All the shows snubbed by the Emmys that definitely deserved some love

The 2018 Emmy nominations once again proved the Television Academy can overlook work that cuts deeper than the usual safe bets. The animated category felt especially thin, with several standout series left on the sidelines while lesser-known entries took their place. Among the most glaring omissions was the fourth season of BoJack Horseman, a run that used its cartoon canvas to explore grief, addiction, and self-destruction with unusual honesty.

BoJack Horseman

Season four leaned into its animated freedom to stage some of the most emotionally precise episodes of the series, balancing pitch-black comedy with moments of genuine devastation. The show later received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program in 2019 and 2020, yet it never secured a win across its six-season run that ended in January 2020. That consistent lack of Emmy recognition stands in contrast to the depth the series achieved on screen.

Later Emmy Nominations and Persistent Snubs

After the 2018 snub, the series earned two additional nominations in the same category. The 2019 and 2020 shortlists included stronger competition, but the outcome remained the same. The show closed its run without an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, even though its later seasons continued the same level of craft and thematic ambition that had drawn critical attention from the start.

Critical Acclaim and Other Awards

Outside the Emmys, the series collected four Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Animated Series. It also picked up Saturn Award nominations and Writers Guild recognition for its writing. These wins underscored how frequently critics and peer organizations responded to the show's tonal range and character work, even when the Television Academy remained unmoved.

Creator's Post-BoJack Projects

Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has moved forward with new work that carries forward some of the same narrative interests. His upcoming animated series Long Story Short is slated to premiere on Netflix in 2025. The project continues his focus on character-driven stories told through animation, keeping the creative thread from BoJack alive in a different format.

Cultural Legacy of BoJack Horseman

Over time the series has been cited for its unusually direct handling of depression and addiction. Reviewers and audiences often point to specific episodes that treated those subjects with a realism rare in animated television. The show regularly appears on lists of the most influential animated programs of its era, a reputation built on the same qualities that the Emmys overlooked in 2018 and afterward.

Looking back, the 2018 nomination cycle captured only one slice of a longer story. The series continued to refine its approach through subsequent seasons, earned recognition from other awards bodies, and still left without an Emmy for the category it defined for many viewers. Its influence on how animation can address mental health has only grown clearer in the years since the final episode aired.