As an adult animation show, Bob's Burgers has no shortage of hilarious scenes and comedic characters. But it has something that other series in this genre do not typically have: musical numbers. Though usually funny, these songs aren't just thrown in for a laugh; they're purposefully used to drive the storyline along, much like a musical does. And while series creator Loren Bouchard wrote a full-blown Bob's Burgers musical that served as the Season 7 premiere, it can certainly be argued that the entire series is a musical spread out over eleven seasons.
Directors and creators of TV and films usually bring a part of themselves into their work, and it's no different with Bouchard and Bob's Burgers. In an interview with GQ, Bouchard spoke of his childhood love of music, saying, "I had a four-track in my garage going all the way back to my early teen years. I loved making music." Bouchard also spoke of his love of Disney movies and the music within them, adding that he loved "music and animation together." He went on to explain, "In my mind, the audio and the music is the singular most important part of the animated show. It all has to work, but the engine that pulls the whole thing along is the voices and the music."
The Bob's Burgers creator definitely accomplished this. His music isn't just simply written for laughs. The songs are actually good, and the audience can tell they are well thought-out, purposefully placed in the scenes and used to move the storyline along. The Season 6, Episode 9, "Glued, Where's My Bob?" song, "Bad Stuff Happens in the Bathroom," is a prime example of this.
In the episode, the kids are up to their usual antics that often throw a wrench into Bob's plans. This time, they're in the middle of a "goop war," in which they "goop" each other with various substances, such as toothpaste, jelly and hummus. Skip Marooch, a celebrity chef, contacts Bob to tell him that a local food magazine is coming over to interview him.
Unfortunately, Bob gets stuck in the kids' goop war. Louise spreads a highly concentrated adhesive made by Teddy on the toilet seat, intending it to be a prank on Gene, but Bob gets there first and gets stuck before the magazine arrives. While the kids try to get their flustered father unstuck, Bob begins to sing a song about his predicament. The upbeat, catchy tune, "Bad Stuff Happens in the Bathroom," shows Bob imagining freeing himself from the toilet to be featured on the cover of Coasters Magazine. Then, it cuts to Louise, who sings about how she's innocent. The song is not only hilarious, it also adds to the story.
The bathroom scene from "Glued, Where's My Bob?" is just one of the many musical moments the show features. Season 3, Episode 16, "Topsy," features Gene as Thomas Edison and Tina as his experiment elephant singing a love song, voiced over by Mr. Fischoeder and Aunt Gayle. Season 8, Episode 8, "V for Valentine-detta," shows Linda, Tina and Louise on a limo ride with the enthusiastic driver, Nat, as they sing "Girl Power Jam" to cheer Tina up after her heart is broken by Jimmy Junior. Bob's Burgers also features a unique song during each episode's credits, which is a nice treat for fans who stick around until the last second.
Though Bob's Burgers is an adult animation show, it could most certainly be categorized in the musical genre. Along with comedic actors, hilarious scenes and funny family dysfunction, one of the best parts of the series is the multiple original songs featured in the episodes. These musical numbers are of various lengths, sung by different characters and are usually used as an important part of the episode — just like a real musical.
Created by Loren Bouchard, Bob's Burgers stars H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal. The series airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.