REVIEWED: SEASON 10 (EPISODES 1-11) | WHERE TO WATCH: SKY GO, NOWTV
Few would have thought, when it debuted for its shaky first season almost ten years ago, that Bob’s Burgers would go on to become one of the pillars of Fox’s animation block, standing tall with heavyweights such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. The combination of a more character and story-driven approach with a generally positive attitude, following a family that regularly express care and love for one another with a sincerity severely lacking in its peers really helped the show carve out a niche for itself.
Though series-creator Loren Bouchard’s involvement make comparisons to the underrated classic, Home Movies, inevitable, the show is arguably most similar to Fox’s own King of the Hill, which similarly trundled on quietly in the background, ultimately producing 13 seasons of indistinguishable, yet very high quality.
Season 10 of Bob’s Burgers is, (so far at least), more of the same, but at this point, it would be weird if it weren’t. It’s difficult to point to any specific episodes as standing out above the others, but if we have to, then ‘The Ring (But Not Scary)’ is a sweet story about the kids attempting to do something for their parents’ anniversary, only to lose Bob’s present for Linda (an expensive engagement ring to make up for the cheap one he used for their actual engagement).
Another episode, ‘Boys Just Wanna Have Fungus’, is a great bit of father/son bonding as Bob and Gene go hunting for a rare mushroom in the woods – Bob wanting to use it to cook a new burger of the day but unable to afford the price being charged at his local food market.
‘Now We’re Not Cooking with Gas’ is another particularly strong entry, in which Bob – a chef, obviously – continues his annual tradition of taking Thanksgiving dinner extremely seriously. After sitting on a waiting list for years, he’s finally obtained a rare, heritage turkey to cook, only for the gas to be switched off on his street. Determined not to be outdone, he takes to the alleyway outside to roast the bird using a campfire, and he refuses to let any obstacle, be it rain, a lack of fuel or the local fire-marshall, stand in his way.
2020 is a significant year for Bob’s Burgers. Not only is a 10th season a significant milestone and not only have the new bosses at Disney already giving the green light for an 11th, but this July also sees the release of Bob’s Burgers: The Movie, a feature film based on the series that will also be embracing the show’s music-loving roots by being a full-blown musical. We can’t wait.
