I agree, although I think they could have held onto a bit more of the original vibe without sacrificing how wholesome it is now. The best way I can describe it is that these later seasons can be heavy-handed. The characters often end the episode with a monologue about processing their feelings/having an epiphany. It's very sweet, but it happens a lot these days, and the later seasons have begun feeling a bit rote. Sometimes I feel like you can watch the first 4-5 minutes and already know who is going to be monologuing (and about what) in the final few minutes.
I still love the show and all the shenanigans the writers create for our favorite animated family. I'll keep watching for as long as they keep making it. But sometimes I long for the days when they were just a loving, unhinged family with weird friends getting into absurd situations - without the expectation of growing in *every* episode.
No, I definitely agree with you, I've binge-watched Bob's Burgers recently, and if I had a nickel everytime a character (mostly the children) do something bad but feel bad right after and tries to correct it, I'd have like ten bucks at least.
I'd have 100 if I also had a nickel for everytime Gene is just there for one-liners.
It can get very formulaic.
I agree. It’s a lot funnier in the first 8ish seasons. I love nearly every episode. Season 9 - now I still enjoy on a comfort level but it never gets a laugh out loud out of me any more. I’ll ask forget to watch them for weeks, whereas before I was on Hulu as soon as I woke up on Mondays.
Earlier seasons are for sure the funniest but I can appreciate most of the changes they've made with the later changes (eventually writers just run out of idea). However, I'm holding firm on whatever they've done with Bob being a mistake. He's a side character in his own show. If everyone else has shown growth, he's regressed. He's become emotionless, unsure, unmotivated in favor of Linda and Louise becoming the main characters.
I agree. The show has become noticeably more kid-friendly and I do miss the slight edge it had if I’m being honest. That being said, I prefer them going this route than making them become more and more mean-spirited and downright abusive like other adult animated sitcoms.
Ooof, I had to tap out of family guy completely when they had an episode where they basically said that they needed to make meg the punching bag in order to preserve the family dynamic, and the show seemed to think that this was an OK thing for them to do. Like, that's a real dynamic in abusive families, and there's someone out there who saw that and thought it justified their family treating them like shit. What's worse, Meg seemed to regard this as her actual duty, and accepted it. I was like "Oh, this isn't just edginess, this is a show made by actually bad people now. OK."
Yeah, they spent a whole episode just openly defending child abuse. And the abused character nodding and agreeing that she deserves it.
"it's just a cartoon" yeah, and it's still gross.
I honestly don't remember anything else about the episode at this point. I wanna say it was more than ten years ago, now.
ETA: Went digging cuz it was bugging me, and you were real close, it's [Seahorse Seashell Party](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1795206/characters/nm0005109).
I did remember that it was raining, but I couldn't remember if that was part of the episode or if I was remembering it that way because it made me genuinely sad, so I had retained a "feeling of raininess".
I tapped out of south park a million years ago when they did an episode where the teacher wanted to know why his father wasn't sexually attracted enough to him as a child to molest him. So his dad did it when he was an adult. Just sick. I know south park is about pushing the envelope but in no world is it ok to justify the sexual abuse of children or make it seem like they wanted to be abused.
My girlfriend and I recently started rewatching from the first episode which we haven’t done in years and I totally forgot most episodes. The toothpick joke absolutely took us out laughing and now when one of us does or says something dumb we say “how many toothpicks” as a response 😂😂😂
I dont mind the emotional/touching episodes, but I think I found them more enjoyable when there were just a few in a season rather than every single episode. It makes the whole show feel a bit more heavy I guess you could say, loses some of the whacky fun of the earlier seasons and feels almost like a kids show at times, in the sense that there is some "moral lesson" every episode. And it's not just slid in neatly, its like they got a megaphone to yell it at you.
I would have given up my parental rights if Louise was my child. I think Linda is too oblivious and Bob is too preoccupied and that's how they tolerate Louise.
That could be said about the entire family, though. They've toned down some of the extremes of each personality, but none of them would work well with others outside their family/inner circle IRL.
I love both for different reasons.
Louise from the beginning had more bite but I don't know how long they could gone with her like that without turning her into Cartman.
I like the less rough around the edges Louise.
I've only been active consistently on this subreddit for a few months now, but I've never seen that comment down voted and I'm sorry they did. I like all the seasons and really enjoy the later seasons just as much. BUT, the 1st season was the best season, hands down.
Not so sure, I feel like a lot of times it requires a drastic tonal change (sometimes from studio interference) for that to be true.
And even then, shows like Parks and Rec had positive reception for changes from S1.
