When considering what to write about for the second edition of my passion blog, I evaluated what I spend the most time doing. I am not an authority in anything, but maybe I can give an informed take on something I do frequently and something I love to do. In this process, I came to the realization that I watch a lot of television. I often structure my time around things I need to watch, be them new episodes of a show I love, sporting events, or something I’ve already seen. My ultimate realization: man, I watch a lot of TV.
I finish almost every day with an episode or two of a show, and some weeks, all I do is watch TV. I’ll watch an entire series, watch it again, and then maybe move on. It’s a horrible habit. But maybe, just maybe, it gives me some small ethos to discuss TV.
The first show I will discuss is Bob’s Burgers. I’ve always loved animated comedies, and this has got to be one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Synopsis: A family of five lives and works at a burger restaurant, called Bob’s Burgers. Bob Belcher, the father, is the chef and owner of the restaurant, while his wife Linda helps run the restaurant it alongside him. They have three kids, Tina, Gene, and Louise. Tina is a hormonal teenage girl, obsessed with boys, ponies, and butts. Gene is 11 year old, a fan of puns, food, music, and farts. Louise is 9 years old, and is the most cunning, violent, and complicated of the children. They live in an apartment above the restaurant.
Hallmarks: Bob’s Burgers is famous for its puns. Many of the stores in their fictional town have pun-based names — for example, their neighbor Mort runs a funeral home called It’s Your Funeral Home & Crematorium. A running gag on the show, the neighbor on their other side changes from episode to episode, and each store that comes and goes has its own punny name. The same goes for an exterminator’s van during the opening credits and a “Burger of the Day” during the episode.
Additionally, the show is famous for its Thanksgiving episodes. Many shows do intensive Halloween and Christmas specials, but since Bob is a chef, his favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, a holiday often neglected by TV shows. The Thanksgiving episode is always one of the best each season.
Favorite episodes: For people just starting the show, two of my favorite episodes are Beefsquatch (Season 2, Episode 9), Carpe Museum (Season 3, Episode 22) and The Hauntening (Season 6, Episode 3). To be entirely honest, the first season isn’t the best, the second season is pretty good, but everything from the third season onward is fantastic. Even with so many seasons, the show has not experienced any sort of decline, both in my opinion and in those of real critics.
I would recommend this show to nearly anyone. One really special thing about Bob’s Burgers is that it is a very rare and positive portrayal of the daily lives of poor people. TalkPoverty described it as “a rare depiction of a family that faces stress without becoming bitter, and that struggles without being victims,” (Pellittieri). In 2013, Nielsen tracked the average incomes of viewers watching major network comedies, and viewers of Bob’s Burgers had the lowest average income of over 50 shows (O’Neal). It clearly hits home with a group who is so often misrepresented on screen, despite making up the vast majority of America and the world.
Citations:
O’Neal, Sean. “Rich People like Modern Family, Poor People like Bob’s Burgers.” AV News, Onion, Inc., 14 Nov. 2013, https://news.avclub.com/rich-people-like-modern-family-poor-people-like-bobs-b-1798241923.
Pellittieri, Mara. “Netflix With Class: What to Watch Over the Holidays.” TalkPoverty, Center for American Progress, 21 Dec. 2018, https://talkpoverty.org/2018/12/21/working-class-television-shows/.
Featured Image: “The Belchers Set out to Save a Turkey from a Trip to the Slaughterhouse in ‘I Bob Your Pardon.’” Entertainment Weekly, Meredith Corporation, 16 Nov. 2018, ew.com/tv/2018/11/16/bobs-burgers-2018-thanksgiving/.