FX’s “The Bear” has been picked up for a second season on Hulu.
Or as the frenzied kitchen staff of the show’s Chicago Italian beef sandwich shop might yell it: “THE BEAR” HAS BEEN RENOOED.
One of the surprise hits of the summer, the news was not unexpected. It’s hard for any show to break through amid the deluge of new TV and film premiering at any given time. That goes double for an original script with a possibly confusing title. But the show has proven to be enormously popular. As of last week, “The Bear” was the ninth most-watched streaming series, according to the firm Whip Media, which tracks viewer data.
The darkly comedic drama premiered last month and I called it one of my favorite shows of the year. It follows a fine-dining chef named Carmy and his efforts to try something more ambitious at his family’s restaurant, The Original Beef of Chicagoland, which was left to him after his brother’s death.
There is blood! And shouting! Lots of shouting!
From my review:
"Grief hangs over the place like a bad smell nobody wants to acknowledge and Carmy, played by 'Shameless' alum Jeremy Allen White, is looking to metaphorically air things out with some new ideas of his own. Using his culinary expertise, he wants to up their game with a more gourmet approach: Ambitious flavors, farmer’s market produce and a standardized organizational chart — the so-called French brigade system of kitchen management. All of this might remind Chicagoans of the now long-gone establishment Hot Doug’s and chef Doug Sohn’s efforts to elevate the humble hot dog. That’s never referenced but it’s similar to what Carmy has in mind here."
The restaurant is Mr. Beef in appearance (both the interiors and exteriors) if not name, and the staff include a talented new sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), a skeptical line cook Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas), a sweet pastry chef in the making Marcus (Lionel Boyce) and the thorn in everyone’s side, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) who is a dirtbag as well, minus all of Carmy’s attributes.
The season finale teased that the kitchen crew might be headed in a new direction come Season 2.
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