Fox is putting in an order for "Bob’s Burgers," a new animated comedy that’s not from Seth MacFarlane or Matt Groening.
The network has greenlit 13 episodes of the half-hour show, which was created by Loren Bouchard ("Lucy, Daughter of the Devil"). Bouchard and Jim Dauterive ("King of the Hill") will executive produce and showrun the series together via 20th Century Fox TV.
Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly hinted the "Bob’s" pickup was coming in August, during the network’s portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour. After screening a pilot presentation, Reilly said the network had ordered more scripts and suggested a series order was likely.
Another animated project that had been generating buzz at Fox, "Bordertown," will not be moving forward at the network; executives have passed on it. However, 20th is shopping the toon to other networks.
As for "Bob’s," it revolves around a creative grill chef who owns a just-barely-surviving hamburger restaurant. He runs the place with help from his uptight wife and their three less-than-helpful kids.
Production on the series will begin immediately, with Fox looking at an early 2011 premiere. There’s already been buzz that Fox might even consider launching the show behind an NFL playoff game, though such a decision is still close to a year away.
Voice casting for "Bob’s" hasn’t been finalized, but the pilot presentation featured Jon Benjamin (star of FX’s upcoming "Archer"), Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal (both from "Flight of the Conchords"), Dan Mintz ("Important Things with Demetri Martin") and stand-up John Roberts.
Bouchard’s other credits include "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" and "Home Movies."
United Talent Agency represents Dauterive, while Bouchard is a client of WME.
