Bob’s Burgers isn’t your typical raunchy adult cartoon. Yes, the show has its fair share of suggestive puns and fart jokes. But at its heart, Bob’s Burgers is a good, and mostly wholesome, family TV show. Instead of relying on gasp-inducing vulgarity, each episode presents an underlying moral, reminiscent of a traditional fable structure. The characters —with their eccentricities and quirks — are the conduits for these meanings to come to life, and for viewers to relate to the show.
The two-time Emmy award-winning series centers around the misadventures of Bob Belcher, his wife, Linda, and their three children, Tina, Gene, and Louise, as they keep their struggling burger joint afloat. Chef Bob and sing-songy wife and co-owner Linda grapple with the fiscal difficulties of running a restaurant. Tina is in the throes of adolescence, while Gene and Louise cook up schemes — usually to get out of school or work at the restaurant — always discovering unintended consequences along the way.
The Belchers are a more accurate version of family than many of the others we see on TV. They are not overly attractive, and they have issues everyone can relate to. They worry about paying the rent, about running a business, and about balancing work with fun. They have strengths, flaws, and problems. But each member of the Belcher family is also commendable in their own way. This makes them perfect characters for a relatable modern fable that touches on issues we all face.
Each episode of Bob’s Burgers stands on its own. A conflict — or several — are introduced, and by the end of the 20-minute episode, Bob, Linda, and the kids have found a way to solve it. The problems are eclectic and some are more realistic than others. In the 10th and most recent season alone, the kids exorcise Tina of the ghost of a pig she dissected in science class and lose their mother’s anniversary gift at a water park. At other points during the season, Bob struggles to find pants that flatter him and Linda dyes all the restaurant’s hamburger meat green.
Each of the characters, though ultimately lovable and relatable, makes their fair share of mistakes. Bob gets carried away in his rivalry with competing restaurateur, Jimmy Pesto. Linda is a little too fond of wine, and her theatrical shenanigans cause embarrassment and sometimes trouble for her kids. Tina often lets her infatuation with her crush Jimmy Jr. get in the way of her responsibilities. Gene has no filter on his thoughts or actions, and Louise’s conniving schemes sometimes unintentionally hurt the people she loves.
But though the problems are plenty and the solutions unusual, the Belcher family always ends up on their feet. This is due to a combination of teamwork, compassion, and familial loyalty between the characters. These are the morals of Belcher’s stories. Bob’s Burgers is a humor-driven fable for modern times.
Each season is peppered with oft-repeating one-liners that define the characters, shedding light on the roles they play within the fable. “You’re my family and I love you. But you’re terrible, you’re all terrible,” is one of Bob’s recurring callbacks. In many ways, this line sets the tone for the whole show and for the elemental morals of family and acceptance infused throughout. At the end of the day, what remains is the family’s support of one another, despite each character’s flaws. Bob’s Burgers gives us all permission to be a little bit terrible and see the humor in our own faults.
Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, and Louise are caricatures of traits that exist within us all and the show is an amalgamation of the idiosyncrasies we all see within ourselves. Bob’s Burgers, like a traditional fable, reveals adages about life, and the characters are a vehicle for this to happen.
And despite each character’s pitfalls, they also have redeeming and admirable qualities: Bob and Linda are dedicated parents who never compromise their personal values; Tina cannot tell a lie; Gene’s confidence is unparalleled; Louise’s intelligence allows her to analyze a situation so she can play her cards exactly right; and — best yet — each of the characters is unapologetically themselves.
Even minor characters reveal hidden bits of the human psyche. Mr. Frond, the school guidance counselor, shows us how self-doubt can follow us from childhood. Mr. Ambrose, the school librarian, reveals the natural human penchant for drama. Teddy, Bob’s best friend and best customer, is the epitome of loyalty. Some part of each of these characters exists within everyone. The truth is, some days you’re smart and resourceful like Louise, and some days you’re insecure like Mr. Frond. And we’d all like to be a little more honest, like Tina.
At the end of the day — or in this case, the episode — the moral of this fable all circles back to family, loyalty, and support. Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, and Louise pull through because of one another and teach us a little bit more about ourselves along the way.
Photo Courtesy of Fox