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- Bob's Burgers
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The 15 Worst 'Bob's Burgers' Episodes Ever
- 1
All That Gene
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After Gene is encouraged to try out for a part in a local theater production, the audition doesn't go as well as he would have hoped. The director tells him to hit the road, but Linda stands up for her son and convinces the director to give him another shot if she agrees to become his stagehand.
Gene is excited about the role, but he's still not meeting the standard the director is setting. This sets Gene to wonder why he managed to finally get the part, and he soon figures out what was going on all along.
Why it falls short: "All That Gene" is the lowest-rated episode of Bob's Burgers on IMDb. The episode is really Gene-heavy, and while he's a great character, he's not anyone's favorite. Well, maybe some fans, but for the wider audience, a Gene-heavy episode didn't meet up to the expectations the series established for itself in other episodes.
- Original Airing: December 1, 2019
- Season: Season 10
- Episode Number: 9
A bad episode? - 2
Bed, Bob & Beyond
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In "Bed, Bob & Beyond," Bob and Linda take the kids out to see a movie but end up getting into a fight with the kids along to see it all go down. The couple isn't able to easily get over it, and the kids take notice.
In an effort to help their parents reconcile, the children tell them how they thought the movie would have ended, had they stayed long enough to see it through to the end, and the film's circuitous storyline helps bring the couple back into marital bliss.
Why it falls short: The episode plays out rather well despite its low rating on IMDb. Fans may not have appreciated how it both was and wasn't a bottle episode, which can put some viewers off due to the change in story structure from one week to the next.
- Original Airing: February 10, 2019
- Season: Season 9
- Episode Number: 13
A bad episode? - 3
The Hawkening: Look Who's Hawking Now!
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"The Hawkening: Look Who's Hawking Now!" starts off with Bob and Louise' excitement over a watch party they're hosting for a screening of the new Hawk & Chick movie.
The screening was set to go down at the restaurant, but when the actor who plays Hawk throws a wrench in the works, it turns out he had his own strange and mysterious reasons...
Why it falls short: "The Hawkening: Look Who's Hawking Now!" is something of a callback to an episode from season five called "Hawk & Chick."
The episode isn't terrible, but it stands as the third-lowest-rated one from the series. Some complaints online pointed out that the two stories seemed split, making for only a short period of overlap. Other than that, the dialogue was well-written, and the series' hilarious tone was definitely on point.
- Original Airing: November 10, 2019
- Season: Season 10
- Episode Number: 6
A bad episode? - 4
Yurty Rotten Scoundrels
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Bob isn't pleased when he finds out the Linda lent money to Gayle for art supplies, so she could establish her artists' workshop. Things aren't looking good for Gayle, as only one customer signed up.
To make it slightly less painful for her, Tina and Linda join Gail to act as customers for her. When Tina and Linda discover that the sole customer is a vindictive review blogger, the workshop takes a turn.
Why it falls short: "Yurty Rotten Scoundrels" suffers from a formulaic plot that doesn't develop the characters in any sizeable way. The episode seems like it was tossed in to fill a slot, and while it's not horrible on its own, it doesn't fit well with the rest of the series.
- Original Airing: March 8, 2020
- Season: Season 10
- Episode Number: 15
A bad episode? - 5
Flat-Top O' The Morning To Ya
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Bob has been a struggling restauranteur for most of his professional life, so when they meet Jules at a restaurant auction, it came time to help a kindred spirit. Granted, Bob did need some convincing, as the bank owns Jules' family restaurant and its property, making it difficult for him to get his beloved flat-top back.
The other ongoing story features Linda getting into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day in a way the customers aren't embracing as enthusiastically as her. She died the French fries and burger meat green, which answered the question, do people like eating green meat? No. No, they do not.
Why it falls short: "Flat-Top O' The Morning To Ya" sees Bob interact with a fellow struggling restauranteur, which is somewhat unusual for the series. Most of his interactions with his peers have been with Jimmy Pesto. This episode fell short for not exploring his interactions with James as much as it could have, which made the episode feel as if it missed out on a great opportunity.
