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A recipe for success

A recipe for success

Adult cartoon comedies are big on the box right now. Ahead of season 10 of Bob’s Burgers on Comedy Central, we look at the best

The Belchers are one of TV comedy’s first families. And as stars of a hit adult cartoon comedy show, they are not alone…

Bob’s Burgers, Friday 24 January, 10pm, Comedy Central/HD (CH 181/132). Also available for 30 days in Catch Up > Channels > Comedy Central

Bob’s Burgers is open for business once again on Comedy Central. The beleaguered Bob and his misfit family have become a mainstay of modern adult animated comedy and it’s easy to see why (Tina alone is enough of a reason to be honest).

 

In season 10, we return to find Bob continuing to battle himself, his landlord and his kids (not to mention well-meaning wife Linda) to keep his burger business afloat and his sanity intact.


Since 2011, the hilarious hit cartoon has been racking up ratings and fans. The brainchild of creator Loren Bouchard, it boasts a stellar cast of voice actors, including H Jon Benjamin (Archer), Kristen Schaal (Flight Of The Conchords) and comedians Sarah Silverman and Aziz Ansari. Together with the show’s writers, they bring to life stories of everyday family events that spiral out of control, making the animated show a bit like a smaller-scale The Simpsons, flavoured with some King Of The Hill realness.

 

The beating heart of Bob’s Burgers is the family dynamic at its core, which feels simultaneously awkward, heartwarming and very real. There’s overenthusiastic and embarrassing mum Linda, weird and warring kids Tina, Gene and Louise, and burger-flipping dad Bob, who’s just trying his best. It’s a tad quirky at times, but its exploration of gender roles, existential insecurity and the pitfalls of puberty means there is downbeat humour in every scene.

 

The show’s popularity is such that whole albums of the show’s songs (which are all stonkers) and spin-off comic books authored by the writers have been released. But the Belchers are far from the only successful animated funny family on TV right now, as the trend for adult cartoons has really taken off. Here, we explore the best of the rest and what makes them so good…

 

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