The series, which is about washed up sitcom star who also happens to be a horse, debuts on Comedy Central on September 26.
Comedy Central has acquired the exclusive linear TV rights to the animated comedy « BoJack Horseman, » the network announced Thursday.
The series, which is about washed up sitcom star who also happens to be a horse, debuts on Comedy Central on September 26 following the premiere of the 22nd season of « South Park. » The network made a deal to syndicate the first four seasons of the Netflix original show.
The fifth season of « BoJack » will debut on Netflix September 14.
It’s unclear if episodes beyond the first four seasons will be available to Comedy Central in the future.
Comedy Central syndication of « BoJack » is notable because episodes of Netflix’s original programming is usually meant to be « binged, » or watched in succession. It’s nearly impossible to pick up a show like « House of Cards » or « Orange is the New Black » in the middle of the season and understand the storyline. « Bojack Horseman » is no different.
Arguably the best type of syndicated series is a show that can be enjoyed even if the viewer flipping through the channels hasn’t seen any other episodes (think « Friends » on TBS or « The Simpsons » on FXX).
So why would Comedy Central want reruns of a serialized show like « BoJack? »
« When a network licenses a series, it’s usually about tonnage, » said Brian Wieser, senior analyst at Pivotal Research. « Anyone programming a network needs a certain amount of programming. Some is original, some is not. As long as it fits the network’s brand, the format isn’t really of a concern. »
It was reported in January that « BoJack » was being shopped around by Lionsgate’s distribution arm Debmar-Mercury in hopes of finding a home in syndication.
The series debuted in 2014 when « Netflix was still ramping up its originals strategy » and « wasn’t as focused on locking up global rights in all-encompassing deals that essentially buy out the syndication window that is so crucial to profitability for producers, » according to Variety.
« Comedy Central has a long history of using potent satire to help make sense of trying times, so BoJack Horseman is a perfect fit in our lineup, » Tanya Giles, General Manager of Comedy Central, said in a statement. « We’re thrilled to be the first to put ‘BoJack’ on linear TV, and who better than an animated horse to teach us a thing or two about humanity? »
