The Best Animated Series Since The Simpsons Is Dominating Hulu
The Simpsons ushered in a new era of television, but it took decades before it took hold, as networks realized that animated sitcoms were significantly cheaper to produce. What started in Springfield eventually expanded on Fox when Family Guy was rescued from cancellation, leading to the two shows to be joined by American Dad, The Cleveland Show, and then the best and most heartfelt of the group, Bob’s Burgers. With over a decade of success and a movie under their belt, the Belcher family has proven themselves to be the true successor to the Simpsons.
The Belchers
Bob’s Burgers debuted in 2011 with a very uneven first season, but by the time Season 2 rolled around, the show was starting to fire on all cylinders. Bob Belcher (voiced by Archer’s H. Jon Benjamin) is a struggling restaurant owner who loves burgers, and alongside him is his wife, Lois (John Roberts), and their kids, the zombie romance writer Tina (Dan Mintz), overly enthusiastic Gene (Eugene Mirman) and the pink hat-wearing Louise (Kristen Schaal).
Evolved And Changed Over Time Into A Classic
Like the Simpsons (the family, not the show), the central characters all have clearly defined core traits, but as time goes on, different parts of their personalities start to come out and develop, most notably with Bob no longer on the brink of an emotional meltdown every episode, the nagging parts of Lois have eventually been filed away and left behind a more well-rounded character, and Gene isn’t as moronic; instead, he’s sweetly naive.
Die Hard: The Musical
Because Bob’s Burgers changed over the years from a series closer in tone to Family Guy than The Simpsons, it’s been able to get better with age. Modern seasons have leaned into musical numbers, something the show does incredibly well, building off the end credit gag of a small musical number to work them into the plot. The turning point, and the one that I still think might be the best because I now wish this was real, came in “Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl,” the first episode of Season 5, which has the kids in competing musicals, Die Hard and Working Girl.
Die Hard: The Musical is a brilliant concept and it needs to happen. That episode is also when the tonal shift goes into full force, and from then on, episodes are more wholesome, usually with Bob imparting some sort of lesson on the kids, but there’s still that undercurrent of wicked humor.
Warning: Contains Dad Puns
Bob’s Burgers has also, similar to the couch gag from The Simpsons, stuck to a gag from the very beginning, with Bob’s Burger of the Day board always showing a different pun. This started out pretty dark, with the Pepper Don’t Preach Burger in Season 1, to become more groan-worthy, with Step Up 2: The Beets Burger being one that caused me physical pain when I first noticed it. It’s almost impressive that after 15 seasons, every episode features at least one new Burger of the Day, with some including up to five.
One Of Hulu’s Most Popular Shows
REVIEW SCORE
If you want a well-written show filled with smart humor that also knows how to walk the line between wholesome and sarcastic, Bob’s Burgers is the best show out there today. There’s also Bob’s Burgers: The Movie, which includes more original songs than Joker 2 does and, at least in my opinion, stays more true to the series than The Simpsons Movie did.
Every season of Bob’s Burgers, and the movie is currently streaming on Hulu, where subscribers must have good taste, as the series is currently part one of the service’s top 10 most popular shows.
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