Should You Watch: Bob's Burgers

There are way too many talented people involved in the production of "Bob's Burgers" for the show to be so bad, but, wow, that first episode of the new Fox animated sitcom was a real stinker. I thought maybe it was going for that edgy but with heart kind of thing, but it just came off as unfunny and crude.

Even if H. Jon Benjamin was the only talented individual involved in the show, that would still be too many to waste. His voicework as Bob, family man and owner of the titular food joint, can't elevate the subpar writing. I wanted to like this, unlike my wife, who predicted that I would laugh at the show, then record it, secretly watch it, and quietly continue with it from that point on. Well, I was up front about recording it and checking it out, and now I'm up front about not wanting to give it a second week.

I can't point to one specific moment that turned me off, but at the beginning when one of Bob's children complained that her crotch was itching, I kind of got the feeling it wasn't gonna be a pleasant half-hour. The whole experience of watching the pilot is off-putting. The visuals aren't appealing, the gags aren't appealing, and even the voices aren't appealing. The plot of the first episode, in which a health inspector threatens to shut down the place amid rumors that human flesh is in the burgers, might have potential, but it isn't executed well.

It's not that I automatically dislike crude fast food humor with limited animation--I'm a Beavis and Butt-head fan, after all--but "Bob's Burgers" doesn't do it for me.

You SHOULD watch "Bob's Burgers" if:

*You think that by watching it, you'll get Joe Buck to shut up about it during Sunday NFL games.
*You have been waiting for a fast food comedy to fill a void in your heart ever since "Life on a Stick" was canceled.
*You think H. Jon Benjamin is such an awesome voice actor that he's worth listening to even if the material isn't great (You know, I'm not being facetious; this is actually a pretty good reason).
*You get a kick out of hearing males give voice to female characters.
*You think the movie "Alive" is a laugh riot.
*The notion of a half-hour block on Fox Sunday night that is NOT animated is too terrifying to contemplate.