‘The Bear’ Remains Irresistible

The summer of 2022 gave us the debut season of House of the Dragon, the final season of Better Call Saul, and the third season of The Boys, but while those shows arrived with plenty of fanfare, a dramedy about the ins and outs of a professional kitchen sizzled in the spotlight. You can track the meteoric rise of The Bear in the many ways the FX series has permeated the mainstream: Phrases like “Yes, chef!” have entered the lexicon, the show’s lead actors have headlined everything from magazine covers to underwear ads, and the city of Chicago is home to Bear-themed food tours with guides cosplaying as Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy Berzatto. (By the way, Italian beef sales are through the roof.) The Bear, in turn, has earned its fair share of industry plaudits, capped off by an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for its first season. If there was any precedent to The Bear’s sudden cultural ascension—or the emotions the show extracts from its captivated audience—it can be found in the Emmy winner the series dethroned.