“The Bear,” starring “Shameless” star Jeremy Allen White, takes the viewer into the world of running a restaurant, which here is utter chaos, and I am here for it!
“The Bear” (which is actually an FX series) is packed with African American actors filling the roles of amazing, and real characters, who work inside chef Carmen’s (a.k.a. Carmy) world. He’s a gifted and hard-working food prodigy who has returned home (Chicago) to run his dead brother’s sandwich shop. Warning, don’t watch this delectable series hungry because most of the frames feature food—beautifully shot food—being made in the frantic pressure cooker of a restaurant kitchen.
There’s a saying that you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. Well, here that metaphor paints an accurate picture. The old employees, who worked for and loved Carmy’s brother Mike (flashback, Jon Bernthal) before his suicide, include the baker Marcus (Lionel Boyce), line cook Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson), and the tightly coiled smartmouth Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Rounding out the characters there’s handyman Neil (Matty Matheson), seen-it-all twice prep cook Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas), and the new sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri).
Hey Hollywood, keep a sharp eye on this cast but pay particular attention to Ms. Edebiri! Her character, Sydney, is the needed glue to bring the fractured restaurant back to life.
Just like the organized chaos of the kitchen, Mike’s finances are equally messy with him owing their uncle (Oliver Platt) hundreds of thousands of dollars and now that crushing debt is on the shoulders of Carmy.
I challenge anyone who might not like this show. Structurally, it’s crafted to perfection by Christopher Storer (“Ramy”) and Joanna Calo (“Hacks,” “BoJack Horseman”). These episodes give us a healthy taste of what living inside a kitchen looks and feels like. The only thing closer to the real thing is the docuseries about food life.
I promise you, you will not be disappointed. There are eight episodes for season one, and each is better than the last.
The first season of “The Bear” is now available to stream on Hulu.