Ranking the Bob's Burgers Thanksgiving Episodes

Bob’s Burgers is one of the few sitcoms with a pretty consistent Thanksgiving episode. I remember this being more of a thing when I was growing up, but a lot of modern sitcoms will occasionally do one but it’s not as regularly occurring. However, the show established that Bob as a chef loves the holiday, and it makes a lot of sense for them to keep going with them. In truth Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. I do have fond memories of family time growing up, but otherwise there are much better holidays. The episodes are really solid though. I struggled with this list more than the Halloween one because they are more consistent. So with that from my least favorite to favorite, Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving episodes.

Diarrhea of a Poopy Kid

Man this show loves to gross me out sometimes LOL. I am going to start this little segment off with a controversial opinion- I in general, don’t really care for the “tell multiple stories” episodes. They are fine but not my jam. That said this is a decent one of that type. Gene is stuck in the bathroom on Thanksgiving, sick to his stomach. The family takes turns telling him stories attempting to make him “hate food” so he won’t be mad he’s missing dinner. Bob slowly figures out what happened, Gene ate some bad food, and succeeds in cheering him up. It’s fine, just again not my favorite episode format and pretty darn gross.

Gayle Makin’ Bob Sled

Gayle is supposed to come over for Thanksgiving, but she needs Bob to pick her up. Once he arrives at her house everything that can go wrong does, and leaves Bob pulling her to the house in the snow and her in a sled. Meanwhile Linda is put in charge of finishing the turkey and things go… about as well as for Bob. I know I have said I love Gayle, and I do. And I know her being a lot is part of why she’s great, but this episode is a touch too much. It still has decent laughs but overall just not a favorite.

Putts-giving

Much like one of the Halloween episodes I mentioned last month, this one is pretty disjointed from the actual holiday. However, it does take place on the day so it counts. Tina wants to attend a party after Thanksgiving that high school boys are meant to be at so is worried about being more mature. Meanwhile the family realizes they have a half off coupon for mini-golf that expires that day. Louise convinces the family that they can go do mini-golf then come home for Bob to cook dinner. Tina keeps attempting to prove to her parents that she is mature while Louise gets increasingly upset with her for it. Lots of shenanigans unfold, Tina and Louise have a touching moment, and the family is banned from the mini-golf place. It’s a fine episode, and as a younger sister I can sympathize with Louise feeling left behind. Just not really the funniest or best, decent though.

Now We’re Not Cooking with Gas

Bob manages to get a Riverbrook Lake Farms Heritage Turkey for this years Thanksgiving. Meaning a turkey from a fancy farm that only does so many turkeys and has never been frozen. Bob is beyond excited about this until the morning of Thanksgiving when it turns out the gas had to be turned off for the neighborhood, thus no cooking. Linda suggests they freeze the turkey to which Bob is angry. He decides instead to build a fire in the alley and cook the turkey over it. Louise is thrilled by the fire, Tina is worried about her gratitude tree project she wants to the family to do, and the fire department is not thrilled by Bob’s plan. Things increasingly get worse, Bob angrier, and it’s only Tina offering up her project to burn that snaps him out of it. Not my favorite plotline, but it has a lot of solid moments.

Stuck in the Kitchen with You

Linda wants the family to volunteer at a retirement home before Thanksgiving dinner. When they arrive they find out the TV is out so no parade and the cooks are gone. Bob is excited for the chance to cook such a huge meal and Louise gets stuck helping him. Meanwhile Gene, Tina, and Zeke decide to put on their own parade for the residents. Louise doesn’t want to help Bob because he’s a grump in the kitchen and purposely does a bad job until it ends in them fighting about it. Bob and Louise make up, the parade is… a mixed success. Decent overall. I have to say though as someone who gets massively stressed out when people help in the kitchen I feel for Bob, but Louise is his child so you know.

Thanks-Hoarding

Bob has plans for the perfect Thanksgiving, but things get a little messy when Teddy needs help. Teddy’s family is coming over for Thanksgiving so the Bob goes over to help him and the rest of the family discovers that Teddy is a hoarder of broken things. The family steps in but then leaves Teddy to his own devices. Thanksgiving comes around and Teddy completely falls apart. The Belchers go over to help him and ultimately discovers he holds on to broken things to fix them, in a metaphor for his desire to fix his family. A pretty sweet and funny episode.

The Quirk-Ducers

Louise is angry that their half day before Thanksgiving is not a real half day because Mr. Frond makes them all stay for a play. Upon hearing that Tina is rewriting and Thanksgiving fic (with some mild eroticism) and seeing Mr. Frond shut a presentation down for being bad she gets an idea. With the help of Gene she plans to put on the worst Thanksgiving play ever. Tina is hurt that nobody wants to do her play but goes along with the group and of course Louise goes way too far. Bob’s Burgers has a habit of taking things that are gross and/or weird and it turns out bizarrely sweet, and this is one of them. It’s also got some decent jokes and songs. Oh yeah, and Linda thinks a potato looks like her late grandfather and has a totally normal reaction to it.

Turkey in a Can

In this episode Bob is attempting a multi day brine for his Thanksgiving dinner. Meanwhile Gayle (hell yeah Gayle episode) is staying with the family for a few days with her cats. Every morning when someone from the family wakes up to go to the bathroom they find the turkey in the toilet. Bob becomes increasing distressed and angry while continually have to buy and prep new turkeys. Louise, who everybody believes has done it, is trying to find the real culprit, Tina wants to sit at the adults table, and Gayle, Linda, and Gene are writing a song. In other words, a lot of subplots. The solution to who is putting the turkeys in the toilet is once again, shockingly sweet, and the episode is decent. It’s also really gross though and that’s hard to get over.

An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal

Our first Thanksgiving episode of the show! In this one Mr. Fischoeder asks the Belchers to pretend to be his family, while Bob pretends to be his cook, so he can woo a woman who has a thing for breaking up marriages. The family competes to impress Fischoeder and the woman while Bob gets incredibly drunk and is angry about the family ditching him. In terms of plot and the overall episode it’s not my favorite. However, it has some of the funniest jokes and pockets of moments in the entire series so it gets a bump up.

I Bob Your Pardon

Seymour’s Bay (I am not going to lie I did not realize that, that was the name of the town until I looked it up for this piece) has decided to take part in their own turkey pardoning. Linda is excited to attend because she’s oddly obsessed with the mayor. Meanwhile Bob realizes he has forgotten cranberries for the Thanksgiving meal so is desperate to get some. Everybody’s plans are thrown off when not only is the mayor not at the event but the kids overhear that the “pardoned turkey” will in fact be killed. The Belchers start their mission to save the turkey. It’s a decently funny episode with some solid moments. It’s also probably one of the top 5 examples of the “Linda is a secret serial killer, or at least would be without her family” fan theory LOL.

Dawn of the Peck

My goodness, do I love this episode. We open with a Jurassic Park style scene with the turkeys in the back of semi, complete with the arm getting caught scene. Cut to Linda and the kids preparing to go to Wonder Wharf for the day. Linda is going to “run with the turkeys” while the kids will spend the day on rides. Bob, who is obviously angry about the family missing Thanksgiving pretends he is not. Things go hilariously wrong at the Wharf while Bob gets drunk and goes through a range of emotions about the day. Everything about this episode is hilarious. It’s not just a top tier Thanksgiving episode it is one of the best of the entire series. Go watch/rewatch it now.