In January 2011, the Fox public was introduced to Bob Belcher the restaurateur, along with the rest of his quirky family in Bob’s burgers. creators Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux Logelin (in collaboration with Loren Bouchard) provided a refreshing new take on the adult animated sitcom, amping up the absurdist comedy without the trademark caustic insults. Nearly 300 episodes and a blockbuster later, the Molyneux sisters continue to entertain their fans with hilarious yet likable characters and trademark super-savvy writing style.
The sister duo worked together with The regular show‘s Minty Lewis The Great North, with a loving family of Alaskans led by Nick Offerman, Will Forte and Jenny Slate. It was renewed for a second season, months ahead of its January 2021 premiere, and for a third after the Season 1 finale. Fans have been anxiously awaiting the Tobins’ season 4 return since the announcement in August 2022. The Great North is another triumph for the Molyneuxes, who gently lead the audience to self-love and understanding of the human condition.
From real, hilarious characters to adaptations of hit movies to wacky musicals, here’s how the talented sisters continue to create hit after hit.
First and foremost: fun (writing)!
It seems utterly effortless the way the shows dialogue and music flow from the characters’ mouths. Every episode of both Bob’s burgers and The Great North built a new pun into the theme song. With every rerun there are almost always some jokes and blinking puns and dialogue that you didn’t understand when you first saw that episode. The first watch was spent enjoying the somehow delightfully high stakes – characters are in near-death situations all the time, but it’s never so dire as to be a concern as Bob (H. John Benjamin ) if his family is coming back to next week’s episode.
Next up: a great cast
From an impressive lineup of voice actors playing key characters (H. John Benjamin, Kristen Schaal, Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, the list goes on) to amazing performers and actors playing hilarious recurring characters (Nicole Byer, Molly Shannon, Bill Hader, Ziwe , Paul F. Tompkins, Zack Galifianakis, Alanis Morisette), each character is entertaining, realistic and clearly appreciated by the writers. While there are certainly annoying characters, or storylines where some characters clearly antagonize our heroes, each character gets a chance to learn from their mistakes, contextualize their (often wild) behavior, and make amends. This allows the team of writers to offer multiple perspectives on complex issues without forcing them down their audience’s throats.
Escapism and hope
It’s no news that people are struggling in 2023. Everyone needs some time to watch other people struggle with big things in life. In one episode The Great NorthThe Tobin family goes berserk during a power outage. Instead of the awkward tension that actually erupts in that situation, they create a courtroom drama intense enough to rival Some good men, in which Wolf (voiced by SNL alum Will Forte) and his wife Honeybee (voiced by Iconic Comedy Central alum Dulcé Sloan) act as lawyers who time and again drop their cases, much to the chagrin of Jerry (voiced by the hilarious Ron Funches).
In bob’s burgers, Bob and his family often find themselves in mortal danger (mechanical sharks, sinkholes, evil rich people with vendettas against their families, the list goes on), but the Molyneuxes somehow tip the line between the public loving their seats, and making sure it’s clear that our beloved families will all be back next week. Even the well received Bob’s Burger movie (spoiler alert!) begins with a kill and keeps the stakes high throughout, but maintains a playful lightheartedness that delights adults and children alike.
Week after week, the Molyneux sisters find a way to portray these loving families in a realistic way without making it painful. The stories they write sound about tension and conflict, but somehow manage to avoid really upsetting the audience. Tina Belcher (played by the wonderfully monotonous Dan Mintz), a prepubescent teen in Bob’s burgers, is so painfully horny that she writes erotica about teenage zombies. While this certainly makes for a wealth of jokes, Tina herself is never the joke – in fact, sometimes it’s her horniness that gets our heroes out of trouble. After her sister Louise (Kristen Schaal) praises her for her courage in constantly crushing boys, Tina says what teenage girls have been thinking for years: “I put my bra on breast to breast, just like everyone else.”
In The Great Northwhen Ham Tobin (Love’Paul Rust) confesses to his family that they were too understanding and accepting when he came out to them as gay, they don’t roll their eyes and go about their day. They ask him what they can do to fix it, and then do it (even if it means driving hours to their annoying cousin’s house to give him the judgmental response he needs), and then a good singing a choreographed song that ticks off all things on stage. Ham’s list of reactions).
The Molyneux sisters have created a genre of adult animation that is as entertaining and well-produced as some of the grittier animated shows, without mocking anyone or leaving a sour taste in the audience’s mouth. Over the past decade, they’ve lent these shows their talents, from writing to performing small roles like Jen the babysitter. Their audience has shown strong support for a total of 17 seasons and a movie and can only hope for many more to come.