Restaurants, they say, are a tricky investment – many go under within a year of opening. In light of that, FX’s hit restaurant dramedy The Bear has probably done well to stick it out for four. The show, which follows tortured kitchen savant “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his efforts to save his dead brother’s beef sandwich restaurant, was an immediate sensation when it debuted in 2022 – that rare TV series that transcends mere critical buzz and becomes something identifiable by shorthand. Even those who hadn’t sampled The Bear might well have recognised its tone – the frantic, sweaty stoveside arguments – or its jargon. (“Yes, Chef!” and “Corner!” may well be the closest thing we have to old-style TV catchphrases, D’ohs and Bazingas having long ago slid out of vogue.)
The initial effusive reaction held firm through The Bear’s second season, and before long it was sweeping the industry’s biggest awards ceremonies; its cast, especially White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, graduated to a new stratum of fame. Before you could say brigade de cuisine, The Bear was part of the establishment, a TV staple that shows like Family Guy or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia could parody at length and trust their audience to catch the reference. At some point, though, the imported cheesewheels came off. Season three saw the critics sour; their love affair with The Bear entered a state of bed death. A drop-off in viewership followed for season four; a one-off “special episode” that aired earlier this year seemed to come and go without acknowledgement.
