Bob’s Burgers Season 15’s Standout Episode Proves Everyone Compares It To The Wrong Animated Show

Although Bob’s Burgers is constantly compared to The Simpsons, season 15’s Halloween special proves that comparison isn’t as apt as it may seem. Bob’s Burgers owes a lot to The Simpsons. Both shows are warm character comedies that center on a family of five that includes a well-meaning father, a kind mother, and a trio of children, two girls and one boy. Admittedly, The Simpsons is now the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history, so Bob’s Burgers has a lot of catching up to do.

However, Bob’s Burgers season 16’s renewal proves that the show does have longevity in common with its biggest inspiration, too. The best episodes of Bob’s Burgers share the zany sense of humor that makes The Simpsons great, as well as the plentiful heart that makes the two shows so beloved. However, a close look at Bob’s Burgers season 15, episode 4, “For Whom the Doll Toes,” proves that the differences between the two shows are just as important as their similarities.

Bob’s Burgers Season 15’s “For Whom the Doll Toes” Is Surprisingly Sad

Season 15’s Halloween Special Is Nothing Like The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror

In “For Whom the Doll Toes,” Louise sets up an elaborate murder mystery in a dollhouse and insists that Gene needs to solve it, but this turns out to be a bizarre form of therapy for the show’s heroine. It transpires that Louise learned some older boys were excluding Gene from their Halloween plans because he didn’t join them in making fun of their substitute teacher. Unsure how to tell her older brother without hurting his feelings, Louise staged the entire play to explain.

Many of the Treehouse of Horror segments kill off the entire family, while Bob’s Burgers celebrated Halloween with a low-key, sad story about two siblings learning to communicate.

The plot of “For Whom the Doll Toes” is surprisingly sad and grounded, and season 15’s Halloween special creates a stark contrast with The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror specials from the same year. While The Simpsons’ loose canon means the show’s writing can always go to some seriously strange, surreal places without consequences, its Halloween specials are legendarily weird and dark. Many of the Treehouse of Horror segments kill off the entire family, while Bob’s Burgers celebrated Halloween with a low-key, sad story about two siblings learning to communicate.

Louise holds up a paperclip and a toy in Bob's Burgers season 15

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Louise was both frustrated that she couldn’t stand up for Gene and proud of him for standing up for the substitute teacher, but her youth and bombastic personality made it hard for her to express any of this. Meanwhile, Gene was alienated and frustrated by the entire exercise, but ultimately thankful when he realized what Louise was trying to share in her own imperfect way. Like Bob’s Burgers season 14’s standout episode, this outing was notable not for its cinematic ambition, but for its quiet, small-scale character drama.

Grounded Storylines Ensure Bob’s Burgers Is More Emotionally Resonant Than The Simpsons

Bob’s Burgers is almost more similar to King of the Hill than The Simpsons at this stage, as the cartoonishness of its early seasons has mostly given way to grounded plot lines. Like King of the Hill, Bob’s Burgers is more concerned with the everyday struggles of its central family than dramatic, absurd antics or outlandish plots like those included in The Simpsons. Admittedly, Bob’s Burgers is not quite as understated as the strikingly deadpan King of the Hill.

Where The Simpsons will go anywhere for a gag, Bob’s Burgers is more concerned with crafting relatable characters than the next punchline.

However, the series does stray far enough from the tone of The Simpsons to feel like an entirely different series. Where The Simpsons will go anywhere for a gag, Bob’s Burgers is more concerned with crafting relatable characters than the next punchline. Neither approach is inherently superior to the other, but Bob’s Burgers season 15’s advantage over The Simpsons comes from how easy it is to care about the show’s heroes. Compared the characters of The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers has heroes who feel more like people than cartoons.

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