It’s 2024 and while the world is a crazier place than ever, we can take comfort in knowing Bob’s Burgers is still going strong in its 14th season. However, imagine a version where the Belcher family, proprietors of a humble burger outlet, share a macabre secret—they’re cannibals. While it’s difficult to envision them alongside figures like Hannibal Lecter, such was nearly the fate of the series. Had the creators not altered the course, the Belcher family might have found themselves the subject of articles playfully ranking TV’s most charming carnivores. Those curious about the bizarre, carnivorous plotline that nearly shaped Bob’s Burgers are encouraged to delve deeper into the show’s fascinating early history.
So… Cannibals?
That’s right – cannibals. The Belchers were originally supposed to be people-eating, burger flippers who served their customers human meat. Series co-creator Loren Bouchard’s original vision for the show was a lot darker than the Bob’s Burgers the world knows and loves. Bouchard told the Hollywood Reporter, “I originally thought the show should be about a family that runs a restaurant who are cannibals.”
The Show’s Creator Was Used To Darker Shows
Before pitching Bob’s Burgers to Fox, Bouchard had worked for Adult Swim, a channel that specializes in dark-humored, more adult animation. Bouchard’s back catalogue includes Home Movies, a show about a boy who makes his own films and has a weird father/son relationship with an alcoholic soccer coach. Bouchard also worked on Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil, which was about the titular devil’s daughter being forced to fulfill her destiny as the Antichrist.
Bouchard’s past experiences with Adult Swim had him leaning into darker themes when it came to pitching an animated series. He talked to the Hollywood Reporter about the differences between pitching for Adult Swim verus Fox, saying, “I’m coming off of working for Adult Swim, and the darker, more shocking aspect seemed like what you needed in order for an animated idea to cut through the noise.”
FOX Execs Weren’t Keen On The Weird Angle
It seemed like the Fox executives were into Bouchard and his characters, but they weren’t all in on the cannibalism angle. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Suzanna Makkos, the executive VP for comedy at Fox, asked Bouchard, “Do you want to do 100 episodes’ worth of cannibal jokes?” She had the series’ potential longevity in mind. Bouchard acknowledged this, saying that “Fox took a long view” and he changed the show’s premise accordingly.
The Crematorium Next To The Burger Joint Could Have Been Important
Viewers that have paid attention to the opening credits of the show might have noticed that Bob’s burger joint is right next door to a funeral home, the aptly named “It’s Your Funeral Home & Crematorium.” Was this intentional? And was it meant to imply that Bob and his family get their meat from the funeral home next door?
The Pilot Episode Is Called “Human Flesh”
Even though Fox put the kibosh on a cannibalism plot running through the series, some indicators of the Belchers’ predilection for human meat made it into the pilot. Just think about the fact that the first episode is called “Human Flesh.” That could easily have been the name of a show about a burger joint that supplies its customers with patties made from, well, human flesh.
Bob Is Being Investigated For Cannibalism In The First Episode
The health inspector in the pilot declares that he’s not there for a routine inspection. No, no – he proudly states that he is there to investigate a troubling rumor that involves Bob and his family making burgers out of dead bodies from the morgue next door. Now this proves to unfounded, mainly because the rumor was started by Louise during one of her class’s show and tell sessions. Still, could this plot have been a holdover from the show’s original premise? Very, very likely.
Bob Forbids Gene From Offering Free Samples To Mourners Coming Out Of The Crematorium
When Bob enlists Gene to offer free samples outside of the store in the pilot episode, he explicitly forbids Gene from offering them to anyone coming outside of the funeral home, especially if they look like they’re in mourning. Is this because that line is from an earlier draft of the pilot where the Belchers are still cannibals and Bob doesn’t want funeral attendees eating their former relatives?
Could This Be A Future Finale Twist?
Maybe the fact that all these little hints made it into the pilot episode means that Bouchard’s foreshadowing a future finale twist? Maybe the Belchers were cannibals all along and the big reveal will happen in the series finale with a perfect loop back to the very first episode. You never know! Strangers things could happen and this theory has a narrative callback going for it.