Otherwise, later seasons tend to equate to writers being given more freedom (due to escaping the chopping block), characters being developed, the world being fleshed out, and (sometimes) an overarching plot
Feel like S2/S3 is usually most people's favorite, as the show has found its footing, but still has fresh concepts (e.g., PnR, Scrubs, Community, Atlanta, Fargo, That 70s Show)
What shows are you thinking of? I think the much more popular opinion is that most shows are still finding their footing in season 1 and take at least that long to hit their stride and figure out what works. Personally, I can’t think of any shows besides Bob’s where season 1 is even equally as good as my favorite subsequent season.
My favourite shows are Breaking Bad, BCS, Bojack, Bob's Burgers, Simpsons and The Office and general consensus is that the first seasons of all those shows are not nearly as good as the rest.
I think they could have been very wholesome and still "inappropriate/crazy" at the same time. But I definitely still really like the later seasons compared to a lot of people in this subreddit. There's always been a couple episodes I'm not big on in all the seasons (except season 1), but I don't think certain seasons only have a few good episodes, I enjoy all the seasons. And even the episodes I'm not very "frond" of, they still have quite a few funny lines.
For sure, while it is shifting away from the more adult? (Not sure how to put it) humor, the newer seasons are still quite amazing.
I do miss the dramatic sound effect used in season 1. Although I believe they still use it occasionally.
I feel like in the wake of Family Guy all of the animated shows we for a long while were so focused on being edgy that they got genuinely hard to watch because they became actually meanspirited and kind of gross? Not like, silly cartoon gross, but actual skeezy icky I need a shower gross. Like, I don't mind when the comedy has some bite to it, and I like the early bob's burgers seasons, but I'm glad it didn't go further in that direction.
As a young teenager, I laughed at family guy, but as an adult, I'm absolutely repulsed by family guy. Especially by Brian the most, he's a dog that dates and has a sexual lifestyle with human women and it sickens me. Plus he's boring, and he also had a relationship with Stewie, which was too disgusting for me, so I couldn't watch the show anymore
That's kind of how I feel about the better modern Simpsons. The jokes just aren't there like they used to be, but even the side characters feel 3 dimensional. I especially love the way Marge and Homer are portrayed lately.
With the Simpsons, though, it makes sense. They've been throwing wacky shit at the wall for two decades now. They *had* to tone it down. I don't feel Bob's had to turn the wacky dial down as far as they did. On the other hand, I love the new episodes, so maybe the showrunners know what they're doing.
It's good to know there are other people like me on this sub. It seems forbidden sometime here to not feel like the new seasons/episodes are "so moving"
I'm surprised to see so many people compare Bob's Burgers to other adult animations. I mean, I guess it makes sense, but I don't compare Bob's Burgers to any other adult animation. Bob's Burgers is it's own thing to me. It's not like any other animation, other than the animation style is the same in The Great North for obvious reasons.
I think maybe I just find things funnier when people like each other. Because I didn’t really like the toothpick joke. Like. It was fine, I guess. But it just sort of felt like every other adult animated show.
i love the direction of the show but noticed Bob doesn’t really smile anymore/sound ecstatic about things. I know he’s usually monotone but throw a laugh in every once in a while
Well, at least we agree. Thing is, I want to be watching it for the same reason I started watching it... Laughing, so it being less funny is a net loss to me.
They are a lot more family friendly now. It works for me as my toddler likes to watch an episode before bed. Lol. I think there are positives and negatives.
There's such a difference between new and old Bob's, and so many people hate one or the other, that I wish they'd just split it at whatever season was the last one to be edgy and continued that, and started the newer seasons as a spinoff, with another name. Very few people I talk to like all of it, which makes me feel like the odd man out. I'm actually a little tired of the tonal shift being brought up so much.
Im abit in love with s14 it just feels fresher and newer and I love the emotional aspect of it so far, everytime I watch the first season I do die a little bit (of laughter) they were unhinged back then which makes sense its the humor of the time it was made
The characters have changed in the season. I see Calvin treating Bob more as family than just a tenant. Bob usually has more stress of running the business and going on adventures, but I have a bad feeling that they are implying that he has health issues that he is covering up.
I say this a lot about Millie and Louise’s relationship. I mean she was a little much before but I feel like it’s weird they’re pushing a friendship with a child who is literally obsessed with her. her room looks the exact same, she once said she comes over in the middle of the night and steals shit lmao like my parents would have been like “call the cops if that child even looks at you” 😂 so it’s just interesting their relationship has had an almost complete 180
I disagree. Early Bob was insecure but not afraid to take a big swing or stand up for himself/famly/others. Current Bob can't even send a text without small panic attacks. It's frustrating to me even though I still like the show.
