I’ve been rewatching BoJack Horseman lately and realized how much I genuinely miss its universe—not just the characters, but the way it blended comedy with brutally honest commentary about real systems in our world.
At the same time, I’ve been watching a lot of videos, interviews, and documentaries about former child stars, and it made me start thinking about Sarah Lynn differently and honestly, with a lot more sadness and empathy.
BoJack showed us the major moments of her life—the rise, the crashes, the tragedy—but we never really saw her day-to-day reality. We didn’t see what it felt like to exist inside that system when the cameras were off, when she wasn’t being used as a punchline, a cautionary tale, or a symbol of someone else’s guilt.
And I don’t think that was a flaw in the show. If anything, it feels intentional.
Sarah Lynn is treated by the show much like the industry treats child stars: as a product whose value exists only in moments of spectacle. Her inner life feels inaccessible because, within that system, it was never protected or prioritized in the first place. Watching real people talk about their experiences made that feel especially heartbreaking in hindsight.
I can’t help wondering, though, if a Sarah Lynn–centered series could have been a powerful extension of what BoJack was already doing—not to redeem anyone or rewrite her fate, but to sit with her humanity a little longer. To show how early fame warps identity, how adults and systems consistently fail kids, and how all of that gets brushed off as “just the business.”
What I’ve always loved about BoJack Horseman is how it mirrors the real world while exaggerating it just enough to tell the truth. With the ongoing conversations today about former child actors—how little protection they had, how much was taken from them—it feels like Sarah Lynn’s story is more relevant now than ever.
I’m not saying the original writers should have done this, or that Sarah Lynn’s arc was incomplete. I’m more curious whether others feel that a deeper look at her inner life would have added something meaningful—or if the fact that we never really get access to it is part of the tragedy itself.
Curious what you all think, and thanks for reading.
there's only so much tragedy you can give a tragic character before it becomes stale
Yeah, that's true but the same could be said about Bojack himself. Except with him, we saw the complexity of his character. The same cannot be said about Sarah Lynn, at least to the fullest.
True but the character of Sarah Lynn itself is a represention/is tragedy,while Bojack is a character with tragedy.
Yeah, I see your point. And to make a character with that representation, the main character for a show would be depressing. I just get so caught up in thinking she could be much more than just that.
The difference with Bojack and Sarah Lynn is, Bojack feels bad about his actions. He is always talking about wanting to be a good person, and his character is more complex because of that inner tension.
Sarah Lynn doesnt show remorse for any of her behavior. She knows she's not a good person, and that she's surrounding herself with shallow people who bring out the worst in her, but she had no interest in changing. So where would the show even go from there? There's nothing to root for, no suspense to build up since we all know how her story goes.
Yeah, at some point it just stops hitting.
I just realised that she got braces at some point during Horsin Around
its kinda wild how even something as small as braces can remind you how much of her life we only see in passing
Perhaps, but I think it would be so sad. Bojack doesnt really become a great figure throughout any of this, I think you could get interesting insight with her relationship with her and her mother and the other cast mates, but it just seems hard to get a lot of positive moments in that show making it all pretty bleak.
It would be so sad, but you gotta remember life isn’t entirely one-sided. The spinoff would also show all the happy moments in her life, along with the many relationships that come and go.
This ^
I don't think so.
However! If they wanted to play in that world I would watch.
Gimme a tween sluth raised on Diane's books (maybe Pc's daughter?) Her mysteries progressively get more adult until she's forced to ask for help.
Stand by me but animals.
Cops...but animals.
There’s an interesting premise there: Diane meets a reader of her books, which are throwaway fun fiction stories, and she sees the reader going down the same path that Sarah Lynn did. She doesn’t want to intrude on their freedom, but she feels it’s morally correct to try to prevent her from spiralling… when things start to get complicated, she calls her old pals for help.
I mean it’ll be interesting to venture a deeper look behind-the-scenes of Horsin’ Around like the fallen relationship between her and Joelle. And that means we’ll get several fresh pop culture references (which I’ve always liked) during her singing career.
I’m genuinely curious to learn more about Sarah Lynn’s parents. How nasty can they be in their fullest potential given additional screen time? What was school like for her? I’d like it if they included the scene which Sarah Lynn received the shirt she only wears because they wanted her to wear and not about the money
Exactly! So many questions, so much potential for a great show.
it just wouldn’t be a comedy
It’s not meant to be a comedy, at least entirely. It would be a mixed genre just like the show, Bojack Horseman is.
Yeah i just wonder if it would pass cause of how dark her story is. She was a survivor and victim and Bojack was a survivor too but also a major perpetrator so we could poke fun at him but Sarah Lynn’s story is so so dark. Either way the Bojack writers are masterful and could make it work.
Yeah, I think you’re right. Her story would be way too dark for TV. I also believe that the Bojack writers would make it work.
People forget that Sarah Lynn was played as straight comic relief for two and a half seasons. The notion that her character is nothing but pure misery and drama is sort of rewriting the narrative based on her later depiction and untimely end. Plus she's a pretty shitty person at times and we laugh at that.
Is there a show out there that’s absolutely tragic like that? I guess 13 Reasons Why might count but I mean something longer
Nana is kinda like that. The characters are always suffering about something before another punch in the face from life over and over again, however their “tragedies” are usually not as big as they act like they are since they're so young.
Euphoria? lol i haven’t seen it.
Nah. She's not even the main character of her own story. That's kind of the point.
I think it would’ve been too much man.
That's hilarious 😂 I love that.
I think it could have.
Did you use an en dash before "centered"? I almost never see that. As an editor, I gotta give you props!
Thank you, but for that, I would have to thank/credit Grammarly Pro. Lol
it would defeat the purpose of her character in bojack horseman if she were to be the protagonist - it would have to be similar to the main show in that the main show is about the time when bojack knew diane. this show would enrich the information we have about the time when he knew sarah lynn
You could do an entirely different show with the same basic premise of her character and it would work better than a spinoff specifically of BoJack Horseman. Hell, they're making a miniseries of Jennette McCurdy autobiography and her story has been compared to Sarah Lynn's life before. Sarah Lynn's story is a common trope and a common reality and that's what makes it tragic.
🎶One former orphan turned adoptee
Said goodbye to her family for the big city
Her daddy horse
whosedeathhasbeenretconedjustacceptitandstopsayingitslazywritinganda”cashgrab”
said “go live your dreams”
Now shes: Sabrina in the big City! Yay yay Sabrina in the big city🎶
I think a mini series is the most we should have done, if we got more from Sarah Lynn
This is a mentality I call "thing good, more of thing better" when it comes to movies or just art in general. No the show is called Bojack Horseman, not "That's Too Much: A Sarah Lynn story" or whatever. She's a supporting character, not the main one. Sorry I dont think a spin off would work
I’m still waiting for Netflix to make Newtopia, the only rock opera I’ve ever wanted to see.
No it wouldn't have worked. From childhood she was alone, she didn't have anyone to rely on because she was used for her talent and ignored. Bojack, her parents, just didn't care what she wanted. By the time she was an adult she became a manipulative enabler and a drug addict who didn't want to get better.
Any attempt to add a character that would be her friend or anything like that would take away from what the character was established to be.
no
Hey story has kinda done been told.
It would’ve been darker than Bojack, which is something that shouldn’t be created
No i don’t think it would