It’s only been 2 years since Netflix arrived in Australia. The streaming service has featured a host of original shows and characters including the self-hating, washed-up star (who also happens to be a horse), Bojack Horseman.

The creator of the Emmy-nominated show Raphael Bob-Waksberg – in Australia for Video Junkee – talked to Nic about the serious side of the comedy.

Bob-Waksberg said that the secret behind Bojack’s relatability is his vulnerability. We “understand that he’s wounded”, and that “he feels empty” like we all do at times. Bob-Waksberg contrasts this with other popular culture anti-heroes, who he says glorify bad behaviour and are too cool.

Bob-Waksberg described the fourth season of the show as it’s ‘middle-age’ and finding it in a tricky situation: show’s can often either get bad by repeating themselves too much, or get bad by changing too much. The creator decided he would “rather lose people by things changing and evolving”, than let the show stagnate.

That’s not to say there is a plan, though. On Bojack Horseman, Bob-Waksberg admits he “doesn’t really know where it’s going” but that is the exciting thing. He discusses how working with Netflix has been creatively freeing.

Although he doesn’t have any overarching plan for characters, Bob-Waksberg says he loves nothing more than taking characters ‘who seem like a joke’ and uncovering their hidden side — something he’s shown an interest in doing with other famous characters.

Raphael Bob-Waksberg is in Australia for Video Junkee.