“Bob’s Burgers” premiered in January 2011 and has since released nine enjoyably witty seasons. The sitcom tells the story of an American family who run a struggling hamburger joint, as parents Bob and Linda Belcher do their best to support their three kids, Tina, Gene and Louise.
The show is all about spotlighting pop culture humor, animated comedy and warm stories about the Belcher family and their friends. “Bob’s Burgers” is definitely slept on and does not receive the attention it deserves, so to help others get interested in the series, here are my picks for top five funniest episodes of the show!
1. “The Deepening”
“The Deepening” is basically just a parody of “Jaws,” so everyone should be able to understand this bit of pop culture. The owner of the “Wonder Wharf,” the amusement park at the end of the Belcher’s street, decides to buy the prop shark used in an old movie similar to “Jaws.”
Tina, Gene and Louise go to the Wharf to steal the fin of the shark, but in the process accidentally knock it over. The power switch to the shark flips on, and from there on all hell breaks loose. The shark destroys the town as it slowly makes its way toward the Belcher’s restaurant. The townspeople attempt to devise a plan to stop the rampant shark, but to no avail. Eventually the shark makes it to the restaurant, where Bob stops it by throwing an ice cream machine into its mouth.
2. “The Equestranauts”
This episode of “Bob’s Burgers” is a perfect example of how far Bob will go for his kids’ happiness. Tina is obsessed with horses, both real and toy. She has several Equestranaut figurines, which are basically just glass horse toys. The family goes to an Equestranauts convention, thinking it will be filled with young girls like Tina. However, when they arrive they find hundreds of adult men dressed up like various horse figurines.
One of these men bribes Tina out of her beloved figurine, which turns out to be worth a decent amount of money. When Bob finds out, he goes to all extremes to find Tina’s figurine and bring it back to her, including dressing up as a figurine himself and returning to the convention.
3. “The Kids Rob a Train”
Bob and Linda want to go on a wine train for the day (basically just a train where various types of wine are delivered to your table). They bring the kids even though the brochure says: “Children are allowed, but not welcome.”
When they arrive, a train attendant escorts Tina, Gene and Louise to the back of the bus where they will be required to stay for the duration of the trip. On the way, though, the kids spot a chocolate fountain and make it their mission to steal and eat it. Meanwhile, Bob and Linda encounter a man who Linda says “is a professional wine taster,” much to Bob’s annoyance.
4. “Bad Tina”
Tina has become a fan favorite over the years, and for good reason. She embodies everything most young girls are — boy-crazy, day-dreamy and sometimes a little bad. In this episode, Tina becomes friends with Tammy, the new girl at school. Tammy is a bad influence on Tina, but Tina’s desire for a friend plays the stronger hand.
Tammy influences Tina to wear makeup, stop wearing her glasses, skip school, steal and drink alcohol. Eventually, Tina decides Tammy is no good for her and tries to stop hanging out with her. However, Tammy begins to blackmail Tina, saying she will read Tina’s “Erotic Friend Fiction” book to the entire school at lunch.
Tina breaks down and finally tells Linda what’s been going on. Linda consoles Tina and tells her that only she can decide what embarrasses her or not. Tina comes up with the idea to read her “Erotic Friend Fiction” to the school at lunch the next day so that Tammy cannot embarrass her. When Bob hears about Tina’s plan, he and Linda rush to the school to try to stop her. They don’t make it in time, but Tina’s “Erotic Friend Fiction” is overlooked when Tammy laughs in the cafeteria and lets a fart loose at the same time.
5. “Topsy”
“Topsy” is a “Bob’s Burgers” episode that mainly focuses on Louise. She receives an assignment in her science class to do a project on Thomas Edison. Louise becomes obsessed with taking her new science teacher down by exposing Edison’s elephant-murdering past. The science teacher does everything in his power to stop Louise from damaging the name of his beloved Edison, but Tina manages to pull it off anyway.
At the big presentation, Tina dresses as an elephant and the kids send a small amount of electricity through her to represent what Edison did to dozens of elephants. Tina falls to the ground and the family thinks she is actually hurt until a few seconds later when she opens her eyes and says, “I’m fine!”
No matter what your type of comedy may be, everyone can find something to love in “Bob’s Burgers.” Whether it’s Tina’s relatable personality or Bob’s negative-Nancy outlook, the show has reeled in millions of viewers with its comedy.
