The Big Picture
- "Bed, Bob & Beyond" is the least romantic Valentine's Day episode of Bob's Burgers, but the Belcher kids' stories save Bob and Linda's day.
- "My Fuzzy Valentine" teaches Bob that small efforts can make a big impact, and Linda finds an unexpected gift to be quite romantic.
- "Romancing the Beef" shows that even when their plans go awry, the Belchers still manage to celebrate love by being there for others.
Love is in the air, and it smells like burgers! The hit animated series Bob's Burgers has had some memorable takes on Valentine’s Day: from Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Gene (Eugene Mirman) flipping through the sky to Tina (Dan Mintz) searching for love in the halls of Wagstaff School. For Cupid’s special day, we’ve ranked all the Bob’s Burgers Valentine’s episodes from least romantic to the “cheesiest” ones that will renew your belief in love. Without further ado, let’s celebrate Valentine’s Day by spending a day with the Belchers!
Bob's Burgers
Bob Belcher runs a struggling burger shop with his wife and three children.
- Release Date
- January 9, 2011
- Creator
- Loren Bouchard and Jim Dauterive
- Cast
- H. Jon Benjamin , Kristen Schaal , Eugene Mirman , Dan Mintz , John Roberts , Larry Murphy , Andy Kindler , Jenny Slate
- Seasons
- 11
- Network
- FOX
“Bed, Bob & Beyond” (Season 9, Episode 13)
This episode has less to do with Valentine’s Day and more to do with a plot that happens to take place on the day of love. Bob and Linda (voiced by John Roberts) get into an argument earlier in the day about dirty laundry on the ground and stay mad at each other while out watching a movie with the family. Unfortunately, the rom-com they’re watching abruptly cuts off before the big romantic climax.
In an attempt to soften the blow of Bob and Linda discovering they broke their bed after jumping on it, the Belcher kids take turns telling their versions of how the movie actually ended. They draw inspiration from hit movies, such as Speed, The King’s Speech, Titanic, and Sharknado; in fact, the story Louise (Kristen Schaal) comes up with includes Julia Roberts’ “I’m just a girl” monologue from Notting Hill. Even though the Belcher kids’ motivations were more self-serving, their stories helped cool the tension between their parents and save Bob and Linda’s Valentine’s.
“My Fuzzy Valentine” (Season 3, Episode 4)
The first official Valentine’s Day episode of Bob’s Burgers involves Bob on the search for a great Valentine’s Day gift for Linda, after years of only making heart-shaped displays of ordinary items. Louise, Gene, and Tina use this as an excuse to ditch school and spend the day helping their dad. Meanwhile, in the B-plot of the episode, Linda hosts a speed dating event at the restaurant. Despite roadblocks along the way from Linda’s ex-boyfriend Hugo (Sam Seder), Bob and the kids track down a love thermometer, something that had nothing to do with Linda but a former girlfriend. Linda still finds this gift completely romantic, showing Bob that a little effort goes a long way.
“The Gene and Courtney Show” (Season 6, Episode 7)
Love is on the airwaves when Gene and Courtney (David Wain) are recruited to take over the morning announcements with their musical talents and natural chemistry. Their week on the air follows the same timeline most TV couples find themselves in over the course of a series: working together, getting together, new romance distracting from the show, and eventually breaking up. Despite parting ways, Gene and Courtney have a mutual care for each other and really did “like like” making the morning announcements fun again.
On the flip side, Tina plays Cupid and volunteers to run the carnation donation, a responsibility Bob had completely forgotten about, and he spends the C-plot tracking down flowers (250, to be exact.) Tina is devastated when no one has sent her a carnation, only for Jimmy Jr. (H. Jon Benjamin) to give her a rose. Their relationship has had its ups and downs on this list, but this is undeniably a thoughtful gesture from the dance-obsessed boy.
“Romancing the Beef” (Season 11, Episode 11)
In an attempt to one-up Jimmy Pesto (Jay Johnston), Bob and Linda forgo their Valentine’s traditions to keep the restaurant open for couples looking for a last-minute spot. A rebranded name and menu seem to do the trick because the restaurant is busier than ever. The only thing standing in their way is their least favorite health inspector, Hugo (Sam Seder), who threatens to shut the place down while he waits for his blind date.
In the B-plot, Tina is trying to keep love off the brain as she attends an anti-Valentine’s party, hosted by Tammy (Jenny Slate). The party turns into make-out central and Tina tries to fight the romance out of the night. In the end, a Valentine’s Day text from Jimmy Jr. is enough for Tina to let herself enjoy the romance of it all. The Belchers’ day doesn’t go according to plan, but they still manage to celebrate a day of love by being there for others.
'Bob's Burgers' Seasons Ranked Worst to Best, According to IMDb
Ranking every era of a beloved primetime staple.“Can’t Buy Me Math” (Season 5, Episode 11)
Who doesn’t love a good fake dating storyline? In exchange for tutoring and catching the eyes of their crushes, Tina and Darryl (Aziz Ansari) agree to fake-date for the school Valentine’s dance to win Cupid’s Couple. As Tina warns Darryl, she’s seen enough rom-coms to know that the problem with fake dating is that one of them will fall for the other – yet she’s the one who falls for the perfect fake boyfriend she created. Despite her feelings, she helps Darryl and his crush, Rosa, get together while they’re playing a video game. In the words of Tammy, the double nerd factor of this Can’t Buy Me Love homage takes this episode from cute to cute!
“V for Valentine-detta” (Season 8, Episode 8)
Who says you can’t celebrate girl power on Valentine’s? After Jimmy Jr. breaks her heart by going on a date with someone else, Linda and Louise try to cheer Tina up by taking her out for a girls' night. This episode introduces a new recurring character, Nat (Jillian Bell), their limo driver, who proves to be the best wingwoman a brokenhearted Tina could need. The ultimate hype woman who has access to a stink bomb? What more could you want? The ladies even track down Jimmy Jr.’s date and Tina confronts him for hurting her feelings. While the Belcher ladies are out on the town, Gene accompanies Bob on his Valentine’s surprise trapeze lesson. They face their fears together, and it turns into a bonding moment for father and son. This episode stands out because of the extreme lengths this family will go to for each other, and family love is always worth celebrating.
“Bob Actually” (Season 7, Episode 9)
And the crown for the best Valentine’s Day episode goes to Bob’s Burgers' take on Love Actually. Throughout the episode, we see every Belcher on their quest to make the most of this day of love. Louise tries to help Regular-Sized Rudy (Brian Huskey) give a love weed to his crush with hopes of getting his first kiss, only for his heart to be broken. In an act of kindness to her friend, Louise kisses Regular Sized Rudy, a milestone moment for both of them. The love doesn’t stop there: Tina defies the odds of gravity and diarrhea to give Jimmy Jr. an airborne kiss, Bob takes a hip-hop dance class to impress Linda, and Linda helps Ms. Selbo (Sarah Baker) move on from a breakup. Even Wonder Wharf’s resident Speedo Guy finds love! This episode ends with a happy ending montage for the Belcher family so sweet it could give you a cavity. Quick: someone call Dr. Yap (Ken Jeong)!
Bob's Burgers is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.