After Jeremy Allen White’s recent Golden Globe win for his acting as Carmy in The Bear, it remains no surprise the same series has been renewed with more episodes for its second season. Considered a surprise hit (as much as a show starring Shameless’ Allen White can be), the series’ eight episodes hardly satiated viewer’s eagerness for The Bear. With ten episodes releasing this summer and a revelation from Allen White confirming episodes focusing on the secondary characters of the show, The Bear is sure to maintain the buzz.
The Bear, created by Christopher Storer, follows a sandwich shop in the heart of Chicago and the Michelin star chef who has taken over after his brother, Michael’s, death. Mixing the intensity of the chef profession, the juxtaposing low-key setting, and fast pacing, The Bear manages to be a drama-comedy hybrid. Matty Matheson assumes the role of a handyman trying to work his way into the kitchen, a nod to the understated funniness emitting the performances of the show. Whilst Carmy brings the drama with his ebbing calm, efficiency, and underlying tension. With other spotlight characters like Richie (Michael’s best friend played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Sydney (a trainee sue-chef desiring to work with the best played by Ayo Edebiri), Marcus (the dessert chef with a keen desire to learn played by Lionel Boyce), and other complimentary performances, the sandwich shop truly feels like an explosion of different personalities which often ignite for maximum chaos, intensity, and of course, a side of comedy.
The Bear is contained to the one setting, giving it a low-key feeling. Yet, the show is crackling with tension, allowing these really organic character dynamics (Richie and Carmy, Sydney and Tina, to name a few), but ultimately an anxiety brims at the surface—an intention marked by Storer. As Edebiri, who plays Sydney, says best, “Around that time, I was reading a lot of pieces that were like, ‘Why positive TV matters’, saying that people just want to have a good time from TV. And I was like, ‘Well, this is not that.’” No one knows what exactly to expect for season two, but there is sure to be the chaos season one delivered.
The second season of the The Bear is set to hit Disney+ in Summer 2023.
Words by Annabel Smith
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