The 20 Best Bob's Burgers Episodes Ranked

FOX's hit animated series "Bob's Burgers" just wrapped its 11th season and has more than 200 episodes under its belt. The series follows the Belcher family, with patriarch Bob at the center as he struggles to succeed as an owner of a small-time burger restaurant. Though Bob is straight-laced and serious, his upbeat, sing-songy wife Linda and goofy kids — the pubescent, understated Tina, the wacky and creative Gene, and the devious, scheming Louise — help make sure that no day at Bob's Burgers is ever the same.

"Bob's Burgers" is beloved for its sweet and wacky ethos, genuinely hilarious jokes and voice cast, and heart. Its episodes range from the adventurous to the musical, but the show always returns to its key focus: family. It's a vast and stacked series with plenty of standout episodes — we've completed the difficult task of compiling a list of 20 of the very best.

Halloween is always a good time on "Bob's Burgers," and "Fort Night" is a classic "Bob's Burgers" holiday episode in that it utilizes one of the series' classic tropes: keeping the Belchers from getting what they want. When Tina, Gene, and Louise make a plan to travel the ultimate trick-or-treating route on Halloween night, their plan is derailed by Louise's stalker-slash-frenemy Millie, who refuses to free them from the kids' cardboard fort. While Millie is a little bit unhinged, "Fort Night" also shows how Louise's arrogance holds her back.

Meanwhile, Bob and Linda work on the kids' homemade dragon costume, a relatable moment for any parent, and decide to take it out for a spin when the kids don't come home, leading to some classic parents-on-Halloween-night hilarity. "Fort Night" is a Halloween adventure that gives a moment for each Belcher to shine, even though the kids ultimately take center stage.

The Season 6 premiere, "Sliding Bobs," epitomizes another one of the series' tropes: the faux bottle episode. In a "Bob's Burgers" bottle episode, while the characters are still all "bottled up" in one physical location, the show uses the opportunity as an excuse for the characters to tell stories. In "Sliding Bobs," the kids learn that Bob's mustache was what originally attracted Linda to Bob, and imagine alternative — and clean-shaven — meet-cutes for their parents.

While Tina insists that fate brought her parents together, Gene takes his family on a "Robocop"-inspired Robostache story, before Louise imagines a "Big"-style wish that makes Bob super hairy. Tina eventually admits defeat and imagines the worst alternate reality of all: Linda marrying her first fiancé, Hugo. In a very sweet resolution to the episode, Linda and Bob tell their kids that while fate may not have brought them together, the universe couldn't stop the Belchers from being a family.

"Bob's Burgers" is always fun when it takes one of the Belchers away from the rest of the family and puts them in a foreign environment. "Eat, Spray, Linda" does just that, as Linda celebrates a milestone birthday. While Bob and the kids work on a surprise homemade spa day as a gift, Linda gets antsy and decides to go grocery shopping. Unfortunately, Linda's day turns into the worst kind of comedy of errors, eventually leading to her getting locked out of her car and lost on the bus.

When Bob and the kids get worried about Linda's extended absence and are unable to reach her by phone, they go on a hunt for the Belcher matriarch. Each of the kids takes Bob to one of Linda's favorite hangouts, none of which Bob knows about, before eventually returning home to find Linda breaking in. "Eat, Spray, Linda" is a sweet reminder that longtime married couples can always learn more about each other, while providing an inventive and funny way for Linda to prove her own strength and independence.

"Bob's Burgers" is a very culturally literate show, and some of its best episodes are direct homages to pop culture monuments. That's the case with "Broadcast Wagstaff School News," a silly and sweet parody of the 1987 film, "Broadcast News." With the advent of a school journalism class, Tina auditions for an anchor position, but loses to her frenemy and competitor, popular girl Tammy. When the school produces fluff pieces, Louise encourages Tina to produce her own underground broadcast, leading Tina to investigate a mysterious serial pooper.

Similar to "American Vandal", the nature of the crime is absurd and silly in contrast to how seriously it is treated within the episode. "Broadcast Wagstaff School News" is also a great episode for showcasing Tina's intelligence and perseverance, as well as Gene's oddly campy sensibility when he decides to pose as Bob after realizing how much he looks like his dad.

