With seismic intensity and more powerhouse performances than most shows can muster, The Bear returns to Disney+ from 19 July for another run.
Created by Christopher Storer, this Emmy nominated Chicago based drama has turned actor Jeremy Allen White (Shameless) into a Golden Globe winner, with his scenery chewing turn as Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto. A seemingly instinctive performance, which gave The Bear an overwhelming sense of immediacy, as it genuinely captured an on-screen passion for food only equalled by Stephen Graham in Boiling Point.
What that first season managed to do in those bite-sized 30 minutes segues, was introduce a set of core characters defined through dysfunction, who bonded over a singular passion, while an undercurrent of grief added breadth to their narrative and fleshed out back story.
Too much testosterone, some pig-headed machismo and a splash of powder-keg creativity fuelled the central relationship between Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Carmy, while sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) combined with Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas), Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) and Marcus (Lionel Boyce) to bring this dysfunctional family together.
Perpetually on the brink of bankruptcy, Carmy clung to this inherited sandwich shop for solace while the death of his brother Mike (Jon Bernthal) gnawed away any emotional resolve. A combination of dramatic stakes which made that opening season mandatory viewing, as The Bear became part of a zeitgeist moment that never lost momentum.
Season 2 does an equally audacious thing yet prefers to achieve it with low-key character moments, rather than relentless balls to the wall mayhem. Offering each character within this ensemble a tangible sense of progression, as their personal and professional lives are fleshed out for an enraptured audience.
From the gradual renovations of their restaurant, through to culinary expeditions into the unknown, this sophomore season remains ambitious without ever overreaching. Giving Carmy a crucial emotional outlet, propelling Sydney into the limelight and introducing audiences to other branches of the Berzatto clan for emotional context. Not only taking The Bear beyond its kitchen confines, but upping antes left right and centre.
For anyone thinking The Bear had run its course think again – this Chicago based sandwich shop drama is only just getting started. With killer cameos, subtlety savage central performances and razor-sharp writing – this season is set to smoke the competition.
The Bear Season 2 is available to stream on Disney+ from 19 July