- Original Airing: March 15, 2020
- Season: Season 10
- Episode Number: 16
A bad episode? - 6
Drumforgiven
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In "Drumforgiven," Gene gets himself banned from his favorite music shop, the Ocean Avenue Hifi Emporium. He doesn't take the ban well, as the young lad likes to make all kinds of funky noises — guess how he earned a ban.
Louise and Tina get some friends together to get some payback for Gene, but it backfires, and things go from bad to horse. Meanwhile, Teddy has taken a job at Jimmy Pesto's, Bob's rival restaurant, and tries to keep it a secret from him out of guilt.
Why it falls short: This episode features the kids more than the adults, and some fans may not appreciate their level of humor on the series. That's too bad because the episode isn't poorly written or put together, it may have been a bit too Gene-heavy for the average fan.
- Original Airing: January 12, 2020
- Season: Season 10
- Episode Number: 11
A bad episode? - 7
If You Love It So Much, Why Don't You Marionette?
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The Belcher kids go on a field trip to a marionette theater, but Louise isn't happy with the boring trip. She pretends to use the restroom, and instead, she finds a closet with an incredible dragon marionette hidden away from prying children's eyes.
When she brings the dragon up to the place's owner, they get into a feud, and things go the way you might expect. Back at the restaurant, Bob finds out that he has a talent for handing out flyers in front of the restaurant.
Why it falls short: "If You Love It So Much, Why Don't You Marionette?" has the series' common two-story structure, but the one about Bob and Linda fell short of the one involving the children, which was far more interesting.
- Original Airing: March 24, 2019
- Season: Season 9
- Episode Number: 18
A bad episode? - 8
Long Time Listener, First Time Bob
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During an evening of bowling with the family, Bob meets a longtime hero of his in the form of a DJ he listened to as a kid. The man is now working in the bowling alley, which pushes Bob and the kids to help the man out professionally.
They attempt to get him back on the radio, but when the DJ takes matters into his own hand, things get crazy. Meanwhile, Linda attempts to introduce sweet potato fried to the menu at the restaurant, but after Bob rejects the idea, she's left with a ton of 'taters and nothing to do with them.
Why it falls short: "Long Time Listener, First Time Bob" is a Bob-heavy episode, and despite being an interesting look at who he was in his youth, some viewers may have balked at the episode for containing less about the family than others.
- Original Airing: April 7, 2019
- Season: Season 9
- Episode Number: 19
A bad episode? - 9
Motor, She Boat
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In "Motor, She Boat," Bob and Tina try to do some father-daughter bonding, but everything goes terribly wrong. It all comes about when the Thundergirls have a father-daughter coat race, and while Bob is excited, Tina isn't due to her father's terrible building skills.
While working a little too close as a micromanager, she winds up telling Bob the truth, which leads to Bob feeling inadequate. That all goes away when Tina pulls her father back into her good graces to help stop the other girls from cheating.
Why it falls short: The episode isn't terrible, but it comes off as formulaic, and seeing as the writers have so often taken risks with the series, it stands as a bit of a disappointment in that regard.
- Original Airing: October 13, 2019
- Season: Season 10
- Episode Number: 3
A bad episode? - 10
P.T.A. It Ain't So
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"P.T.A. It Ain't So" is primarily about Linda's determination to become more involved with the P.T.A. To do this, she attempts to get closer to the president of the organization, a mother named Joanne. As she gets closer to the woman, she realizes she's not as perfect as she seems on the outside.
Meanwhile, Bob is trying to cheer up a local pet store owner after he insulted the owner's parrot, who flew away. In an attempt to replace the parrot, Bob only makes matters worse, and things devolve from there.
Why it falls short: The episode comes across as formulaic, and while it attempts to bring more attention to Linda, it falls short in exploring the character beyond the familiar "mom wants to do more in the P.T.A.' trope, which is common in American sitcoms.