Part biker movie and part adventure epic, the Season 3 premiere is an excellent example of the way "Bob's Burgers" effortlessly shifts between genres. After a funeral for their leader at Mort's next door, Bob hosts an unconventional afterparty for the One-Eyed Snake biker gang and earns their debt for a future favor. The kids are fascinated by the new (and scary) friends, of course, which comes in handy when Louise crosses paths with a high school bully named Logan who steals her bunny ear hat.

Though we never see her hair fully exposed, "Ear-Sy Rider" is the only time we see Louise wearing anything other than her ears. As a result, the youngest Belcher has an identity crisis and does whatever she can to get them back until Logan finally says he threw them away, leading her to call on the One-Eyed Snakes for revenge. When the Snakes return, Louise gets her ears back from Logan, who was simply hiding them, and everything is resolved in a surprise birth in the restaurant.

"Bob's Burgers" never disappoints with its holiday episodes, but the show's Thanksgiving episodes are among its very best. As Bob's favorite holiday, "Dawn of the Peck" sees the emotional chef suffer through the ultimate betrayal as Linda and the kids decide to forsake Bob's all-important Thanksgiving dinner in order to go to a turkey run hosted by the eccentric Fischoeder brothers at Wonder Wharf.

However, in a true horror movie twist, the Fischoeders make a horrible mistake, leading to a wild bird attack that leads Teddy, Mickey, Linda, and the kids to escape the aftermath of the turkey run while Bob gets drunk at home and listens to Donna Summers. Between the discordant disco music and ridiculous editing, "Dawn of the Peck" is a hilarious and surprising Thanksgiving episode that gives new meaning to the holiday, even for the Belchers, who each find themselves in a different place with Thanksgiving by the end of the day.

As the title suggests, "Tina Tailor Soldier Spy" finds Tina getting sucked into an undercover cookie sales investigation for the Thunder Girls, the "Bob's Burgers" version of Girl Scouts, shortly after quitting. Louise, who had been enjoying the extra time with her big sister, decides she wants to help out with the mission, but Tina insists Louise will mess it up, leading Louise to go rogue and join the "bad" troop.

Leaning into spy and detective tropes, Tina and the Thunder Girls take cookie sales just as seriously as real-life Girl Scouts do, leading to a sweet and satirical episode that puts the Belcher sisters at odds while forcing Louise to be vulnerable. Meanwhile, an accident at the salon turns Linda's black hair blonde, making her personality change as well — she pretends to be a dumb blonde as the Thunder Girls' intrigue unfolds. With heaps of comic relief and plenty of Tina gems, "Tina Tailor Soldier Spy" is definitely one of the best "Bob's Burgers" episodes.

As far as Thanksgiving episodes go, "Turkey in a Can" is one of the best "Bob's Burgers" has to offer. As he does every year, Bob tries to outdo his previous Thanksgiving dinner, this time by spatchcocking a turkey. However, holiday insanity unfolds when Linda's sister Gayle comes to stay and brings her cats along, leading Bob to take one too many allergy pills. While Tina is desperate to prove she has earned a spot at the adult table, Gene and Linda work on writing a breakout hit Thanksgiving song.

However, the holiday unravels further when Bob's turkey ends up in the toilet — literally. Though Bob lashes out and accuses the kids, the mystery is solved when he sleepwalks in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner and holds the replacement turkey over the toilet, thinking he's potty-training Tina. While it's a wacky episode, it maintains the sweet ethos of "Bob's Burgers" by showing Bob's subconscious fear that Tina is growing up too fast.

Another Halloween episode, "Teen-a-Witch" showcases another great "Bob's Burgers" trope: Bad Tina. The episode finds Tina desperate to win the school's Halloween costume contest after losing repeatedly year after year, leading her to research in the library where stumbles upon the idea to use real witchcraft to make her "Sand-witch" costume succeed.

After attempting small spells, Tina determines that she has the gift, but gets too confident too fast when she crosses paths with the school's crossing guard, who curses her in return. Of course, Tina ultimately realizes her spells were more a matter of coincidence, and ends up making things right. "Teen-a-Witch" also features a very silly subplot in which Bob creates multiple jack-o-lanterns that keep getting stolen. When he discovers the source of the theft, the surprise ending leads to a beautiful animated moment and a hilarious ending, making it an all-around festive and fun episode.

