The Dark Original Concept For Bob's Burgers
After watching a couple of episodes, it's easy to see why "Bob's Burgers" is one of the most welcoming comfort shows on television, especially with its more recent seasons. The Belcher family may have their differences, but they always manage to come together as a family to solve whatever problems they have. Bob and Linda have one of the healthiest marriages ever on a sitcom, and the show excels when offering representation for marginalized groups.
While the show still has a bit of an edge, it's been softened over the years, especially when you compare it to the first season. After all, the pilot involves the Belchers accused of cannibalism, and it doesn't help the perception when they live next door to a crematorium. The whole town turns against them until they're able to prove that they use regular animal meat like every other burger joint. It's pretty dark, especially seeing where the show's now, but it hinted at what the show could've been had it taken a darker turn.
The original idea for Bob's Burgers was to make them cannibals
The pilot may have involved the Belchers accused of being cannibals, but if creator Loren Bouchard had gone with his original idea, they would've actually eaten people. It all has to deal with Bouchard's background, which involves working on more adult-oriented cartoons on Adult Swim. As chronicled in The Hollywood Reporter, he took those same sensibilities to Fox, and they weren't exactly keen on the idea of putting cannibals front and center for a primetime line-up.
Suzanna Makkos, the executive VP for Fox comedy, told the outlet, "I said, 'Loren, do you want to do 100 episodes' worth of cannibal jokes?'" It's clear the executives at Fox wanted to take a long-term approach to the show, ensuring its longevity to stand the test of time. It makes sense. Fox is the home of "The Simpsons," which has now been on the air for over 30 years, and at the rate the show's going, "Bob's Burgers" could give it a run for its money. Season 12 debuts in 2021, and a movie is on the way with a 2022 release date. Making the Belchers regular people definitely helped in the long run.
You can still see remnants of this idea in the pilot, especially when Bob tells Gene not to give free samples to people mourning next door. This may be leftover from the initial plan to make the family cannibals since Bob wouldn't want Gene offering mourners burgers made from their loved ones. It's a line not even a cannibal could cross. Just don't expect this storyline to come back to the surface any time soon.