Typically, when a long-running animated show has been on the air for a decade-and-a-half — a milestone that Bob’s Burgers has reached with season 15 — the quality will have started to go downhill. The writers would have exhausted all the good story ideas and character developments and started scraping the bottom of the barrel. By the time The Simpsons reached its 15th season, its golden age was years in the rearview mirror. Family Guy had become disappointingly hit-and-miss long before it reached season 15. King of the Hill — in many ways, the spiritual predecessor to Bob’s Burgers — didn’t even make it that far.

Given this precedent, I can’t believe how good Bob’s Burgers still is in its 15th season. After all these years, the voice actors still don’t phone it in. They still have the endearing chemistry of a real family, and they still go into the booth with the same improvisational looseness that made the show such a breath of fresh air when it first premiered. Whereas shows like The Simpsons have usually abandoned realism by this point in their run, resorting to gimmicky storylines and celebrity guest stars, Bob’s Burgers is still grounded in real, relatable situations.

Whereas shows like The Simpsons have usually abandoned realism by this point in their run, resorting to gimmicky storylines and celebrity guest stars, Bob’s Burgers is still grounded in real, relatable situations.

In “Boogie Days,” Bob overcomes his fear of the ocean so he won’t it on to Louise. There are plenty of laughs from Bob being terrified in knee-deep water, but it also taps into a very real insecurity of parenting. “Colon-ly the Dronely” has a lot of slapstick humor involving an accident-prone Teddy, but it’s rooted in his anxiety about letting down his girlfriend Kathleen. Episodic animated shows like this don’t usually let relationships go on for this long, but I’m thrilled that Teddy has finally found the happiness he’s always deserved.

My Favorite Character, Louise, Gets A Lot Of Great Storylines In Bob's Burgers Season 15

I Love Any Episode That Forces Louise To Be Vulnerable

In “For Whom the Doll Toes,” Louise puts on an elaborate murder mystery play with dolls that turns out to be an emotional confession. Gene got excluded from a party thrown by his classmates when he defended a teacher they were making fun of. Louise overheard this and channeled her iration of Gene’s courageous outspokenness and the guilt over her own failure to speak up into this beautiful dollhouse drama. Louise is my favorite character, and I especially love the effort she puts into not showing vulnerability — or at least disguising it — despite having a huge heart.

Bob's Burgers season 15 is set to finish airing on FOX on July 31, 2025.

This can also be seen in the later episode “They Slug Horses, Don’t They?,” in which Louise has a falling-out with Tina and tries to make amends through hand-drawn comics. Initially, the comics are ive-aggressive and backhanded, but Louise eventually sees the error of her ways and draws a much more sincere cartoon. The episode takes advantage of the limitless possibilities of its medium to tug on the heartstrings. The animation brings Louise’s comics to life, visualizing her love for her sister, and it’s one of the hardest times I’ve cried at this show.

Bob's Burgers Season 15 Reinvents The Show's Most Problematic Character

Marshmallow Is Transformed From A Stereotype Into A Human Being

The highlight of the season — the episode that sparked the most discussion and garnered the most praise — is “Hope N’ Mic Night,” in which the Belcher kids convince Bob to host an open-mic night at the restaurant for all the local musical talent. From Teddy and Mort’s bossa nova version of “Hold On Loosely” to Mr. Fishoeder’s rendition of Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract,” this episode is full of memorable musical moments (which were later released as an EP).

But the episode primarily serves as a showcase for Marshmallow’s new voice actress, Jari Jones. Although the character was conceived as an archaic stereotype of a trans woman, Jones has turned Marshmallow into an empowering, three-dimensional representation of the community. Marshmallow’s performance of the Alessi Brothers’ “Seabird” for her ive parents is one of the most touching sequences in the entire series.

Bob's Burgers is available to stream on Hulu.

Not every episode of Bob’s Burgers season 15 is an unforgettable masterpiece. Some of them are just serviceable sitcom outings with a handful of chuckles, like the cheese-tossing battle royale episode “Don’t Stop Be-cheesin’,” but there isn’t a single bad episode, and even the less memorable ones are still a solid half-hour of TV comedy. That’s a lot more than you can say for the 15th season of most shows.