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Worst TV Show of the Week

Bob’s Burgers on Fox

It is understandable that Fox’s newest animated show Bob’s Burgers (Sundays 7:30 p.m. ET) has largely slipped past the viewers’ radar. Since its premiere back in January, the fate of the show had been in question, leaving many to wonder if it would be renewed for a second season. The reviews were mixed and the buzz fairly tepid. Nevertheless, Fox decided to give it another shot. Why? If Sunday’s ratings are any indication, the answer comes down to demographics.

According to the Radio & Television Business Report, Fox’s Sunday animation block on June 26^th ranked #1 among adults and teens age 18-34. Notably, every episode on Fox that night was a rerun. Yet, younger viewers still tuned in.

With an emphasis on more traditional family relationships and storylines, Bob’s Burgers on the surface appears to be a kinder, gentler animated show, a pleasant counterpart to Seth MacFarlane’s rank offerings. It’s probably safe to assume that Bob’s audience skews even younger than MacFarlane’s, since it usually receives PG ratings and showcases two young characters still in elementary school. Unfortunately, the June 26^th rerun of an episode that originally aired on March 6^th contained some alarming sexual content, especially since it aired as early as 6:30 p.m. in the Central/Mountain time zone. The ensuing perverse fare has rightfully garnered Bob’s Burgers the title of Worst TV Show of the Week.

The show’s titular patriarch Bob takes on a second job as a taxi cab driver to pay for his daughter Tina’s thirteenth birthday party. During his first night on the job, he encounters drunken patrons, a couple having sex in the back seat, and – most notably – a trio of transvestite prostitutes. He quickly strikes up a friendship and a tacit business arrangement with the three working girls. When he picks up a john on the prowl, he drives the man to the track where his new friends are hooking. Upon Bob’s return home, his wife, Linda, asks him how his night went. “Good. I’m tired…and I might be a pimp,” Bob tells her. His youngest daughter, Louise, tells him that he’s going to need a bigger hat.

Meanwhile, Tina fantasizes about kissing a boy for the first time at her party. The boy in question happens to be the son of her father’s rival, who refuses to let the boy attend. But just in case he does, Louise trains Tina on the finer points of kissing. “You think you know what it’s like to kiss a man, Tina?” Louise screams as she slaps Tina around, “You don’t know what you’re doing out there. You could get yourself killed or worse. STD's, Tina. Have you heard of them? Have you heard of herpes? Have you? Do you know what herpes feels like on your mouth?”

As the birthday party looms, Bob turns to the transvestite prostitutes for advice. They invite him for drinks after his shift. “We’ll throw back a few beers,” one of the girls states, “and smoke some crack.” Later, Bob returns home on the day of the party still reeling from his night out. He informs Linda, “I may or may not have tried crack last night. I don't think I did. But if I did, I liked it.” He passes out and wakes up just as the party begins. To everyone’s surprise, the three transvestite prostitutes show up for Tina’s birthday, bringing along with them other transvestite prostitutes. Bob evidently barely remembers inviting the motley bunch to Tina’s party.

The transvestites attempt to cheer Tina up after she realizes that her crush, Jimmy, won’t be allowed to attend. “When it's time for you to blossom into a woman,” a transvestite named Glitter tells Louise, “you can't let anything stop you. Not a party, not a boy, and not a town full of doctors who refuse to remove your penis.”

Bob confronts his rival and convinces him to let his son attend the party. When the transvestites recognize the father as a regular client of “the Desire Dungeon” where he indulges his diaper-lover fetish, Bob successfully blackmails him.

Tina’s wish comes true and she kisses Jimmy. Tina thanks Bob by saying, “Thanks, Dad. You’re the best pimp I’m ever going to have.” Bob replies, “I’ve been waiting to hear those words all my life, Tina.”

Fox knows its cartoons draw young viewers. Yet, it consistently foists deliberately vulgar material upon them. Some other titles such as Family Guy and American Dad might stir controversy, but Bob’s Burgers – at least for this week – is just as unpalatable.

 For crude sexual content, Bob’s Burgers has been named Worst TV Show of the Week.