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The Bear (TV series)
American psychological comedy-drama television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Bear is an American psychological comedy-drama television series created by Christopher Storer for FX on Hulu. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother's Italian beef sandwich shop. The supporting cast includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, and Matty Matheson.[1]
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All episodes of the first season were released on FX on Hulu on June 23, 2022; the second season was released in its entirety on June 22, 2023. In November 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, which was released on June 26, 2024.[2] Ahead of the third-season premiere, the series was renewed for a fourth season,[3] which is set to be released on June 25, 2025.[4]
The series has received critical acclaim, particularly for its tension, writing and directing, acting performances, technical quality, and production values. Its realistic, accurate portrayal of restaurant and character development have been singled out by critics and the restaurant industry, as well as its approach to themes such as suicide and trauma, among others.[5][6][7][8][9]
The series has won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards including one win for Outstanding Comedy Series, twice direction win for Storer, two acting wins for White and Moss-Bachrach, and single acting wins for Edebiri and Colón-Zayas.[10] The Bear has also won five Golden Globe Awards, with acting wins for White and Edebiri and the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2024.[11][12]
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Premise
A talented young chef named Carmen "Carmy" Anthony Berzatto inherits his family's Italian beef sandwich shop after the suicide of his older brother, Michael. He comes home to Chicago to run it, leaving behind his world of working in Michelin-starred restaurants. He is left to deal with his brother's unresolved debts, a rundown kitchen, and an unruly staff, while dealing with his own pain and family trauma.
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Cast and characters
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Main
- Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, an award-winning New York City chef de cuisine, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his late brother Michael's failing restaurant, The Beef.
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard "Richie" Jerimovich, Michael's best friend, the de facto manager of the restaurant.
- Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu, a talented young chef who joins The Beef as its new sous-chef under Carmy.
- Lionel Boyce as Marcus Brooks, The Beef's bread-baker-turned-pastry-chef, spurred on by Carmy's mentoring.
- Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina Marrero, an acerbic and stubborn line cook who embraces the opportunity to train professionally.
- Abby Elliott as Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto, Carmy and Michael's sister, the reluctant co-owner of The Beef.
- Matty Matheson as Neil Fak (season 2–present, recurring season 1), a childhood friend of the Berzattos, and sometime handyman for the restaurant.
Recurring
- Carmen Christopher as Chester, the roommate and close friend of Marcus who often visits the restaurant.
- Jon Bernthal as Michael "Mikey" Berzatto, Carmy and Natalie's late brother, who struggled with drug addiction before dying by suicide four months before the events of the series.
- Joel McHale as David Fields, Carmy's abusive executive chef in New York City.
- Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim, a Somali veteran line cook at The Beef who is close with Tina.
- Corey Hendrix as Gary "Sweeps" Woods, a former minor-league baseball player who works as a runner, and later a sommelier, at the restaurant.
- Oliver Platt as Jimmy "Cicero" Kalinowski, whom everyone affectionately refers to as "Uncle", the restaurant's key investor and the best friend of the Berzatto siblings' father.
- José Cervantes as Angel, a dishwasher at The Beef.
- Richard Esteras as Manny, a dishwasher at The Beef.
- Chris Witaske as Pete, Natalie's earnest and buoyant husband.
- Molly Gordon as Claire Dunlap (season 2–present), a childhood friend of the Berzattos, on whom Carmy harbored a crush as a teenager.
- Robert Townsend as Emmanuel Adamu (recurring season 2, guest season 3), Sydney's loving and supportive father who nevertheless has trouble accepting Sydney's choice to follow an inherently risky culinary career.
- Alex Moffat as Josh (season 2), a line cook hired by The Bear.
- Ricky Staffieri as Theodore "Teddy" Fak (season 2–present), Neil's brother.
- Adam Shapiro as Adam Shapiro (recurring season 3, guest season 2), the chef de cuisine at Ever.
- Christopher Zucchero as "Chi-Chi" (recurring season 3, guest season 1[a]), a former employee at the Original Beef while it was owned by Mikey, who is rehired to help run The Bear's sandwich window. Zucchero is the real-life owner of Mr. Beef.
Guest
- Gillian Jacobs as Tiffany "Tiff" Jerimovich (season 2–present, uncredited guest season 1[b]), Richie's ex-wife with whom he shares a daughter, Eva.
- Amy Morton as Nancy Chore (season 1), a scrupulous health inspector.
