When The Simpsons Movie premiered in 2007, the show was generally considered to be past its prime. The time frame of the so-called “golden age” of The Simpsons is a hotly debated topic amongst fans, but it’s safe to say it ended around ten years before the movie premiered. Since 2007, many more seasons of the animated sitcom have aired, and it seems like The Simpsons may never end. Whether you like modern Simpsons episodes or not, it’s hard to dispute that it went through major changes before and after its golden age. The Simpsons Movie bears little resemblance to the Tracy Ullman Show spinoff that it started out as in the late eighties. This is in stark contrast to the experience of watching the newly released Bob’s Burgers Movie.
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Premiering on Fox in 2011, Bob’s Burgers is about a family that owns and runs the eponymous restaurant. The eatery’s kitchen is run by Bob Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin) while his wife Linda (John Roberts) serves the food. Their kids, Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman), and Louise (Kristen Schaal), help their parents run the family business, but only when they have to. The show was created by Loren Bouchard after he developed the cult-favorite Home Movies, which also starred H. Jon Benjamin.
While not immediately beloved, Bob’s Burgers quickly became a critical hit and audience favorite. The show has been on the air for twelve seasons (with a thirteenth on the way) and was just adapted into a feature film. What’s remarkable about the show is its consistent quality since it ironed out some minor kinks in the early seasons. In honor of the Belcher’s leap to the big screen, let’s take a look at some of the things that have kept Bob Burger’s solidly entertaining over more than a decade.
Bob’s Burgers’ Well-Developed Characters
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Bob’s Burgers’ fantastic cast of characters is the main aspect of the show that keeps it from ever faltering. From the Belcher family to fan-favorites like Zeke and Regular-Sized Rudy, Bob’s Burgers has created some of television’s most distinct and fleshed-out characters. This is especially remarkable for an animated network sitcom, which often forgoes consistent characterization in service of a cheap gag. Loren Bouchard and the rest of the Bob’s Burgers team know that the most satisfying comedy emerges from well-defined characters interacting with one another, not from random events or cutaways.
The writers behind Bob’s Burgers have a deep understanding of who these characters are and how they will react to any situation. This allows them to mine humor from how the Belchers respond to any problems they happen to face. Bob’s Burgers’ characters have only grown more intricate over the years, which has led to even more excellent character-based comedy.
Bob’s Burgers’ Low Stakes
Another way Bob’s Burgers has maintained its quality over the years are the low stakes of the stories it tells. Any flights of fancy are contained within daydreams or separate scene storytelling while the world of the show remains grounded. Bob’s Burgers would never have an episode like The Simpsons’ “Deep Space Homer,” with Bob going into space, for example. This realism keeps the show from jumping the shark.
Linda and Bob deal with the same things any other working-class parents would, like paying rent and raising their kids. At the same time, Gene, Louise, and Tina’s biggest problems are mostly school-related, often about homework or social issues. Even an episode about a robbery like season two’s “Bob Day Afternoon” never feels tense or precarious. It’s all portrayed as relatively ordinary. Because Bob’s Burgers doesn’t have to ever one-up itself or put its characters into improbable scenarios, it avoids the pitfalls many other shows have to deal with.
Bob’s Burgers’ Unassuming Comedy
Like its approach to storytelling, Bob’s Burgers comedy is often understated and easygoing. This isn’t to say that Bob’s Burgers is some sort of American equivalent to a dry British sitcom. Rather, its jokes are more likely to elicit chuckles rather than big belly laughs. Even the show’s biggest fans probably wouldn’t refer to the show as hilarious (though it definitely can be at times), but that’s not what it’s going for. Bob’s Burgers is pleasant, big-hearted, and silly. Not everything needs to be a constant laugh riot. Bob’s Burgers is always entertaining, and that’s more than most shows can say.
Very few episodes of Bob’s Burgers are truly fantastic in a way that makes them stand out from the rest. For a final Simpsons comparison, there aren’t episodes that are widely considered classics like “Marge vs. the Monorail” or “Last Exit to Springfield.” Honestly, it’s hard to pick a favorite episode of Bob’s Burgers at all. This isn’t a knock against the show. It’s actually an indicator of how consistently good it is. There hasn’t been a particularly bad episode of the show either, which is incredible considering over two hundred have aired. Bob’s Burgers’ unassuming nature allows it to be a uniquely consistent show, one that you can depend on to always provide an enjoyable viewing experience.