An episode that may hit a bit too close to home during the pandemic, the "Bob's Burgers" Season 7 premiere follows Louise who comes home sick from school with the flu, delighted to have a few days sick at home ahead of her. As the rest of the family attempts to take care of her, they accidentally ruin her favorite toy, Kuchikopi, leading Louise to have a psychedelic, musical fever dream about her family's betrayal.

While Louise's instinct is to lash out in anger and never forgive them for their mistake, her dream leads her on a Willy Wonka-esque path of understanding, with each member of her family appearing as one of her toys. "Flu-ouise" is a genuinely sweet episode that also has beautiful moments of animation and funny songs that allow for rare moments of vulnerability from the ever-tough Louise, making it one of the series' best.

One of many things that makes "Bob's Burgers" work is its many hilarious and recurring side characters. "Sexy Dance Healing" sees the return of Jairo, Tina's capoeira instructor from the series' fourth episode, "Sexy Dance Fighting." While Bob was jealous of Tina's admiration of Jairo during his initial appearance, "Sexy Dance Healing" sees the two form a friendship after Bob slips and falls on oil outside of Jairo's studio.

Unable to afford the surgery that could fix his shoulder, Jairo offers to help Bob with his recovery. However, the Belcher kids become increasingly alarmed by Bob's new Zen state of mind. Linda and Teddy take notice, too, especially as he continues to neglect the trademark Burger of the Day. Of course, at the end of the day, Bob finally has a breakthrough for a new Burger of the Day and rediscovers what he loves about making food. "Sexy Dance Healing" ultimately succeeds by placing Bob in a highly unusual context, allowing for plenty of laughs along the way.

While Bob can be a bit of a stick in the mud, one of the things that makes him a character to root for is that he has many eccentric interests. In "Late Afternoon in the Garden of Bob and Louise," this is seen when Bob finally gets a spot in the community garden, leading Bob to slowly descend into madness as he tries harder and harder to hold on to his little patch of earth.

Making matters worse, in order to earn his spot, Bob has to give a job in the restaurant to Louise's nemesis, Logan, making Louise angry. While she tries to reason with her dad, he insists that the arrangement is the best for all of them, leading to the episode's charming and funny musical number. "Late Afternoon in the Garden of Bob and Louise" is a prime example of Bob and Louise's sweet relationship as well as the way "Bob's Burgers" uses music for comedy.

Another holiday episode, "Bob, Actually" is a sweet Valentine's Day episode that's an obvious but heartfelt sendup of "Love, Actually." Each Belcher embarks on their own Valentine's Day adventure. Gene develops a crush on the substitute cafeteria lady. Tina tries to kiss Jimmy Junior despite having an upset stomach.

Meanwhile, Louise becomes convinced that her best friend, Regular Sized Rudy, has a crush on her. However, she discovers he likes someone else, leading Louise to intervene to make sure his crush will be receptive to Rudy's advances. As for Bob and Linda, well, Bob decides to take a dance class to surprise Linda, but things go hilariously wrong when he winds up in a mother and son's hip-hop class. Despite all the mishaps of the day, though, "Bob, Actually," has an incredibly sweet ending that will warm your heart, whether it's Valentine's Day or any day of the year.

Louise's ongoing quest for vengeance leads to some of the series' funniest and most outlandish episodes. This is on outstanding display in "Topsy," during which Louise's substitute science teacher won't let her reuse her old volcano exhibit for the science fair and instead insists that the Wagstaff kids learn about Thomas Edison. In an act of revenge, an outraged Louise decides to put the sinister truth about Thomas Edison's experiments on display, including the (real-life) myth that he once electrocuted an elephant.

When Gene gets involved, Louise's exhibit turns into a musical extravaganza, with Mr. Fischoeder and Gayle playing the parts of Edison and Topsy respectively. In a moment of life imitating art, Louise almost electrocutes Tina, leading Louise to see the error of her ways and realize how she's become exactly like Edison in her quest to show his villainy. With some truly stellar musical moments and superb voice acting, "Topsy" easily belongs on our list of best episodes.

Another outstanding holiday episode, "The Last Gingerbread House on the Left" finds the ever cash-strapped Bob and Linda stressed about what to get the kids for Christmas. Thankfully, Bob gets sucked into a strange gingerbread house decorating competition with Mr. Fischoeder and his other wealthy and eccentric friends, with a grand prize that could win Christmas for the Belcher kids. As Mr. Fischoeder hurls insults at him, Bob becomes more engrossed in the competition, doing everything he can to win the prize.

