It’s been an amazing week for one of the best adult cartoons of all time. Bob’s Burgers celebrated eleven years on the air this week, having premiered on January 9, 2011. The Fox series has been a big success, inspiring everything from board games, shirts, toys, albums, and a comic series. And this Monday, we got a trailer for the upcoming film adaptation, which will be out on Memorial Day weekend. To celebrate the show, here is our list of the ten best episodes of Bob’s Burgers ranked from ten to one, one being the very best.
10. “Eat, Spray Linda”
Linda isn’t happy to be waking up on her 44th birthday, and the day only gets worse when she locks herself out of her car at a faraway grocery store and ends up taking the journey home from hell. From tearing her pants to getting sprayed by a skunk to being harassed by the coordinator of a street chalk festival, Linda’s odyssey is a nightmare for her, but it’s hilarious for the viewers.
9. “The Ring (But Not Scary)”
Bob shows he’s got a romantic side when he not only remembers his and Linda’s anniversary but also gets her an extravagant gift: the engagement ring he was never able to afford. However, his plans for a big surprise are derailed when the kids lose the ring at a waterpark, and Bob is forced to go back with them in the middle of the night to search for it. As lovable as Bob is, he has a tendency to prioritize his work over his family too much, which is why it’s refreshing to see him go out of his way to give Linda the anniversary gift she deserves. As mismatched as they often seem, Bob demonstrates here that he really does consider his wife a treasure.
8. “The Hauntening”
Bob and Linda try unsuccessfully to put on a scary haunted house for the kids at Halloween, but the plan takes a strange turn when the family car has a flattened tire, and they are chased through the home by a creepy old man with hedge trimmers. This episode manages to get in a few scary moments without sacrificing the show’s humor, and the twist at the end is somewhat unexpected. Thrilling and funny, this is without a doubt the best Halloween episode of the show.
7. “Tina-Rannosaurus Wrecks”
In what many fans consider the most hilarious moment in Bob’s Burgers history, Bob gives Tina a driving lesson in an almost empty parking lot, only for Tina’s trademark anxiety to cause her to crash into the only other car in the lot. Bob forces Tina to keep her involvement quiet to protect his insurance rate from going too high.
Perhaps we viewers are evil for this, but it’s hard not to laugh at the ways Tina is affected by the stress of keeping this secret. This includes her awkward attempts at a fake smile and her hilarious vision of going to “hell jail.” Tina is considered by many fans to be the best character on Bob’s Burgers, and this episode is chock-full of some of her most funny and iconic moments.
6. “Topsy”
Louise is angry that her new science teacher is rejecting her volcano science project and making her do a report on his hero Thomas Edison. So she seeks revenge by exposing the true story of Edison’s involvement in the experimental electrocution of Topsy the elephant. The episode has many hilarious moments, such as Aunt Gayle awkwardly flirting with Mr. Fischoeder and Bob and Linda competing over their own science projects. But the true highlight of the episode is Tina and Gene lipsyncing to “Electric Love,” which is easily one of the top ten Bob’s Burgers songs. Let us know if you want that list next.
5. “Glued, Where’s My Bob?”
Just when Bob has a chance at a big interview with Coasters magazine, a prank gone wrong by Louise causes him to get stuck to a toilet. The family enlists all the help they can to get Bob unstuck while keeping the awkward situation from the interviewers. The whole premise is hilarious, we get a great song with “Bad Stuff Happens in the Bathroom,” and the episode ends up being a full celebration of the whole ensemble of characters.
4. “Flu-Ouise”
A flu-ridden Louise is devastated and angry when her family destroys her beloved Kuchi Kopi doll, and then she winds up in a fever dream where the now living toy leads her on a journey to a fortress where she can be alone with her thoughts and frustration. But the journey isn’t without its obstacles, namely all her other stuffed animals voiced by her family members trying to keep her from reaching the fortress. Many shows have taken their spin on parodying The Wizard of Oz, but this is a particularly clever take on the story. It’s compelling, funny, and carries a great message of forgiveness.
3. “Turkey in a Can”
Thanksgiving is Bob’s favorite holiday, and cooking an amazing turkey is his yearly highlight. So, understandably, he’s pretty upset when the turkey, and each one he subsequently buys, winds up in the toilet. And since the whole family is irritated by Bob’s controlling ways of keeping the holiday perfect by his standards, everyone is a suspect. A pretty clever whodunnit riddled with funny moments (e.g., Linda and Aunt Gayle’s Thanksgiving song and Tina attempting to seem more grown-up so she can sit at the adult table), the show ends up coming to a very heartwarming conclusion where Bob’s role as a loving father is beautifully put on display. This is easily one of the best Thanksgiving episodes of any animated series ever.
2. “Wagstaff School News”
When Tina loses the opportunity to serve as the school news anchor, she ends up launching her own independent news coverage of the mad pooper, a serial defecator leaving “criminal offenses” all over various areas of the school. This story alone is fun to watch, but the true highlight of this episode is the side story in which Gene, realizing he is destined to look like Bob when he gets older, decides to get “the full Bob” makeover to get it over with. I dare anyone to watch this and not laugh out loud at how deeply Gene gets into the role, taking on Bob’s personality to a level that irritates Bob but entertains everyone else.
1. “Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl”
The best episode of Bob’s Burgers is a musical homage to two classic 1988 films. When the school allows students to write and pitch their own school musicals, Gene’s passion project Die Hard: The Musical is rejected in favor of his on-again-off-again girlfriend Courtney’s musical take on Working Girl. With Louise’s help, Gene hosts an unauthorized production of his musical in the school basement, and an all-out musical war ensues. This episode is riddled with hilarious moments (the funniest of all being Gene’s weak attempt at a one-man show) and clever musical numbers. And the students’ final production, which is the most convoluted idea one could come up with, ends up being quite spectacular. This is an episode fans are going to watch and rewatch many times.
So there you have it. Our list of the ten best episodes of Bob’s Burgers ranked. What episode do you think is the most fan-flippin-tastic of all time? Are you excited to see The Bob’s Burgers Movie finally come out this year? Talk to us on The Nerd Stash Facebook page or @thenerdstash on Twitter.
