Ranking Every Season Premiere of ‘Bob’s Burgers’ So Far
It’s hard to believe that it has been nine years since the pilot episode of Bob’s Burgers aired and the Belcher family became a staple on screens around the globe. Very few shows have depicted the working-class lifestyle like this one has, let alone with the amount of hilarity, finesse, and warmth that only Bob (H. Jon Benjamin), Linda (John Roberts), Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman), and Louise (Kristen Schaal) could bring.
With the Season 11 premiere just days away (September 27) and to celebrate the two-season renewal it just received from Fox, we rounded up every season opener from the show so far and ranked them, starting with our favorite. Check out the gallery below to see where your favorites ended up.
Bob’s Burgers, Season 11 Premiere, Sunday, September 27, 9/8c, Fox
“Human Flesh” (Season 1)
Pranks, rumors, ex-lovers, missed anniversaries, and questionable meat. Not only does the pilot set the stage for why Bob’s fast food restaurant is re-re-re-opening, but it puts the best (and worst) of the Belcher family dynamic on full display: coming together amid the most bizarre of circumstances to redeem themselves and their business.
“Flu-ouise” (Season 7)
Throughout the show, Louise has rarely let her guard down. Therefore, taking that aspect of her, which everyone knows and loves, and spinning it on its head made this installment so memorable. The episode starts off with a kick — literally. Louise, run down with the flu, kicks her medicine right out of Bob’s hand, because she thinks she is too tough to take it…. Or maybe it’s because when she does take it, she ends up in a Wizard of Oz-esque dream-like state, complete with brought-to-life toys and fantasy musical numbers.
“Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl” (Season 5)
This episode solidified Bob’s Burgers’ home in music television. The vocal ability of the cast goes much further than just voice overs, which has allowed relevant, but still in-your-face songs and performances to become a staple in the show. We can all thank this Season 5 premiere and Gene’s need to turn Die Hard into a middle school musical for that.
“Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now” (Season 9)
While this chapter of the animated sitcom didn’t focus on the entire Belcher clan, it was smart in directing most of the attention on Tina, who is the epitome of what being a Belcher is like: having too much confidence in off-the-cuff schemes. Tina depicts that incomparably as she disguises herself as a teenage boy to audition for her favorite boy band.
“Brunchsquatch” (Season 8)
Quite possibly the most unique episode that Bob’s Burgers has ever had is their eighth season premiere. Straying away from their usual animation style, the creator of the show, Loren Bouchard, held a contest that allowed fans to send in their own cartoon interpretations of the Belcher family. With a high-spirited plot based around the family restaurant creating a vengeful brunch menu, some slick production, and an innumerable amount of dedicated, artistic fans, this episode makes for animated history.
“Sliding Bobs” (Season 6)
This episode is the perfect example of the Belcher-kid trilogy theme that is common within the show. Tina, Gene, and Louise all have their own twisted, fractured perspectives on the world and utilizing them as a gateway to the story of how Bob and Linda met is not only uproarious, but heartwarming.
“Ear-Sy Rider” (Season 3)
For everyone who ever wondered what Bob’s Burgers would be like without Louise’s iconic bunny ear hat, this episode is for you. You get answers to both that question and what Bob and Linda are like in comparison to other parents. Conclusion: hilarity all around, the warmth of a family unit, and more than enough revenge to last the entirety of the third season.
“The Belchies” (Season 2)
While it doesn’t include many laugh-out-loud moments, the Season 2 opener of Bob’s Burgers depicts kids being kids, which, for a program that often shows underage kids working in a restaurant, is a breath of much needed air. With bathroom humor, secret treasure hunts, and friends new and old, this premiere had no shortage of goofy, touching, and realistic family moments.
“The Ring (But Not Scary)” (Season 10)
Fans were treated to more just than the Belchers being their silly, accidentally-scheming selves; they were gifted family moments between Linda and her sister, Gayle, a deep dive into one of their newer characters, Nat, and the inner-workings of a relationship between a father (Bob) and his kids. There is playfulness, heart, and the reality that sometimes parents are allowed to be genuinely mad with their kids — no matter how grand the apology.
“A River Runs Through Bob” (Season 4)
In this installment, fans were welcomed back into the lives of the Belchers while outside of their natural habitat (their restaurant and apartment). Bob had reluctantly taken his family camping to make up for Tina missing her scouting trip, but instead of the trip being about her and her wilderness education, it turned into a skinny-dipping extravaganza for the parents and a survivalist manhunt for the kids. It is a pop-culture-reference-laden journey that is a joy to watch, even if literally and figuratively outside of the Belchers’ comfort zone.