Meanwhile, Linda, Teddy, and the kids fulfill Linda's dream and go caroling, but encounter a house that might belong to a notorious murderer along the way. The absolute absurdity present makes it a wholly unique "Bob's Burgers" Christmas episode. As the two storylines intersect, choral Christmas music plays while bullets fly over a hilarious and dramatic climax that make the episode one of the series' very best.

If it were not already clear, "Bob's Burgers" holiday episodes are some of the series' best. "The Hauntening" is another great Halloween episode that sends the Belchers on a haunted house adventure in an effort to scare the unshakable Louise, who desperately wants to be spooked like everyone else. While Bob and Linda initially plan the hilariously not-scary haunted house themselves, things quickly become worse when the Belcher family finds spooky and strange things happening.

As the Belchers find their tires slashed, leaving them with no way to get home, and hear more and more strange noises, they begin to think that they may not be alone in the house. "The Hauntening" has some genuine (family-friendly) scares that lead to Louise screaming her head off, but a sweet and funny twist ending reveals the real source of the terror. Watch and find out ... if you dare

By developing grounded characters with deep backstories, "Bob's Burgers" can write the Belchers into nearly any wacky scenario. "The Equestranauts" is a prime example of this. The episode finds Tina going to a My Little Pony-esque convention only to discover the fans attending are mostly grown men who wear horse costumes and call themselves Equesticles, not teenage girls. When one of the adult male fans of her favorite series discovers Tina has a rare collectible toy, he convinces her to trade with him, leading the Belchers to help Tina get her toy back by sending Bob undercover.

"The Equestranauts" leans on Tina's well-documented love of fanfiction as well as spy tropes, building up to a hilarious plot twist that threatens to expose Bob in front of the pseudo-bronies. Funnier yet, Bob gets mildly carried away, making friends, and having a good time with the other Equesticles. "The Equestranauts" showcases the smart and witty way "Bob's Burgers" converses with other pieces of pop culture in a genuinely hilarious episode.

As previously mentioned, "Bob's Burgers" excels when both homaging other pieces of pop culture and also creating absurd but deeply felt character studies. "O.T.: The Outside Toilet" excels on both fronts when, after failing to parent a sack of flour, Gene finds a fancy talking toilet in the woods and starts speaking to it. However, the toilet turns out to be stolen, and the thief is on Gene's trail, leading the Belcher kids to save the toilet, which has now become Gene's friend.

Meanwhile, with the kids distracted, Bob gets a fancy new suit from Mort, and he and Linda decide to go out on the town. As Bob and Linda get drunk, the episode's rescue montage not-so-subtly mimics "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," with Gene tearfully saying goodbye to his new toilet friend before it's returned to its real owners.

The Season 6 finale doubles as the series' 100th episode. In it, Bob gets an exciting opportunity to be featured in a food magazine. At the same time, Louise launches a new prank, putting a mysterious super glue she found all over the restaurant. As a result, Bob winds up glued to the toilet, with various characters coming in to try to help pry him free before the magazine writer and photographer show up to the restaurant.

While Louise at first refuses to take responsibility, she and Bob hold out hope — in a musical number, no less — that the day can somehow be salvaged. It's too late, though, when the magazine bigwigs show up and Bob is still stuck, making Louise finally apologize to her dad. All is not lost, though; Bob still gets a feature in the magazine, just not the one he had originally hoped for.

In a standout two-part Christmas spectacular, "The Bleakening" is a standout achievement in the "Bob's Burgers" canon. The episode begins with a musical fever dream as Linda wakes up with the singular vision of bringing the gift of a perfect Christmas to the town. Even more frenzied than she usually is during the holidays, Linda goes above and beyond, decorating and planning a Christmas party for the customers in the restaurant.

Of course, everything goes sideways when some of Linda's decorations go missing, leading Teddy to suggest it could be the Bleaken, a mythical Christmas villain. Spurred on by Louise, the kids decide to hunt down the Bleaken and find Linda's missing decorations. Meanwhile, Linda goes on an investigation of her own. All paths converge when the Belchers finally find out what happened in a surprising, sweet, and spectacular musical that leads the Belchers to discover more about Christmas in their community.