Bob’s Burgers: Assessing season 1, its impact and likability
With Bob’s Burgers on hiatus, it’s time to look back on season 1, its impact on the series, memorable episodes and if it’s a fan favorite.
Summer hiatuses are commonplace, but it doesn’t make it any better. Bob’s Burgers is no expectation as it wrapped the week after Mother’s Day. With season 9 now underway, it leaves a lot of time to write about previous seasons.
As a fan of Bob’s Burgers, it’s sometimes hard to pick which season or episode is your favorite. Each season contains a multitude of episodes but deciding on a favorite is still tough. That’s where my idea for the next two months comes in.
Each Sunday, I’ll discuss a season, talk about what made the season stand out, some memorable episodes and if I consider it a favorite. As per usual, I’d love to hear feedback from fellow Bob’s Burgers fans including your thoughts on the season, your favorite episode from each season and general thoughts.
Without any further ado, let’s talk about season 1 of Bob’s Burgers. The 1st season of a show is arguably its roughest year. The show is getting its footing and still trying to connect with fans. That sentiment rang true for Bob’s Burgers as the show started off on a weird note.
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Obviously what made this season stand out was that it started the series. Every show has to start somewhere and Bob’s Burgers started here. Season 1 is by no means the strongest but created a base. The basis of Bob’s Burgers being the Belcher family struggling to run the restaurant along with life’s mishaps.
The formula hasn’t changed much since then and rightfully so. The show is strongest when it focuses on the family and their shenanigans. The other reason the show stood out was its humor and not in a good way.
The show had some low-brow humor more attune to Family Guy. Some of the jokes in the first episode were questionable and probably turned some people off. Understandably so, but the show managed to get its footing.
As the first episode of the series, “Human Flesh” is no doubt memorable. It wasn’t the best start but featured some prominent ideas for later seasons. Louise started trouble, Bob freaked out and the family struggling is all trademarks of the show and of later seasons. The jokes were a miss, but it was a decent start to the series.
Many credit “Sexy Dance Fighting,” as the start of Bob’s Burgers as we know it today and I agree. The episode is classic in how it focuses on one of the kids but still features Bob and Linda prominently. Everyone in the family takes part in the episode and Teddy has a decent role.
The last prominent episode was “Burger Wars.” It was one of the first episodes to prominently feature Bob and Jimmy’s rivalry. Bob and Jimmy’s rivalry is as fiery back then as it is now. It is still a strong plot device that the show uses to create tension and makes for a fun dynamic.
Season 1 of Bob’s Burgers is not a favorite, but I appreciate it for what it is and its impact on the series. To get a 13-episode order is pretty great as season 2 had even less but that’s a topic for next week. Even though it’s not a favorite, I consider “Hamburger Dinner Theater” and “Sheesh! Cab, Bob?” two of my favorite episodes.
Next: Bob’s Burgers: Ranking the best episode of each season
Overall, I don’t believe many fans consider season 1 a favorite. Maybe for sentimental reasons, but it’s not as strong as later seasons. Either way, it was a start and created fans out of many of us.
Do you consider season 1 a favorite of ours? What are some of your favorite season 1 episodes?