- Molly Ringwald as the meeting leader at the Al-Anon meetings that Carmy attends. (season 1)
- Mitra Jouhari as Kelly (season 2–present), Claire's friend.
- Will Poulter as Luca (season 2–present), a pastry chef who trains Marcus while he is in Copenhagen.[14]
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna Berzatto (season 2–present), the troubled mother of the Berzatto siblings.
- Olivia Colman as Chef Andrea Terry (season 2–present), the British executive chef at Ever, the fine dining restaurant where Richie stages.
- Sarah Ramos as Jessica (season 2–present), the maître d'hôtel at Ever.
- Andrew Lopez as Garrett (season 2–present), Richie's supervisor at Ever.
- Rene Gube as the unnamed general manager of Ever. (season 2–present)
- Maura Kidwell as Carol (season 2), Cicero's partner.
- Bob Odenkirk as "Uncle" Lee Lane (season 2), Donna's scheming on-and-off boyfriend and business partner of Cicero.[15]
- Sarah Paulson as Michelle Berzatto (season 2), cousin of Michael, Carmy and Natalie.
- John Mulaney as Stevie (season 2–present), Michelle's partner.
- David Zayas as David (season 3), Tina's husband.
- John Cena as Sammy Fak (season 3), Neil and Teddy's brother.
- Brian Koppelman as Nicholas "The Computer" Marshall (season 3), a family friend of the Berzattos brought in to help The Bear cut costs
- Josh Hartnett as Frank (season 3), Tiff's wealthy and charismatic fiancé.
- Daniel Boulud as himself (season 3)
- René Redzepi as himself (season 3)
- Thomas Keller as himself (season 3)
Chefs and restaurateurs Grant Achatz, Christina Tosi, Kevin Boehm, Wylie Dufresne, Will Guidara, Genie Kwon, Malcolm Livingston II, Anna Posey, and Rosio Sanchez appear as themselves in season 3.
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Episodes
Season 1 (2022)
Season 2 (2023)
Season 3 (2024)
Season 4
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Production
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Development
FX ordered a pilot for The Bear in March 2021, to be written and directed by series creator Christopher Storer.[16] FX then greenlit the series in October 2021 for a 2022 premiere date.[17] The sandwich shop interior is copied from the Chicago shop Mr. Beef on Orleans Street, in River North. Storer was a frequent patron and a friend of the owner's son.[18]
In July 2022, the series was renewed for a ten-episode second season.[19] In November 2023, it was renewed for a third season.[20] In March 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth season.[21] Parts of the fourth season were filmed during filming for the third season, with production set to restart in 2025.[22][23]
Music
The Bear has a soundtrack of 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s alternative and mainstream rock classics, chosen by Storer and executive producer Josh Senior. Some of the songs featured on the show include Chicago-based Wilco with "Spiders (Kidsmoke)", "Impossible Germany", "Via Chicago", and "Handshake Drugs", Radiohead's "Let Down", Van Morrison's "Saint Dominic's Preview", Pearl Jam's "Animal" and "Come Back", Sufjan Stevens' "Chicago", John Mayer's "Last Train Home", Refused's "New Noise", The Breeders' "Saints", Erasure's "A Little Respect", The Replacements' "Bastards of Young", Counting Crows' "Have You Seen Me Lately?", Genesis' "In Too Deep", Nine Inch Nails' "The Day the World Went Away", John Mellencamp's "Check It Out", R.E.M.'s "Oh My Heart" and "Strange Currencies", Weezer's "The Christmas Song", The Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm", and Taylor Swift's "Love Story".[24][25][26]
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Release
The Bear premiered on FX on Hulu in the United States on June 23, 2022,[27] and became available internationally in the Star hub on Disney+.[28] The 10-episode second season was released on June 22, 2023.[29] Along with other Hulu content, The Bear became available to stream on Disney+ in the United States via the Hulu hub on December 6, 2023.[30] The third season was released on June 26, 2024.[2]
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Reception
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Critical response
The Bear has received critical acclaim.[c] On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the overall series holds a 96% rating.[45] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the overall series has received a score of 86 out of 100.[46]
Season 1
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of 8.7/10, based on 80 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Like an expertly confected sandwich, The Bear assembles a perfect melange of ingredients and stacks them for optimal satisfaction—and thankfully keeps the crust-iness for extra flavor."[31] Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 24 critic reviews.[32]
The American Film Institute named it one of the ten best television programs of the year.[47] The Guardian named it number one of the best 100 TV shows of 2022 and described it as "the best workplace drama since Mad Men".[48][49] The Bear appeared in the top ten on numerous publications' "Best of 2022" lists, including first for The A.V. Club, BBC, People, and TVLine, among others.[50]
Season 2
