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For a network known for The Simpsons and Family Guy, Fox’s Bob’s Burgers has become a cult hit in its own right.
At least that’s the conclusion I drew from the two-day event at the Wiltern Theatre in downtown Los Angeles this past weekend, the most recent iteration of the Bob’s Burgers Live! cross-country tour.
Bob’s Burgers Live! has become a perennial sold-out event since the show began touring in 2013, but this go-round is special: the family restaurant comedy is celebrating its 100th episode.
Produced by Bento Box Entertainment and Bob’s co-creator Loren Bouchard’s Wilo Productions, the event brought the Belcher clan together, featuring actors H. Jon Benjamin (Bob), Kristen Schaal (Louise), Eugene Mirman (Gene), Dan Mintz (Tina), and John Roberts (Linda).
The Wiltern housed video booths, an all-important merch stand that included hoodies, posters and t-shirts (still offered on their website) and even a costumed Tina for photo opps. Fans supplied the Louise hats, and many of them were humming or singing along with the many Bob’s Burgers tunes pumping out of the speakers before showtime, with the highlights shared on Twitter and Snapchat (behindbobs).
The evening began with “Bob’s Burger’s Live: The Movie,” a short directed by Schaal herself, starring the fan-favorite voice actors and Kevin Kline delivering a toy baby, because Kevin Kline.
Afterwards, the men and women behind Bob’s success took the stage in succession delivering their own unique brand of stand up. Mintz kicked off with a bunch of non-sequiturs in couplet form, Schaal brought the house down with a magician’s assistant routine (because women aren’t allowed to perform magic themselves; if they do, they’re a witch) and Benjamin (also the voice of FX’s Archer) played jazz in a daredevil costume (Evil Knievel variety).
From there, Bouchard introduced three separate clips (some simply just animatics) from three different upcoming episodes, including the special 100th episode, “Glued, Where’s My Bob?”
Saturday night concluded with a raucous live read of “The Horse Rider-er,” premiering May 15, which also included recurring guest stars Larry Murphy (Teddy), Jay Johnston (Jimmy Pesto) and special guest Will Forte (also Schaal’s co-star on Fox’s Last Man on Earth), who voices Tina’s imaginary horse Jericho. Friday’s live read added Kumail Nanjiani, Keegan-Michael Key and Ken Jeong to the mix.
As the cast joined together for a karaoke version of The Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” it was clear that this was just what the audience needed and wanted from Fox. Given the increasing desire of fans, fueled by social media, to connect with their favorite shows on a personal level, it’s clear that events like Bob’s Burgers Live! could be a growing trend. Not only does it market the product, but it increases fan fervor and word of mouth.
If this weekend’s turnout was any consideration, Fox may as well start planning its 200th episode celebration right now.
For more information on the event, check out the Bob’s Burger’s Live website.
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