Bob's Burgers Worked Backwards From Casting To Create Its Characters
When you take a moment to step back and actually look at the great sitcom families, you'll see all of the ways in which many of them hardly ever respect one another. The dysfunctional family is a tried-and-true comedy formula, but it brings me a massive amount of joy to watch a show like "Bob's Burgers" that manages to subvert it at every turn. The Belchers are all on a different plane of existence, but that's what makes them so inherently lovable.
Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) is a chef who thrives through routine, comfort, and living daringly out of spite. Linda (John Roberts) is sporadic and full of tunes, with loads of energy to spare. Gene (Eugene Mirman) is always a boisterous presence who wholly embraces his eccentricities for music. Tina (Dan Mintz), on the other hand, is very sheltered and reserved, except for anything having to do with zombies, erotic friend fiction, or her crush on Jimmy Jr. Lastly, Louise (Kristen Schaal) may be the baby of the family, but she's always ready to take charge at a moment's notice.
The Belchers are like a puzzle, with each member acting as an unevenly cut piece, yet they still connect with one another regardless. Across 13 seasons and one feature film, these characters have always found ways to evolve together. The incredible ensemble of "Bob's Burgers" voice actors is a critical component of how the Belchers come to life, perhaps even more so than with other animated sitcom families.
Cast first, then build the characters around them
In an interview with Skwigly, "Bob's Burgers" creator Loren Bouchard talked about how the first step to making the Belchers feel alive was writing the characters with their voice actors in mind. This would often make it easier to write a better script around who would be in the recording booth:
"We jumped light years ahead in terms of writing, you could write a more fleshed-out character when you already knew who was going to be giving them their voice. We already knew something about who they were and what kind of things they say. Which is just a good trick, for anyone out there who's developing an animated idea, cast first and you will find your characters jump right off the page!"
When you watch "Bob's Burgers," there's a fluidity in how the family interacts. The vocal talent, in conjunction with the writers, have found a way to make their dialogue feel spontaneous, yet structured. Improv comedy can be really hit or miss, but every time Benjamin stops what he's saying to respond to or comment on something weird Louise said, it feels completely in character for him. He's not breaking free from the script because it always feels like an extension of his character.
By the time you get to "The Bob's Burgers Movie," you can hear just how in-tune the original show's voice actors are with one another.
Bouchard cast people he wanted to work with
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the "Bob's Burgers" team is almost always in top form, as it's compiled from a group of people who were largely familiar with one another's work. In an interview with It's Nice That in 2017, Bouchard talked about having worked with H. Jon Benjamin for over two decades, which made it easier to craft Bob's personality around the actor. "I've only ever done shows with Jon in them, I don't even want to know what it's like to do a show without him. I knew I wanted him as the dad and we built the family around him," said Bouchard
When it came to the Belcher children, Bouchard ended up working with people he had either worked with before, or heard about throughout the grapevine. The biggest character shift, however, transpired when he heard Dan Mintz's voice:
"Jon Benjamin recommended him, saying, 'You've really got to hear this guy's voice, it's so funny,' and we cast him as Tina. Although originally we cast him as a boy, it was only after the pilot episode and Fox's feedback that we realized the character wasn't quite there. So we kept the voice and actor, but changed the gender. He was thrilled!"
For a series where everyone is vying to be the funniest person in the room, Mintz often gets the biggest laughs out of me. It's a testament to his comedic timing that Tina was restructured to fit Mintz's performance, as the series is all the better for it.
"The Bob's Burgers Movie" is currently streaming on HBO Max and Hulu.