Here comes The Bear.
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It's a risky business talking about a show you haven't watched. Season 3 of The Bear kicked off this week on Disney + in Australia, and I haven't seen any of the episodes yet.
But, for me, it's like betting on Black Caviar. The track record of this show makes it a proven winner.
The characters are rich and deep. The filming is first-rate. And the scenario, well, this show certainly knows what life in a restaurant kitchen is really like.
The place
In the beginning The Beef (as the The Bear was first known) is the quintessential a Chicago diner. Chicago owns its swagger, a genuine European immigrant sense of hard work begets success. Where you come from counts. Who you know counts. Fools are not suffered. And pride counts, above all. Pride of place, pride of friends, pride of everything Chicago.
The cast
Even great actors can become typecast to the the adoring public when they play roles that just kind of stick in your mind forever.
Jeremy Allen White, the star of The Bear, is for me, one of those actors.
My introduction to White was in the American version of Shameless. White plays Lip, the second oldest member of Frank Gallagher's (William H Macy) dysfunctional family on the south side of Chicago.
While the oldest family member, Fiona (Emmy Rossum) is in charge of the kids (there is no mum present) and takes the responsibility seriously, despite the severe challenges mostly caused by alcoholic and mischievous dad Frank, over the course of the series Lip becomes much more important.
At times, he seems slow to make decisions, and makes poor impulsive decisions. But he is the smartest one, and perhaps the most well intentioned about keeping the family unit together.
In The Bear, Jeremy Allen White plays Carmy, the son who left home with a dream to become a great chef, and accomplished that. Then he comes home upon the death (by suicide) of his older brother Michael, who ran The Beef, a busy, crazy diner in downtown Chicago, to take it over.
As we found out in seasons one and two, it's hectic, a comedy-drama that takes us on a roller-coaster, driven by believable characters.
It's hectic, a comedy-drama that takes us on a roller-coaster, driven by believable characters.
The show won 10 Primetime Emmys in 2023, including Jeremy Allen White for lead actor in a comedy series.
Like the character Lip Gallagher in Shameless, you find yourself cheering for this guy, Carmy Berzatto: he cares so much, works so hard, and he's so damned human, making mistakes like we all do.
Two other actors are also stand-outs: Ayo Edebiri, as the young sous chef Sydney, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, as Carmy's cousin Richie, who was front of house at The Beef and miraculously transforms himself to front of house at The Bear (the new name for The Beef when it goes upmarket). Both of those actors also won Emmys in 2023.
The best
But a great cast and the backdrop of Chicago does not guarantee success.
The show's creator, Christopher Storer, has nailed the storyline, creating dramatic tension and stress (yes, in a comedy) that's worthy of an Oscar.
There is one episode in season two that rates among the best I've seen in a TV series.
Episode 6 in season two is a flashback to a family Christmas dinner at the Berzatto home. It reaches a nearly unbearable crescendo - and tells us so much about this family. There are several star cameos, with Jamie Lee Curtis in stunning form as the family matriarch.
If you haven't seen The Bear, find a way to catch up and you will be hooked.
Jim Kellar
Jim Kellar writes about culture, art, food, drinks and music. He's been a journalist at the Newcastle Herald since 1997. jkellar@newcastleherald.com.au
Jim Kellar writes about culture, art, food, drinks and music. He's been a journalist at the Newcastle Herald since 1997. jkellar@newcastleherald.com.au