On Rotten Tomatoes, 99% of 111 critic reviews are positive for the second season, and the average rating is 9.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Instead of reinventing the menu, The Bear's second season wisely opts to toss its lovable characters into another frying pan of adversity, lets 'em cook, and serves up yet another supremely satisfying dish."[33] Metacritic assigned it a weighted average score of 92 out of 100 based on 43 critic reviews.[34]
For the second year in a row, the American Film Institute named The Bear one of the ten best television programs of the year.[51] The Bear appeared on many publications' lists of the best TV shows of 2023, including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and People, among others.[52][53][54][55]
Season 3
On Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 101 critics gave the third season a positive review, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus states. "Having set an exceedingly high standard of excellence for itself, The Bear spends its third season simmering, stewing, and giving off an aroma that whets the appetite."[35] The website also reported that the season was "as audacious as ever" and it "still seems to continue delivering compelling and often intense television with performances that are so dependably brilliant that they're not even mentioned in most of the reviews. Instead, at this point in a show's life, it's easier to find faults in its sameness or changes, or in its attempts to repeat or outdo itself."[37] Metacritic assigned it a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 based on 45 critic reviews.[36]
Accolades
Genre classification
The classification of The Bear as a comedy in certain award ceremonies, specifically the Primetime Emmys, has attracted media attention, given its dramatic style and focus on heavy topics.[118][119][5] Proponents of the series' categorization as "comedy" argue that the show unfolds as a dark comedy marked by ridiculous situations[120] and comedic timing,[121] relies on the comedic effect inherent to chaos,[120] is a comedy of errors[122] and is heavily characterized by back-and-forth banter[121] or snark.[122]
In 2024, the series became the most-nominated series in comedy categories at the Emmys with 23 nominations, surpassing 30 Rock which had 22 nominations in 2009.[123] However, it went on to lose the award for Outstanding Comedy Series, which it had been heavily favored to win, to Hacks, with The Hollywood Reporter suggesting that there was an insult among voters over its continued classification as a comedy.[124]
Viewership
Season 1
The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which monitors real-time data from 5 million users in the U.S. for original and acquired streaming programs and movies across subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services, reported that The Bear was the second-most-streamed program during the week of July 13.[125] It later rose to become the most-streamed program for the week of July 22, before ranking as the seventh most-streamed during the week of July 27.[125][126][127][128] JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, estimated that The Bear was the second most-streamed series in the U.S. during the week ending July 3.[129] It maintained the same position during the week ending July 17.[130] FX announced that the first season of The Bear was the most-watched comedy series in the network's history.[131][132][133]
Season 2
FX reported that the second season of The Bear was the most-watched season premiere in the network's history.[134][135] Reelgood calculated that The Bear was the second most-streamed program in the U.S. during the week of June 22.[136][137][138] It later rose to first place during the week of June 29.[139] JustWatch reported that The Bear was the most-streamed series in the U.S. during the week ending June 25.[140] Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the more than 25 million worldwide users of its TV Time app, announced that The Bear was the eighth most-watched streaming original television series of 2023.[141][142]
Season 3
The season 3 premiere of The Bear garnered 5.4 million views in its first four days of streaming, marking the best performance for an FX premiere on Hulu and the most-watched season premiere for any scripted series on the platform. This viewership represents a 24% increase over the season 2 premiere and accounts for streaming on Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S., and Disney+ in available international territories. The Bear achieved the third-largest season premiere for Hulu overall and the biggest Hulu on Disney+ premiere since the bundle's launch on March 27.[143][144] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, calculated that The Bear was watched for 1,233 million minutes from June 24—30.[145][146] It surpassed its previous peak of 1.01 billion minutes recorded shortly after the premiere of its second season the previous year.[147] JustWatch reported that The Bear was the third most-streamed show in the United States in 2024, while in Canada, it ranked as the second most-streamed show of the year.[148][149]
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Notes
- Though uncredited, Jacobs also provided Tiffany's voice when Richie reaches her voicemail in season 1's "Braciole".[13]
- Tied with Christina Ricci for Wednesday.
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References
External links
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