Bob’s Burgers Accidentally Made a Pandemic Episode

The world of television has been changed pretty profoundly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with essentially all live-action TV shows trying to adopt a new status quo to promote on-set safety. Going into the fall 2020 season, TV fans will thankfully be treated to a fair share of animated series, many of which are able to still able to continue making new episodes even while social distancing. This will include new seasons for Fox’s “Animation Domination” block, including the beloved animated series Bob’s Burgers. But as it turns out, one element of the show’s forthcoming eleventh season has accidentally become relevant amid the pandemic. During the show’s panel as part of ComicCon@Home, executive producer Nora Smith revealed that the season’s second episode, titled “Worms of In-Rear-Ment”, revolves around the family dealing with a pinworm outbreak. According to Smith, the episode – which was written and produced long before the pandemic – accidentally has a whole new relevance.

“It seemed like a fun pandemic story when those were just like wild and fancy-free,” Smith explained. “Then this happened, and I was like, ‘Oh no. People are going to think we’re joking about it.’ They take it seriously, but hopefully, it’s more fun because it’s about anus stuff. There’s a lot of hand washing. I’m hoping people think of it as an escape to a more fun pandemic.”

Sure, it might not be the same as the umpteenth times The Simpsons has unintentionally predicted the future, but the accidental parallel between the Bob’s Burgers episode and our current situation is definitely going to be interesting to see.

Bob’s Burgers stars H. Jon Benajmin as Bob Belcher, John Roberts as Linda Belcher, Eugene Mirman as Eugene Belcher, Dan Mintz as Tina Belcher, Kristen Schaal as Louise Belcher, and Larry Murphy as Teddy.

What do you think of Bob’s Burgers unintentionally creating a pandemic episode? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Bob’s Burgers will return with new episodes on Sunday, September 27th on Fox.