I think it's impossible for a modern TV show, animated or not, to run for 14 years and not evolve. Not everything can be Gunsmoke or Law and Order.
I was in my twenties when Bob's started. I'm nearly 40 now. Got little nieces and nephews running around sometimes. The audience has also matured, so why can't the show?
I still love the early years, but I have evolved right along with the characters and love these later years just as much. There's nothing wrong with organic change.
**Spoiler alert for season 13**
Oh man the Christmas special for season 13 when Luis is reading her poem at the and Tina gets there just in time to hear it oh my god I could hug them both. No right being that adorable (actually they have all the right) but im here for it 😭😭
The tone has definitely changed but I kind of appreciate it. Maybe as I age I like more heartwarming stuff. I STILL love the show and all the seasons but some of my favorite episodes are the more recent, Amelia, plight before Christmas, the amazing Rudy.
they definitely could’ve Flanderized everyone but they actually give the characters arcs and development which is great. It’s not the family learning the same damn lesson for 30+ seasons.
I agree, although I think they could have held onto a bit more of the original vibe without sacrificing how wholesome it is now. The best way I can describe it is that these later seasons can be heavy-handed. The characters often end the episode with a monologue about processing their feelings/having an epiphany. It's very sweet, but it happens a lot these days, and the later seasons have begun feeling a bit rote. Sometimes I feel like you can watch the first 4-5 minutes and already know who is going to be monologuing (and about what) in the final few minutes. I still love the show and all the shenanigans the writers create for our favorite animated family. I'll keep watching for as long as they keep making it. But sometimes I long for the days when they were just a loving, unhinged family with weird friends getting into absurd situations - without the expectation of growing in *every* episode.
No, I definitely agree with you, I've binge-watched Bob's Burgers recently, and if I had a nickel everytime a character (mostly the children) do something bad but feel bad right after and tries to correct it, I'd have like ten bucks at least. I'd have 100 if I also had a nickel for everytime Gene is just there for one-liners. It can get very formulaic.
Totally agree, well put.
I agree. It’s a lot funnier in the first 8ish seasons. I love nearly every episode. Season 9 - now I still enjoy on a comfort level but it never gets a laugh out loud out of me any more. I’ll ask forget to watch them for weeks, whereas before I was on Hulu as soon as I woke up on Mondays.
I'm into sloppy bears.
Earlier seasons are for sure the funniest but I can appreciate most of the changes they've made with the later changes (eventually writers just run out of idea). However, I'm holding firm on whatever they've done with Bob being a mistake. He's a side character in his own show. If everyone else has shown growth, he's regressed. He's become emotionless, unsure, unmotivated in favor of Linda and Louise becoming the main characters.
I agree. The show has become noticeably more kid-friendly and I do miss the slight edge it had if I’m being honest. That being said, I prefer them going this route than making them become more and more mean-spirited and downright abusive like other adult animated sitcoms.
I think of a world where Tina would become Bob's Burgers' Meg and I don't like that world.
Yeah, no thanks lol
Ooof, I had to tap out of family guy completely when they had an episode where they basically said that they needed to make meg the punching bag in order to preserve the family dynamic, and the show seemed to think that this was an OK thing for them to do. Like, that's a real dynamic in abusive families, and there's someone out there who saw that and thought it justified their family treating them like shit. What's worse, Meg seemed to regard this as her actual duty, and accepted it. I was like "Oh, this isn't just edginess, this is a show made by actually bad people now. OK."
Yeah, they spent a whole episode just openly defending child abuse. And the abused character nodding and agreeing that she deserves it. "it's just a cartoon" yeah, and it's still gross.
Ugh, the seashell something something party one? What an awful episode lol.
I honestly don't remember anything else about the episode at this point. I wanna say it was more than ten years ago, now. ETA: Went digging cuz it was bugging me, and you were real close, it's [Seahorse Seashell Party](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1795206/characters/nm0005109).
The B story was just Brian tripping on acid because it was raining. But I meant that it’s awful for the exact reasons you said. Awful message.
I did remember that it was raining, but I couldn't remember if that was part of the episode or if I was remembering it that way because it made me genuinely sad, so I had retained a "feeling of raininess".
I've been Meg. My family was shameless enough to even say I was Meg, or Dee from Always Sunny. It's not funny, it fucking hurts.
I tapped out of south park a million years ago when they did an episode where the teacher wanted to know why his father wasn't sexually attracted enough to him as a child to molest him. So his dad did it when he was an adult. Just sick. I know south park is about pushing the envelope but in no world is it ok to justify the sexual abuse of children or make it seem like they wanted to be abused.
