Will Season 11 of Bob’s Burgers be affected by Hollywood shutdown?

By Rebecca Mills | Apr 5, 2020

Photo Credit: Bob's Burgers/Fox, Acquired From Fox Flash /

With the TV industry on pause, Bob’s Burgers is one of the few shows with episodes still to air, but how will their upcoming season be affected?

In a lot of ways, we’re living through history and it’s crazy. Most notably, we’ve watched as Hollywood is basically on pause. For the most part, all live-action shows have suspended production indefinitely, with no clear timetable for their return. As for animated shows like Bob’s Burgers, though, a lot of their episodes are already finished and ready to air. The biggest issue for animated shows is the airing of the following season.

At first, this didn’t even come to mind until watching a live stream. The stream was hosted by Eugene Mirman (Gene Belcher) and he was joined by H. Jon Benjamin (Bob Belcher.) The two talked about the show among other topics. One thing Mirman mentioned was Season 10 being good to go but Season 11 possibly being delayed.

It’s no surprise Season 11 will likely be affected by Hollywood shutting down. Animators won’t be able to do their jobs so there will be no show. Voice actors could probably record their lines at home but that’s the easy part. The hard part will be everyone else on the crew, trying to work for home. Whether it be not having the right equipment to not being able to compare work with their co-workers, it starts to get messy. If the shutdown continues to last, then no doubt Season 11 will be affected.

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With such a strong possibility, there are a few options on how Fox can deal. The first would be to push Season 11 back a few months or maybe, a year. While a year seems extreme, it might be inevitable. Like most animated shows, episodes of Bob’s Burgers can take up to a year to produce so delaying it now would ensure a later air-date. Of course, that’s only one of the few options Fox has. No doubt they’re hoping to avoid this one at all costs.

Another option is for Fox to change the airdate of Season 11. Usually, the season premiere airs in September and then runs until May. Changing those dates around could end up being a saving grace for the series. If Hollywood is done with its shut down within the next few months, we’ll still get Bob’s Burgers but a little later than normal. Changing the airdate by even a month could give the cast and crew time to at least get the season premiere together.

With Disney now owning Fox, the series could end up being moved to another channel. While it’s not ideal, Disney has the power to do so. A move to another channel would give them a bit more time to produce episodes. No doubt fans wouldn’t be happy but it would alleviate a few problems. This seems like a last-ditch effort though so I doubt Disney would take a chance.

Last but not least is Disney pulling the plug on Bob’s Burgers. Currently, the series hasn’t even been renewed for Season 11. While it’s basically guaranteed, Disney might feel differently as the ratings aren’t nearly as high. Considering how great Bob’s Burgers is though, it’s doubtful but still something they could consider. It’s highly unlikely as Bob’s Burgers probably has huge streaming numbers with most of us staying at home.

As with similar questions, there is no crystal clear answer. Rather, we just have to wait and see what happens. Considering we have no idea how things will play out with the shutdown, it’s all speculation. Either way, we still have the rest of Season 10 and if you have Hulu, you can get your fill of the Belchers whenever you want.

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Bob’s Burgers airs Sundays on Fox at 9/8c.

What do you think about Season 11 possibly being delayed? Do you have any other ideas on how Fox can deal with this? Be sure to let us know in the comments.