Honestly, looking back at the 2011 television landscape feels like peering into a different geological era. Animation was in a strange spot. The Simpsons was already "old," Family Guy was leans heavily into cutaway gags, and then this weird, wiggly-lined show about a guy named Bob selling burgers showed up on Fox. If you happened to pick up the Bob's Burgers DVD Season 1 when it first dropped, you probably realized pretty quickly that this wasn't just another cynical sitcom. It felt different. It felt human.
The show's creator, Loren Bouchard, had already done Home Movies and Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, so the DNA of "improvised-sounding dialogue" was there. But the first season of Bob's Burgers is a fascinating, slightly crustier version of the Belcher family we know today. It’s rawer. It’s a bit more "Adult Swim" in its pacing. If you've only seen the newer, more musical episodes, going back to this specific DVD set is like finding a band's early, distorted garage tapes.
The Pilot That Almost Featured Cannibals
Most people don't realize how close we came to a version of this show that would have probably been canceled in six weeks. In the original pitch, the Belchers weren't just struggling restaurant owners—they were literally cannibals. They were making the burgers out of people. It’s a wild thought. Fox, thankfully, told Bouchard to drop the cannibalism but keep the family dynamic.
That "human flesh" joke still made it into the series premiere, "Human Flesh," where a rumor spreads that Bob is using meat from the crematorium next door. It’s a dark start. That episode set the tone for a show that was willing to be gross and sweet at the same time. The Bob's Burgers DVD Season 1 preserves this specific era of the show where the edges hadn't been rounded off yet.
The animation in these thirteen episodes has a jittery, hand-drawn energy. It’s not the polished, flash-animated look of the later seasons. You can see the characters' pupils pulsing. It feels alive. It feels a little desperate. That desperation is what makes the comedy work. Bob isn't just a dad; he’s a man one bad health inspection away from a total nervous breakdown.
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What’s Actually on the Disc?
Physical media is dying, I know. Everything is on streaming now. But there is a specific charm to the Bob's Burgers DVD Season 1 that Hulu or Disney+ just can't replicate. You get the audio commentaries. These aren't your standard, boring "and here we used a blue background" commentaries. They are chaotic. You have H. Jon Benjamin (Bob), John Roberts (Linda), Dan Mintz (Tina), Eugene Mirman (Gene), and Kristen Schaal (Louise) basically just hanging out and riffing.
- The Demo Pitch: You get to see the original "cannibal" version of the pilot. It’s rough, it’s crude, and it features a son named Daniel instead of a daughter named Tina.
- Lifting Up the Skirt of the Process: There are behind-the-scenes featurettes that show how they record the lines. Unlike most animated shows where actors record in isolation, the Bob's Burgers cast often records together. You can hear that chemistry in the first season. They talk over each other. They laugh at each other's jokes.
- Outtakes and Deleted Scenes: Some of the jokes that were "too much" for 2011 Fox are tucked away here.
The physical DVD itself is a bit of a relic. It’s a standard-definition release, which sounds like a drawback until you realize that the lo-fi aesthetic of Season 1 actually looks better with a bit of grain. High definition sometimes makes early animation look too clinical. Here, it feels like a cult classic found on a dusty shelf.
The Tina Belcher Evolution
We have to talk about Tina. In the pilot development, she was Daniel. Same voice, same awkwardness, but a boy. When the network wanted a change, they just swapped the gender and kept the voice actor, Dan Mintz. It was a stroke of genius.
Tina Belcher became the breakout star of the Bob's Burgers DVD Season 1. Her obsession with zombies, butts, and writing erotic friend fiction was something television hadn't really seen before. She wasn't the "nerdy girl" trope who gets a makeover. She was just... Tina. The episode "Sheesh! Cab, Bob?" is a perfect example. Bob takes a second job driving a taxi to pay for Tina's birthday party. It’s a heart-wrenching and hilarious look at how much this family loves each other, even when they’re failing.
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Why You Should Care About the Audio
The sound design in Season 1 is distinct. It relies heavily on silence and "dead air" for comedic effect, a technique Bouchard mastered in his earlier works. When a joke lands and nobody reacts, it’s funnier because it feels like a real conversation. Later seasons became much more musical, with a song in almost every episode. Season 1 is leaner. It’s more about the dialogue.
The music that is there, like the intro theme with the ukulele, was composed by Bouchard himself. It’s simple. It’s catchy. It’s a bit out of tune. Much like the restaurant itself, it’s trying its best with limited resources.
Comparing Season 1 to the Modern Era
If you watch an episode from Season 14 and then pop in the Bob's Burgers DVD Season 1, the shift is jarring. The early episodes are much more cynical. Bob and Linda argue more. The kids are a little meaner to each other. Over time, the show morphed into what people call "nicecore"—a genre where characters are genuinely kind to one another.
But there’s something lost when you lose that early bite. Season 1 had an underdog energy. The Belchers felt like they might actually lose the restaurant in every episode. That stakes-driven comedy is at its peak in "Crawl Space," where Bob pretends to be stuck in the wall to avoid Linda’s parents. It’s claustrophobic, weird, and features a Shining parody that is legitimately creepy.
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How to Find a Copy and Why It Matters
Finding a brand new, shrink-wrapped copy of the Bob's Burgers DVD Season 1 is getting harder as retailers phase out physical discs. You’ll mostly find them on secondary markets like eBay or in the bargain bins of local media stores.
Why bother? Because of the "streaming purge" era we live in. Shows disappear from digital platforms overnight due to licensing issues or tax write-offs. Owning the physical disc means you own the uncensored, original broadcast versions of these episodes. You own the commentaries. You own a piece of animation history that proved you could make a family sitcom that was both edgy and incredibly wholesome.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive back into the origins of Ocean Avenue, here is how to make the most of it:
- Check the Region Code: Most copies of the Season 1 DVD are Region 1 (North America). If you’re importing, make sure your player can handle it or use a region-free drive.
- Watch the "Human Flesh" Pilot with Commentary First: It provides the necessary context for why the characters act the way they do. It explains the transition from the cannibal concept to the burger joint.
- Look for the "Fat" DVD Cases: The original releases came in slightly thicker plastic cases compared to the slimline re-releases. Collectors often prefer these for the sturdier feel and original cover art.
- Listen for the Improv: Pay attention to the background noise. In Season 1, the actors often riffed in the background of scenes. You can find "hidden" jokes that aren't in the subtitles by turning the volume up during the kitchen scenes.
- Compare the "Art" Episodes: Watch "Art Crawl" (Episode 8) and notice how the show handles controversy. It’s one of the best examples of the show’s early philosophy on creativity versus commerce.
Grab a burger (the "New Bacon-ings" burger, perhaps), sit down, and appreciate the messy, brilliant start of a show that shouldn't have worked, but somehow became the heart of Fox's Sunday night lineup. The Bob's Burgers DVD Season 1 isn't just a collection of episodes; it's the blueprint for the most relatable family on television.