The ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Fan Conspiracy That Claims A Writer Is Sabotaging the Show
There’s something fishy in the Bob’s Burgers universe, and it’s not just Bob’s Tunami special.
In a post shared to the Bob’s Burgers subreddit, Redditor pilchard_slimmons posited a theory that the show’s use of anti-jokes, questionable plot lines and overdone tropes is the result of one bad writer dragging down the entire production.
They blame the mystery staffer, who they nicknamed “Brad,” for the series’ more divisive episodes, including Season Six’s “Sacred Couch,” and for strange character arcs like Bob wearing Jimmy Pesto’s underwear in Season Nine’s “The Fresh Princ-ipal.”
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“I don’t know how Brad got in there or why they can’t cut him loose, but he has always lurked,” they wrote. “Broken lore? Brad lore. Bad jokes? Brad jokes. Nonsense story beats? Bradsense story beats,” they continued, channeling their inner Louise.
Bob’s Burgers, they argued, is “mostly an excellent show” that’s being brought down “by some kind of sinister entity.”
“Ever since I got out the red string and the giant wall for pinning things on to start investigating this Bradley character, I’ve felt much better about the bits that don’t work,” they explained. “The forced wordplay of ‘no test tickles for you’ that comes with a suitably stiff delivery is no longer a random aberration; it’s a deliberate Brad.”
Their theory, which they admitted was a full-fledged “conspiracy,” quickly garnered support from others frustrated by the show’s inconsistency. “I have a strong feeling Brad has been writing a lot of Tina’s recent ‘awkward but not funny jokes’ she then tries to laugh off,” one commenter speculated, adding that these jokes have “always been a miss” in recent episodes. “He Bradded it all up.”
Others, however, were merely amused by the creativity of the argument. “This is a very funny theory, and I like it,” added another commenter, noting that while they didn’t find it too realistic, they found “Brad” to be useful. “I assure you, every time I hear something ‘off’ from now on, I will shake my fist at the sky and cry, ‘Brad!!!’”
The idea of “Brad” has clearly brought solace to some irked Bob’s Burgers fans, or as one such fan put it, “Sometimes you’ve just gotta take the Brad with the good.”