Netflix’s adult animated sitcom BoJack Horseman is truly one of a kind, but Prime Video is about to debut a comedy series that’s its closest equivalent on any streaming platform. Kevin is the creation of Big Mouth producer Joe Wengert and celebrated comedy actor Aubrey Plaza, with its title character voiced by Jason Schwartzman.
The story of an anthropomorphic cat who faces a midlife crisis when his owners break up, the show is set to be a dark animated comedy that hits us right in the feels. It will portray several animals struggling with their mental as well as physical health, yearning for a place to belong while living in a pet rescue center.
Among Aubrey Plaza many movies and TV shows of note, Kevin will be the first she’s co-created and written as a lead writer. We should expect the series to share Plaza’s caustic yet relatable sense of humor and her insights into social anxiety, in addition to Big Mouth’s penchant for toilet gags and intricately crafted character portraits.
Prime Video’s New Comedy Series Kevin Is Its Replacement For BoJack Horseman
When Prime Video releases Kevin on April 20, the parallels with BoJack Horseman will become too obvious to ignore. This is a bleakly humorous, hilariously uncouth animated sitcom about walking, talking pet animals facing personal crises in the midst of human society.
Kevin might live on the opposite coast from BoJack, bringing more of a New York sensibility to proceedings, but his world is otherwise remarkably similar to the setting for Netflix’s landmark adult animation. In the title sequence clip Prime Video has shared, for example, we see a version of Queens where cats and dogs are living just like people.
There will undoubtedly be brilliantly original elements in Joe Wengert and Aubrey Plaza’s first TV show as creators. Still, there’s no question that Amazon must have seen an opportunity here to add a BoJack Horseman replacement to their own catalog of original series, given the overwhelming success of the six-season tragicomic masterpiece.
What’s more, many viewers will recognize the voice of Kevin’s supporting character Brandi as Princess Carolyn actor Amy Sedaris. This direct link with the cast of BoJack Horseman only serves to underscore the thematic and stylistic connections between the two series.
Kevin’s Title Character Is Similar To BoJack In More Ways Than One
Perhaps the biggest similarity of all between Kevin and BoJack Horseman will be in the character traits of their respective titular protagonists. Although Kevin is unlikely to come across as the terrible person BoJack appears to be for much of his TV show, he’ll remind us of everyone’s favorite humanoid horse in a variety of other ways.
In addition to being animals with human characteristics, BoJack and Kevin are both highly neurotic antiheroes going through midlife crises, who are prone to acting on impulse. Suffering from existential anxiety, they surround themselves with other animal misfits who are also struggling with their identities and seeking a sense of belonging.
Anyone expecting Kevin to be just another zany animated comedy with adult themes should use BoJack Horseman as a reference point. The show is likely to dig far deeper into its central character than most live-action dramas, whilst daring to tread the fine line between tragedy and comedy.
What To Expect From Kevin On Prime Video
Kevin seems to have all the ingredients to become one of the best animated sitcoms of its generation. We can expect Jason Schwartzman to deliver the kind of quirky humor and disaffected soul-searching that have become his signature, and Aubrey Plaza to serve as something of an emotional counterpoint in voicing Kevin’s former owner, Dana.
The show will begin with eight episodes, likely of standard sitcom duration, which will all be released simultaneously on Monday, April 20. If Kevin does well in terms of viewership and critical reviews, we can hopefully look forward to more episodes next year, too.
- Release Date
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April 20, 2026
- Network
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Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Dan Murphy, Joe Wengert
Cast
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Jason Schwartzman
Kevin (voice)
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Amy Sedaris
Brandy (voice)
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Whoopi Goldberg
Cupcake (voice)