chow down while you plot your next move.
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You were coming up with cockamamie schemes before “Silicon Beach” was even a thing.
No wonder you ended up atop the SoCal tech heap at WhatTimeIsItNow.com: From women-only rideshare Cabracadabra to Tinder-for-asexuals All About That Ace, you could invent circles around those doofuses at Headspace and Snapchat. Sure, your clown/dentist start-up ran afoul of the Better Business Bureau, but you can’t hit a home run if you don’t take a swing!
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After a busy day of doing nothing at the office, it’s time to get those creative juices flowing. Hooray!
Some nights, you’re playing Zip Zap Zop with your buds at Groundlings or Shenanigags. Others, you’re on triangle duty at the Hollywoo Bowl. Whatever it is, you never pass up an opportunity to show off your artistic streak.
Iris Lee produced this story