Bob's Burgers, a tasting menu
Bob's Burgers is a triumph, but with 15 seasons under its belt, where do you start? Right here, is where.
by Rollin Bishop
As a white, middle-class man of a certain age, I've seen my fair share of shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy. The longrunning, historically Fox-airing animated shows were once or twice appointment viewing in my household. When FXX ran a days-long Simpsons marathon of every episode a decade ago, you best believe my TV stayed on 24/7. (I muted it at night; I'm not a heathen.)
But, in my heart of hearts, it's Bob's Burgers that I actually love most of all.
The show from creator Loren Bouchard about a family that owns and operates a burger restaurant has been a constant companion since it first started airing in 2011. I own multiple Bob's Burgers CDs and vinyl albums. I bought the movie, physically and digitally (the commentary's great, by the way). I have the PhatMojo action figures. My family has eaten several of the burgers from the official Bob's Burgers cookbook.
Which is why, in honor of the recently aired Season 15 finale, I feel prepared and willing to craft a Bob's Burgers tasting menu here and now for anyone that might not be familiar. The following episodes are specifically designed to give a sense of the depth and breadth of Bob's Burgers. This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list, nor is it any kind of best episodes ranking. But if you want to see what the show is capable of… well, look no further. Well, maybe look to an appropriate streaming service like Disney+ or Hulu, but you know what I mean!
HORS D'OEUVRE: "Topsy" – S3, E16
Music is so important to Bob's Burgers as a whole, but this is maybe the earliest that the show's music (beyond the theme song) made me really sit forward and pay attention. Does it help that the song is a surprisingly sensual duet between a fictional Thomas Edison and an anthropomorphized elephant? It doesn't hurt!
APPETIZER: "Full Bars" – S3, E2
The best Bob's Burgers episodes are the ones that manage to weave the A and B plots together naturally, but the second-best Bob's Burgers episodes are the ones that go completely off the rails through two unrelated plots like this one about the kids trying to score full candy bars while Bob and Linda attend an unintentionally deadly Halloween party.
SALAD: "Turkey in a Can" – S4, E5
Holiday episodes are an important part of Bob's Burgers, and perhaps none more so than Thanksgiving ones. There's an embarrassment of riches to choose from, but for my money "Turkey in a Can" from Season 4 is the one to beat. There's a small song about gravy, Bob unintentionally flirting with the guy selling turkeys, and a baffling situation that turns out to be heartwarming. That's peak right there.
MAIN COURSE: "The Plight Before Christmas" – S13, E10
If you've made it this far, you've likely noticed that most of the tasting menu comes from relatively early on in Bob's Burgers' run. This isn't a mistake; there are ostensibly better episodes in later seasons, but the vast majority require some sort of understanding of character dynamics in the show, canonical events, or some combination of both.
"The Plight Before Christmas" is a perfect example of just how beautiful the show can be as Bob and Linda attempt to attend three different Christmas events for Tina (a play), Gene (a recital), and Louise (a poetry reading) on the same night at the same time. It's an unexpectedly moving holiday episode that tugs all the heartstrings, features guest star Tina Fey, and there's a surprisingly beautiful song cover that's a wild pull even for Bob's Burgers. It is the main course, and a sterling example of the best the show has to offer.
DESSERT: "Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl" – S5, E1
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if there were two competing school musicals based on the '80s movies Die Hard and Working Girl trying to take place on the same night in the same school? Bob's Burgers has, and it is wildly catchy. This just might be the episode I rewatch most often.
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🤖 Rollin: I've been absolutely obsessed with the Gundam TCG of late and managed to pull a $600 card out of a pack over the weekend. I've no idea what to do with this information now, so I've told y'all about it.
👽 Kambole: I finally caught up on Dan Da Dan, something I haven't been treating with a huge amount of urgency as I'm up to date on the manga and because the anime, while very fun, doesn't quite light my brain on fire the way other recent recommendations have. That said, really fun adaptation of a scene where X Japan lookalikes help perform an exorcism with the power of rock.
🎤 Toussaint: I haven't watched a whole lot animation-wise lately, but that doesn't mean I've come empty-handed this week. Here's Off The Leash, a short by animator-musician Louie Zong about a cool cat (and dog) making a '90s-style music video in their backyard with a fisheye lens. Busta Rhymes would be proud.