30 Best Bob's Burgers Episodes Ranked

A beautiful and hilarious portrait of a working-class family, "Bob's Burgers" has dominated the airwaves on Fox's Sunday night schedule for over a decade, with no end in sight. The show, which surprisingly was first pitched as being about a family of cannibals, underwent quite the transition,  becoming effortlessly charming family television. Fans love "Bob's Burgers" for its charm, wit, burger puns, fun references, and heart-on-its-sleeve approach. The Belchers, unlike many other television families, actually seem to enjoy one another's company, creating an environment that never feels mean-spirited, even when they're teasing each other.

"Bob's Burgers" is showing no signs of slowing down, with a hotly anticipated movie set for 2022. With all this exciting news about "Bob's Burgers," we wanted to celebrate everything that makes the show special, by taking a look at its very best episodes. (Especially since we've already broken down the worst episodes of "Bob's Burgers.") Here are the 30 best "Bob's Burgers" episodes ranked.

Running is hard — especially if you're Gene, who would rather make music on his keyboard and eat delicious snacks than do any sort of physical activity. In "The Gene Mile," the Wagstaff School is holding a mandatory one-mile run, but it's on the same day as the hallowed free ice-cream day at the local ice-cream parlor. The kids' plan is so amusingly intricate that it might as well be a diamond heist, and they actually accomplish their mission, but along the way, Gene has an epiphany. Despite being the middle child, Gene has always seemed like the youngest of the three Belcher children, and "The Gene Mile" offers a genuine moment of maturity from the youngster.

Bob is always looking for opportunities to increase the reach of his beloved burger restaurant, which is how we get the events of "Something Old, Something New, Something Bob Caters for You." A couple who fell in love at his burger joint are getting married, and to celebrate the birth of their relationship, they want Bob to cater the wedding. Bob is thrilled, but in true "Bob's Burgers" fashion, things quickly turn chaotic as the outdoor wedding seems to have more problems with each passing moment. It starts off promising enough, but the elements — particularly, a brutal wind — make the ceremony a rough one, sending Bob into overdrive to try and give them the perfect day. The episode is a delight, and it is punctuated with a brilliant song from Linda and Bob: "I Do."

One of the earliest episodes of "Bob's Burgers" makes a big impact — "Hamburger Dinner Theatre" is an utter joy to watch. The show is well known for its songs, and this episode gives us some insight into Linda's endless joy in singing everything, stemming from her love of musical theater. It also inspires her to turn their own restaurant into a dinner theatre experience, using the Belcher kids to round out the cast. The episode features what might just be the best gag in the entire series, as Mort (Andy Kindler), the next-door neighbor and funeral home director, supplies far too realistic props, resulting in shock, horror, anguish, and one of the best laughs you'll ever have watching TV.

Tammy (Jenny Slate) is something of a nightmare — she's rude, self-absorbed, and Tina's number one frenemy. Most of the brilliantly named "Mazel-Tina" takes place at Tammy's Bat Mitzvah party, and even though Tina wasn't invited and all her friends were, Tina still attends, as Bob's Burgers is one of the many restaurants catering the extravagant event. The episode is full of hilarious details, including a giant paper-mache Tammy head floating in lieu of a chandelier, and it goes a long way towards humanizing Tammy, whose Bat Mitzvah has turned her into a "terrible Bat-zilla," as Louise lovingly puts it.

"Bob's Burgers" has always excelled when it steps out of the box and plays around with other genres, and the show has had particular success mixing its comedy with horror elements. In "Dawn of the Peck," the show turns Thanksgiving on its head as it celebrates the First Annual Fischoeder Turktacular Turkey Town Festival (the episode deserves its place on the list for that name alone). Bob is fed up with his Thanksgiving plans going up in smoke, so he decides to boycott the festivities (and the holiday altogether) while the rest of the family goes to Wonder Wharf. Things quickly turn to absolute mayhem when the birds start to attack, leading to hilarious chaos that makes "Bob's Burgers" shine.

Have you ever wanted to hear a toilet voiced by Jon Hamm? If the answer is a resounding yes (and we know it is), then "O.T.: The Outside Toilet" is the episode of "Bob's Burgers" for you. In a riff on the 1982 classic "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," Gene strikes up a friendship with a state-of-the-art speaking toilet that appears to be abandoned in the woods. When the toilet's owner comes looking for it, Gene embarks on a mission to save his new best friend — which, again, is a toilet. While it may sound like we're making this up, we are not, and we can assure you that this is a surprisingly heartfelt and humorous Gene-centric episode.

Mixing its memorable humor and sweetness, "Tina-Rannosaurus Wrecks" is one of "Bob's Burgers" very best episodes. The Season 3 episode features one of the funniest openings in the series, as Bob teaches Tina to drive in an almost completely empty parking lot. Tina gets behind the wheel and manages to drive straight into the only other car in the lot, all while delivering her trademark groan while Bob yells in panic for Tina to turn literally any other way. The other car ends up belonging to Bob's enemy Jimmy Pesto (Jay Johnston), who takes full advantage of the situation. The episode ends up being a fantastic Bob and Tina episode, as Tina struggles with the concept of lying and the pair learn important lessons about honesty. Thanks to the writers' deft hand, it never feels preachy, but rather a genuinely heartfelt family moment.

