The Fact That It's Funny Is Only One Reason Why I Think Bob's Burgers Has Been A Perfect Show For 15 Seasons

Objective perfection is a mythical ideal, so to speak of the perfect TV show is to speak of the perfect yard decoration or the perfect example to use in an introduction’s analogy. Thus, subjectivity is the name of the game, and this game also includes Burger of the Day, for Bob’s Burgers is in my personal pantheon of TV perfection!

Sure, the Belcher family showed up as one of CinemaBlend’s 100 Best Sitcoms, and we think it’s one of the best animated shows of all time. But in my mind, Loren Bouchard and the show’s creatives have been crafting truly perfect TV for the past 15 seasons. One reason is because it never fails to make me laugh like a buffoon, but that’s just scraping the surface…with Gene’s toothbrush.

Bob’s Burgers Encompasses My Full Pie Chart Of Humor

My favorite TV comedies range from The Dick Van Dyke Show to I Think You Should Leave, and I always aim to appreciate as much of the comedy spectrum as possible, and Bob’s Burgers taps into so many of my sweet spots. The opening credits features not one, but TWO original local business puns every single time — on the vacant next-door building and the van that pops in — and nearly every episode leans into one or more burger puns. Nearly more puns than burger puns.

Beyond that, we have Gene’s safe-for-work filth, Louise’s only slightly malicious schadenfreude, Tina’s spectrum anxieties, Linda’s odd-bird nature, and Bob’s Sisyphean-esque work and family balance. To say nothing of the dozens of other regular characters with distinct personalities and quirks — Jimmy Pesto’s unbridled arrogance, Teddy’s sad-sack loyalty, all the extended family members, etc.

Plus, the music, THE MUSIC. Any show that can produce multiple albums’ worth of silly ass bops and genre pastiches is a winner in my book. Whether a full-episode musical — such as Season 15’s stellar “Burger of the Night” finale — or just moments of Gene putzing around with his keyboard presets, it’s all gold here. Especially when the songs bleed into the closing credits, which also tend to change every single episode. These animators care, dammit.

The Belcher Family Clearly Loves And Appreciates Each Other

Amidst the endless number of family comedies out there in the world, the number of them that center on convincingly loving families that get along is far fewer than one might think. That’s never a question on Bob’s Burgers, though. For me, the family dynamic is always exemplified best during the episode-opening meals, where each of the Belchers’ personalities are on full display.

Bob and Linda are excellent parents and partners by and large, not because they always get everything right (as if), but because they make the effort and want to be good providers for their loved one. The same goes for the kids, if in watered-down doses. Tina adores her siblings, even if she has atypical ways of showing her love (which extends to horses). Louise seems maniacal, but her underlying intentions often falls back on having fun with her siblings. And Gene? My guy is here to entertain.

Realistically, a lot of these situations would end with parental rage over the kids not doing what they’re told in one way or another. But no matter how many times Louise, for example, gets in the way of her own success (and others’), Bob and Linda are right there to pick her up and put her back on her feet, and all without making her take her bunny ears off. Everyone should be so lucky.

Seymour’s Bay Is A Wacky And Weirdly Ideal TV Town

Nobody remembers television shows that are set in boring, no-personality places, but audiences adore fictional locations like GIlmore Girls’ Stars Hollow, The Simpsons’ Springfield, Stranger Things’ Hawkins and others. Seymour’s Bay certainly taps into a lot of the details that make small-screen settings feel like homes away from home, and that only starts with the now-iconic restaurant-and-apartment that the Belchers call work and home. (That includes the areas inside the walls, of course.)

As a Jersey shore town, Seymour’s Bay is as much a tourist attraction as anything, which gives us the excellence of Wonder Wharf — I’m a sucker for a Ferris wheel on the horizon — and dozens of other kitschy shops, museums, eateries, libraries pop-ups and whatever else the plot calls for. Whether it’s a frequent hub like Wagstaff School or seldom-seen spots like the key-cutting place, I’m eager to see every side street, alley and cul de sac.

To Me, There’s Never Been A Bad Bob’s Burgers Episode

While I definitely count The Simpsons, Arrested Development and Monty Python’s Flying Circus among my favorite TV shows of all time, I cannot put my hand on Reverend Lovejoy’s Bible to go on the record and say that all three of those shows only ever put out perfect episodes. That would be almost as laughable as the series themselves, seeing as how The Simpsons is anti-celebrated for having entire seasons of quality-adjacent storytelling. But this isn’t about ripping apart my comfort shows.

The point here is that, across 15 seasons and just under 300 episodes, Bob’s Burgers has never once aired an installment that I would consider boring, pointless, unfunny, embarrassing, or any other negative-leaning assessments. Even when the stories border on ridiculousness, the writers know exactly how to keep the characters authentic, and no one ever behaves against type unless it’s for a reason.

Which isn’t’ to say I think every single episode reaches and surpasses the bar of supremacy, as that might sound a little obsessive. But I do readily believe that an average Bob’s Burgers ep is on par with the best episodes that many other TV comedies have to offer, which is a big reason why it has the distinction of lasting 15+ seasons, in comparison with so many others that face early cancellations. It’s the kind of show that I can stream any ep from any season for my wife and kids (via Hulu subscription or Disney+ subscription), and I know it’s going to hit.

Not every meal you get from your favorite restaurant is going to be the best meal of your life, but if they’re putting out enough good food to make it your favorite restaurant, then… I think I lost the metaphor, Linda.

The point is, Bob’s Burgers is still peak animated TV, and at this point, I’ve no reason to believe that will ever change. So Bob might as well make one of the restaurant’s stools permanently mine, because I’ll be coming back for as long as the doors are open.