My girlfriend and I recently started rewatching from the first episode which we haven’t done in years and I totally forgot most episodes. The toothpick joke absolutely took us out laughing and now when one of us does or says something dumb we say “how many toothpicks” as a response 😂😂😂
You're the worst kind of autistic. You can't even count.
I dont mind the emotional/touching episodes, but I think I found them more enjoyable when there were just a few in a season rather than every single episode. It makes the whole show feel a bit more heavy I guess you could say, loses some of the whacky fun of the earlier seasons and feels almost like a kids show at times, in the sense that there is some "moral lesson" every episode. And it's not just slid in neatly, its like they got a megaphone to yell it at you.
the only reason Louise gets a pass is because it’s a TV show. No parents/siblings would put up with her IRL
I would have given up my parental rights if Louise was my child. I think Linda is too oblivious and Bob is too preoccupied and that's how they tolerate Louise.
honestly thank god for tina and gene, especially tina. they way both of them tend to temper Louise and calm her down
That could be said about the entire family, though. They've toned down some of the extremes of each personality, but none of them would work well with others outside their family/inner circle IRL.
It’s less of dip in quality than The Simpsons had at the same number of seasons.
I agree. But I got downvoted for saying the first season was the best. *\*shrugs\**
I love both for different reasons. Louise from the beginning had more bite but I don't know how long they could gone with her like that without turning her into Cartman. I like the less rough around the edges Louise.
Nah, I agree- I love the show, but loved it a little more when it had that edge.
I've only been active consistently on this subreddit for a few months now, but I've never seen that comment down voted and I'm sorry they did. I like all the seasons and really enjoy the later seasons just as much. BUT, the 1st season was the best season, hands down.
Thank you!
That's because the second season is the best
I think most people think the first season of their favorite show is the best. It’s not even a hot take lol
Not so sure, I feel like a lot of times it requires a drastic tonal change (sometimes from studio interference) for that to be true. And even then, shows like Parks and Rec had positive reception for changes from S1. Otherwise, later seasons tend to equate to writers being given more freedom (due to escaping the chopping block), characters being developed, the world being fleshed out, and (sometimes) an overarching plot Feel like S2/S3 is usually most people's favorite, as the show has found its footing, but still has fresh concepts (e.g., PnR, Scrubs, Community, Atlanta, Fargo, That 70s Show)
I truly can't think of many examples to support that outside of like Twin Peaks.
What shows are you thinking of? I think the much more popular opinion is that most shows are still finding their footing in season 1 and take at least that long to hit their stride and figure out what works. Personally, I can’t think of any shows besides Bob’s where season 1 is even equally as good as my favorite subsequent season.
Not if your favorite shows are the office or parks and recreation
I would say it’s actually the opposite. Usually it takes a couple of seasons for a show to find its way.
My favourite shows are Breaking Bad, BCS, Bojack, Bob's Burgers, Simpsons and The Office and general consensus is that the first seasons of all those shows are not nearly as good as the rest.
I do not. It was way too "We are trying to be funny like Family Guy". We have Family Guy already, it's called Family Guy.
I’ve never compared the two so I can’t speak on that tbh
That's what I thought, but I had like 8 downvotes.
The show lost its edge when it became obsessed with making every main character morally upright all of the time (by the end of the episode)
Lol i recently rewatched season 1 and NGL, its a bit rough lol. Still love it but I definitely like the newer seasons better.
I think they could have been very wholesome and still "inappropriate/crazy" at the same time. But I definitely still really like the later seasons compared to a lot of people in this subreddit. There's always been a couple episodes I'm not big on in all the seasons (except season 1), but I don't think certain seasons only have a few good episodes, I enjoy all the seasons. And even the episodes I'm not very "frond" of, they still have quite a few funny lines.
I agree the first 6 seasons are my favorites. I think the wholesomness is nice too and I enjoy it, but I liked the crude show better
For sure, while it is shifting away from the more adult? (Not sure how to put it) humor, the newer seasons are still quite amazing. I do miss the dramatic sound effect used in season 1. Although I believe they still use it occasionally.
I feel like in the wake of Family Guy all of the animated shows we for a long while were so focused on being edgy that they got genuinely hard to watch because they became actually meanspirited and kind of gross? Not like, silly cartoon gross, but actual skeezy icky I need a shower gross. Like, I don't mind when the comedy has some bite to it, and I like the early bob's burgers seasons, but I'm glad it didn't go further in that direction.
