The Bear, Disney+’s chef drama starring Jeremy Allen White, was one of the breakout shows of 2022, being met with rave reviews from critics and fans alike.
Yet somehow it remained one of telly’s best-kept secrets. Those in the know, knew. But for many, the drama-comedy created by Christopher Storer passed them by.
All that changed in June last year with the UK release of The Bear’s second series. Shameless star White became an internet obsession (so much so that his jumper was even trending at one point) and complimentary reviews poured in: “Deeper and richer than the already extraordinary first season, if The Bear were a restaurant, Michelin would have awarded it all three stars,” said The Standard.
The show picked up 10 Emmy awards in January – including a supporting actress gong for 28-year-old Ayo Edebiri – which confirmed it as one of the year's top shows.
With more and more people watching – and loving – The Bear, its fanbase has been rapidly expanding. So for those looking to catch up before season three lands on Disney+ on Thursday, here’s everything to know about the award-winning show.
What’s The Bear about?
The Bear season one introduced audiences to superstar New York chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), who returns to his hometown, Chicago, to run his family’s sandwich shop, The Original Beef of Chicagoland, after his brother’s shock death. He sets about trying to run the Beef his way, but the colourful characters he finds there may have other ideas.
Season two picked up right where season one had ended. Carmy had a better handle on the chaos left for him following his brother’s death, so he decided to try and transform the sandwich shop into a destination restaurant. This meant a tonne of work in a short amount of time for Carmy and his staff. And as if that wasn’t hard enough, Carmy’s second-in-command Syd wants their new restaurant – titled The Bear – to get a Michelin star.
Season three, comprimising 10 half-hour episodes, promises more high-drama as Carmy and his team try to make their restaurant a lasting success. "It's a losing battle every single day in the restaurant business," says the synopsis. "Carmy pushes himself harder than ever, and demands excellence from his crew, who do their best to match his intensity."
Who is in the cast?
White, who previously played Philip “Lip” Gallagher in 11 seasons of the US version of Shameless, leads the cast.
He’s joined by award-winning comedian Ayo Edebiri (Abbott Elementary), who plays his Syd; Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Dropout, Girls), who plays Richie, The Beef’s manager; Lionel Boyce (Loiter Squad), who plays Marcus, the restaurant’s pastry chef; and Liza Colón-Zayas (Law & Order), as Tina, a line cook.
Abby Elliott (Indebted), stars as Natalie aka Sugar, Carmy’s sister, and real-life chef Matty Matheson plays Neil Fak, a handyman and friend of the Berzatto family.
Who is behind the show?
The Bear was created by Christopher Storer, a writer and director whose credits include the direction of Bo Burnham’s 2015/2016 comedy special Make Happy, Hasan Minhaj’s 2017 film Homecoming King, and the award-winning comedy-drama series Ramy.
What have the critics said?
If the critics liked season one, they loved season two. “The Bear is back and it may be better than ever,” said one, while another said the second chapter “sizzles in the skillet”.
Newspapers wrote articles on everything from style in The Bear, to White’s abs, to the character Richie: “Every now and then, a fictional character can have a profound real-world impact,” wrote one journalist.
“Episode by episode, Richie opens a window into the souls of so very many of our friends and neighbors. He challenges us. He makes us examine ourselves. He forces us to answer an uncomfortable question: How do we respond to people in pain?”
What have viewers said?
Fans of the show were equally bowled over by season two. “Kicking myself for not watching The Bear season 2 sooner,” said one fan on Twitter. “Legitimately don’t know what the creative process was like but this is so much grander than the first season.”
“I need to tell someone how good The Bear is. Season 2 just released out here in the UK, and I don’t know that I’ve been moved by a TV show like this for a little while. Please watch it,” tweeted another.
Having a “The Bear” summer:
— B.W. Carlin (@BaileyCarlin) July 20, 2023
- Panic attacks
- Disassociating
- Living in past trauma
- Eating a lot of sandwiches
- Calling people cousin
- Shouting
The show made Jeremy Allen White a superstar
Topless pictures of White took the internet by storm last year.
“The Bear Star Jeremy Allen White Looks Ripped on Morning Hike,” said a TMZ article which posted pictures of the actor looking tanned, buff and sweaty after a walk, while The Cut shared the same photos, with the headline “Our Compliments to the Chef”.
The actor had reportedly upped his fitness for the A24 film The Iron Claw, in which he played five-time world champion wrestler Kerry Von Erich.
But White’s buzz was simmering long before these sun-baked snaps. In the same interview, the actor said that his career had “definitely shifted” since The Bear. For his role as Carmy, White won several awards. Things started happening to him like Kathryn Bigelow inviting him to lunch, and A24 scripts turning up in his letterbox.
White also became a kind of sex symbol, with articles about the show carrying titles such as “How a show with no sex got the internet so horny”, “It’s hot chef summer!”, “Everyone’s Horny for the ‘Sexually Competent Dirtbag Line Cook’” and “We need to talk about the horny thirst for Jeremy Allen White’s character in The Bear”.
It’s odd, because Carmy is not a character you’d necessarily first associate with sex: “Carmy’s, like, the least sexual person. In playing him, I was aware that he had no room for love,” said White to GQ.
Will there be a series four?
Yes, in March the show was renewed again, fans can breathe a sigh of relief: a fourth season will almost certainly land this time next year, as has been the pattern so far.
