This marks at least the third review I've written about the animated Fox comedy "Bob's Burgers." For those of you who have never heard of the comical genius that is "Bob's Burgers," you may think this is three times too many. Yet the writing remains so sharp and witty that I would be remiss to not once again write about it's endearing brilliance now that the third season is over. Luckily, the series will be renewed for a 22-episode fourth season.
The show chronicles the life of the Belchers, a working-class family who run a burger joint in a town with flashier establishments and restaurant chains. While the plotlines often nosedive into the absurd, as good comedy often does, the overall story of the Belchers parallels many of the same predicaments Americans face today. This is perhaps what makes the show so darn good; though animated, their problems are possible, and the family dynamic is relatable. Linda and Bob have a believable marriage, and as audience members, we become equally invested in all three of their children: Tina, the quiet romantic, Gene, the obnoxious fart-man and Louise, the diabolical prank-puller who's just as smart as she is conniving.
In its first season, "Bob's Burgers" didn't immediately offer the promise of long-term comedic success; it had to contend with Fox's other Sunday night animated mainstays, "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy." The appearance of a new animated sitcom in the reign of the Seth MacFarlane powerhouse era seemed almost like a suicide wish, but the show has quietly remained uber-consistent in delivering hilarious entertainment.
At first, the spontaneous musical numbers (sung often in the annoying nasal tone of Linda Belcher) were cringe-worthy and possibly awkward. But the writers of these ditties don't dry out the jokes, and the songs often come at such a misplaced time in the episode that the lack of predictability makes them funnier than any point in "Family Guy" where the joke is drawn out entirely too long.
Two of the latest episodes, "The Kids Run the Restaurant" and "Boys 4 Now" are self-contained masterpieces of the "Bob's Burgers" comedy brand. In the former, the title basically explains the plot, except for the fact that instead of simply taking over the burger flipping, Louise, Gene and Tina open an illegal casino, called "The Meat Grinder," in the basement of the restaurant. The additional insanity comes in the form of the restaurant landlord participating in the illegal "rock-paper-scissors" gambling table. A highlight is when Gene heads up an all-female music group, which he calls "Girl Group." The singers are named Dotty Minerva, Misty Gish and Girl Three, and hilarity ensues.
In "Boys 4 Now," the show explores the never-ending idiocy of boy bands, combined with the show-stopping stupidity of Justin Bieber, in the form of the heartthrob performers "Boys 4 Now," whose members include an older man pretending to be 17, and Boo Boo (J-Biebs Junior). Tina and Louise, to their dismay, end up at one of the group's concerts, and Louise falls in love with Boo Boo; she crushes so hard for his golden locks that she decides she must slap him in the face. The episode touches on the pop-culture insanity of fandom; while waiting in line Louise proclaims "they're just boys," to which another screaming girl waiting in line freaks out and vomits. Alternatively, the Belchers accompany Gene to a table-setting competition and expose the hyper-investment of parents into kids' accomplishments in the same vein as "Dance Moms."
"Bob's Burgers" acts as an endless web of jokes on jokes, to which fans and viewers looking for something a little funnier in their sitcom lineup should celebrate. Perhaps it is creator Loren Bouchard's sifting of the comedy realm to procure his voice-actors that makes the show so damn good; all of the voice-over actors are stand-up comics in their own right. It is fitting then, that the cast of "Bob's Burgers" took the show on the road for a special series of live readings, which were received with whooping praise according to reviews of the West Coast shows.