An outrageous comedy of errors, Season 10's "Legends of the Mall" features more laughs than almost any other episode of "Bob's Burgers." A family trip to a shopping mall turns to complete and utter chaos, as is tradition in the world of "Bob's Burgers." Bob is on a mission to find a good pair of pants, Linda infiltrates a murder mystery book reading, and Gene and Louise venture around the mall on some very cool motorized animals. The real gem of the episode is Tina's story, as she sits next to a sleeping boy on a bench, and his friends appear and assume that Tina is the boy's new girlfriend — a mistake that Tina refuses to correct. This episode is proof that even in the show's 10th season, "Bob's Burgers" hadn't worn out its welcome.

Bob may just be the single most endearing character in "Bob's Burgers," and he often seems like he's the most normal. That said, like every good Belcher, Bob has his quirks, and his passion for food manifests in the adorable voice he uses as he talks to his food. Despite owning a burger restaurant, Bob's most loved foodstuff seems to be turkey, and in "Turkey in a Can," Bob is determined to pull off a flawless Thanksgiving dinner. But Bob's nightmares become a reality when his turkey is not just ruined but completely desecrated, as someone has dumped the turkey into the toilet. Bob's attempt to solve the mystery of the turkey crime results in some really funny moments, and with the whole family, plus Gayle, Mort, and Teddy all present, everyone's a suspect.

One of "Bob's Burgers" finest episodes is also one of its most heartfelt, as Season 5's "Hawk & Chick" is both a celebration of Japanese cinema and a touching tribute to father-daughter relationships. The episode follows Bob and Louise, who bond over Hawk & Chick, a series of old Japanese samurai movies where a father-daughter duo takes on various supernatural monsters. At the farmers market, the pair find Hawk (Keisuke Hoashi) and end up making him lunch at their restaurant. They find out that Hawk is actually estranged from his daughter, which terrifies Louise that one day that might happen to her too. Bob and Louise scheme to reunite the father-daughter duo, leading to plenty of laughs, and genuine emotional catharsis.

One of "Bob's Burgers" most visually adventurous episodes, Season 7's "Flu-ouise" features Louise's fever dreams. Louise wants her Kuchi Kopi nightlight to help soothe her while she suffers from the flu, but Linda accidentally drops it in the toilet, leading to permanent damage. Louise is extremely ill, which sets off a music-filled fantasy where Louise and her Kuchi Kopi go on a fantasy adventure. It's all very bizarre and abstract, and at times it feels like a very different show, but the episode is all the better for it. Aside from unique and exciting visuals, the story contains the heartwarming core of the show, and "Flu-ouise" provides some vital characterization for Louise.

Linda Belcher is the ultimate all-singing, all-dancing matriarch, and "Eat, Spray, Linda" is a funny and joyful celebration of her charms. The Belcher family plan a big surprise for her birthday, but they're running late, leading Linda to head out of the house as a distraction. After a series of unfortunate events, Linda finds herself without her phone, locked out of her car, and stranded. This sets the rest of the Belcher clan on an epic quest to find Linda, the episode ingeniously layering in hilarious, oddly specific details about her, as they stop at a bakery where Linda ate too many free samples once and a fancy hotel that she frequently uses to poop. While Linda is floundering, her family's efforts to find her are a beautiful reminder of how much the Belchers love their matriarch.

"Bob's Burgers" loves an elaborate scheme: The more twists and turns, the better. This penchant seems to have begun in season two's aptly-titled "Bob Day Afternoon," which follows a bank robber named Mickey (Bill Hader). Mickey is holding up the bank across the street from the family restaurant, leading the cops to use their restaurant as their police response headquarters. The show is at its funniest when it's knee-deep in mixed communication, and Bob's complete and utter despondency over Mickey ordering the hostages pizza from his rival instead of burgers is hilarious. When Mickey hates the pizza and orders burgers instead, it's a glorious moment of vindication for Bob, which is even funnier when you realize this pettiness is happening with an actual hostage situation in the background.

An amazing opportunity turns into a nightmare when Bob finds himself stuck to the restaurant toilet in "Glued, Where's My Bob?" Big-time chef Skip Marooch (Kumail Nanjiani) informs Bob that "Coasters," a local food magazine, wants to interview him. It's a dream come true for Bob, but things escalate wildly out of control when he becomes embroiled in his children's pranking and winds up glued to the toilet seat. As word breaks out, the entire town ends up involved, and the "Bob's Burgers" trademark chaos ensues. What could be brushed off as silly and ridiculous is actually a heartfelt meditation on guilt, and we get the best "Bob's Burgers" song ever, the whimsically titled "Bad Stuff Happens in the Bathroom."

There's no two ways about it: Season 6's "The Hauntening" is the best episode "Bob's Burgers" has ever made. The show always shines in its holiday episodes, and "The Hauntening" is the perfect Halloween episode, as it manages to be funny and heartfelt, but also genuinely scary. The episode follows a frustrated Louise, who says she's never been even remotely scared. In an effort to change this, Bob and Linda take the kids to a special haunted house they've been working on. Initially, the house seems downright cheesy, but things start to get legitimately frightening, and it seems like they might just terrify Louise after all. "The Hauntening" is special for the way it is able to really dig into the relationships between the Belchers, and specifically the psyche of Louise. It manages the difficult feat of turning horror into a heartwarming moment. Plus, it all culminates in a goofy Boyz 4 Now music video.