- Original Airing: May 5, 2019
- Season: Season 9
- Episode Number: 21
A bad episode? - 11
Sexy Dance Fighting
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Tina joins a new martial arts class in town and doesn't do what's expected of her at the restaurant. This makes Bob more than a little annoyed, so he investigates to learn exactly what's going on with his daughter.
He quickly finds out that the reason she's been shirking her responsibilities at the restaurant has less to do with her interest in martial arts, and everything to do with the new teacher in town.
Why it falls short: The episode did a good job of expanding on Tina, as this was an early entry in the series. Some parts of the episode felt a bit formulaic, and for people who aren't fans of Tina as a character, they might have been less interested in seeing this episode more than once.
- Original Airing: September 11, 2011
- Season: Bob's Burgers - Season 1
- Episode Number: 4
- Series: Bob's Burgers
A bad episode? - 12
Brunchsquatch
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"Brunchsquatch" is the opening episode from the series' eighth season, and deals with Bob's ongoing rivalry with Jimmy Pesto. Bob decides that the best way to compete is to begin serving brunch, and things don't go entirely as planned.
Meanwhile, Gene, Louise, and Tina get into their own caper by deciding to help Mr. Fischoeder's brother hide from him.
Why it falls short: The episode was created by using more than 60 of the series' fans' help. The animation style changed throughout to reflect the work of the many artists who got involved, and while this is a unique and interesting way of working with one's fanbase to create a show, it can be a bit jarring to watch, as the transitions don't really ease into one another.
- Original Airing: October 1, 2017
- Season: Season 8
- Episode Number: 1
A bad episode? - 13
The Bleakening: Part 2
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"The Bleakening" is a two-part episode from the eighth season that focuses on a Christmas party Linda is determined to host at the restaurant. Her hope is to spread some Christmas cheer around the neighborhood, but when her prized ornaments are stolen, things get ugly.
She begins to question all of the guests, including Marshmallow's friend, Art the Artist. Meanwhile, the kids have their own theory as to who stole the ornaments, and their target is none other than the anti-Santa, the Bleaken!
Why it falls short: The second part of the story actually fares a little better than the first with an 8.3 on IMDb. The conclusion usually rates higher than the beginning of a story, which may be why it picks up a tenth of a point over the first episode.
- Original Airing: December 10, 2017
- Season: Season 8
- Episode Number: 6
A bad episode? - Photo:
When Bob finds out his wife isn't going to a strip club and is instead going to a dinner theater due to her love of musicals, he gets a bit annoyed. Linda won't stop doing musical numbers, and it's annoying to Bob.
Eventually, she decides to host her own dinner theater at the restaurant, but when a bank robber shows up and steals all of their money during the event, the customers don't realize it's not all part of the show.
Why it falls short: The episode relies on a relatively silly premise, which has been tried on other shows. In an episode of Cheers, one character is being strangled to death during a theater performance, and nobody in the bar realizes it. The same went on in this episode, though in a much less murderous way. It's not bad, but it's not a great premise, either.
- Original Airing: September 18, 2011
- Season: Bob's Burgers - Season 1
- Episode Number: 5
- Series: Bob's Burgers
A bad episode?- 15
The Bleakening: Part 1
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"The Bleakening" is a two-part episode from the eighth season that focuses on a Christmas party Linda is determined to host at the restaurant. Her hope is to spread some Christmas cheer around the neighborhood, but when her prized ornaments are stolen, things get ugly.
She begins to question all of the guests, including Marshmallow's friend, Art the Artist. Meanwhile, the kids have their own theory as to who stole the ornaments, and their target is none other than the anti-Santa, the Bleaken!
Why it falls short: The first part of the story holds a rating of 8.2 on IMDb, which is actually fairly low for the series. Some people just don't like holiday episodes, which is probably the case here.
- Original Airing: December 10, 2017
- Season: Season 8
- Episode Number: 5
A bad episode?