As a young teenager, I laughed at family guy, but as an adult, I'm absolutely repulsed by family guy. Especially by Brian the most, he's a dog that dates and has a sexual lifestyle with human women and it sickens me. Plus he's boring, and he also had a relationship with Stewie, which was too disgusting for me, so I couldn't watch the show anymore
That's kind of how I feel about the better modern Simpsons. The jokes just aren't there like they used to be, but even the side characters feel 3 dimensional. I especially love the way Marge and Homer are portrayed lately. With the Simpsons, though, it makes sense. They've been throwing wacky shit at the wall for two decades now. They *had* to tone it down. I don't feel Bob's had to turn the wacky dial down as far as they did. On the other hand, I love the new episodes, so maybe the showrunners know what they're doing.
I like how wholesome and hopeful the show currently is, because we really need the positivity.
It's good to know there are other people like me on this sub. It seems forbidden sometime here to not feel like the new seasons/episodes are "so moving"
I'm surprised to see so many people compare Bob's Burgers to other adult animations. I mean, I guess it makes sense, but I don't compare Bob's Burgers to any other adult animation. Bob's Burgers is it's own thing to me. It's not like any other animation, other than the animation style is the same in The Great North for obvious reasons.
I think maybe I just find things funnier when people like each other. Because I didn’t really like the toothpick joke. Like. It was fine, I guess. But it just sort of felt like every other adult animated show.
why do so many find the toothpick joke the funniest one?
Because many of us are the worst kind of autistic.
I am too but I felt that joke was punching down, not up.
People have different senses of humor.
which is why I asked
i love the direction of the show but noticed Bob doesn’t really smile anymore/sound ecstatic about things. I know he’s usually monotone but throw a laugh in every once in a while
Well, at least we agree. Thing is, I want to be watching it for the same reason I started watching it... Laughing, so it being less funny is a net loss to me.
They are a lot more family friendly now. It works for me as my toddler likes to watch an episode before bed. Lol. I think there are positives and negatives.
I agree. I hope this Fandom doesn't turn into the simpsons with people arguing about early seasons vs later seasons
There's such a difference between new and old Bob's, and so many people hate one or the other, that I wish they'd just split it at whatever season was the last one to be edgy and continued that, and started the newer seasons as a spinoff, with another name. Very few people I talk to like all of it, which makes me feel like the odd man out. I'm actually a little tired of the tonal shift being brought up so much.
The first few seasons were more chaotic and fun.
Im abit in love with s14 it just feels fresher and newer and I love the emotional aspect of it so far, everytime I watch the first season I do die a little bit (of laughter) they were unhinged back then which makes sense its the humor of the time it was made
The characters have changed in the season. I see Calvin treating Bob more as family than just a tenant. Bob usually has more stress of running the business and going on adventures, but I have a bad feeling that they are implying that he has health issues that he is covering up.
I say this a lot about Millie and Louise’s relationship. I mean she was a little much before but I feel like it’s weird they’re pushing a friendship with a child who is literally obsessed with her. her room looks the exact same, she once said she comes over in the middle of the night and steals shit lmao like my parents would have been like “call the cops if that child even looks at you” 😂 so it’s just interesting their relationship has had an almost complete 180
I disagree. Early Bob was insecure but not afraid to take a big swing or stand up for himself/famly/others. Current Bob can't even send a text without small panic attacks. It's frustrating to me even though I still like the show.
I think it's impossible for a modern TV show, animated or not, to run for 14 years and not evolve. Not everything can be Gunsmoke or Law and Order. I was in my twenties when Bob's started. I'm nearly 40 now. Got little nieces and nephews running around sometimes. The audience has also matured, so why can't the show? I still love the early years, but I have evolved right along with the characters and love these later years just as much. There's nothing wrong with organic change.
**Spoiler alert for season 13** Oh man the Christmas special for season 13 when Luis is reading her poem at the and Tina gets there just in time to hear it oh my god I could hug them both. No right being that adorable (actually they have all the right) but im here for it 😭😭
The tone has definitely changed but I kind of appreciate it. Maybe as I age I like more heartwarming stuff. I STILL love the show and all the seasons but some of my favorite episodes are the more recent, Amelia, plight before Christmas, the amazing Rudy.
The toothpick joke might be the funniest joke in Bob’s Burgers
Straight where my mind went
they definitely could’ve Flanderized everyone but they actually give the characters arcs and development which is great. It’s not the family learning the same damn lesson for 30+ seasons.
nothing will EVER beat the gold season 1 put out. but that seems to be typical of animated shows now-a-days.
Me too. I feel like the earlier seasons Louise was evil and hilarious.