Created By: Christopher Storer

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edelbi, and Abby Elliot

Rating: 5/5

“The Bear” is a Hulu Original dramedy series starring the incredibly talented Jeremy Allen White. White plays Carmy, an ex-Michelin chef who takes over his brother’s run-down Chicago sandwich shop after his brother commits suicide. Carmy struggles to make ends meet and form a community with his employees. 

The series is simply phenomenal. I couldn’t stop watching once I started. It is the binge-worthy series that Hulu needed to keep up with Netflix. Jeremy Allen White seems to perfectly fit his role as the tough but sensible Carmen. The series is fast-paced and the use of long-following shots to highlight the stress-inducing kitchen environment is a great touch. There is rarely a time when the shot is stagnant or calm. It has a ton of working components to create the most well-fitting heart attack-inducing kitchen setup. Whether it’s stunts, or the use of CGI to mimic Carmen’s anxiety attacks, this show is an immersive experience for the audience. Cinematographically, “The Bear” is in a league of its own. 

The show covers poverty, anxiety, substance abuse, the mafia, and suicide. While at times it can be incredibly dark, it uses dark humor to entice viewers. Television today has a fear of reality and fails at most times to cover hard topics like the ones listed above. “The Bear” is nothing short of respectable for its relative creativity and there is something for everyone to relate to. The concept in itself is interesting, as there has never been an inside look at a restaurant environment such as what “The Bear” gives audiences. Hulu does a great job thinking outside the box for the settings of their original series. 

Jeremy Allen White does not get the recognition in Hollywood that he deserves. He takes on very complex characters and portrays them with ease. His most well-known role is Lip Gallagher in “Shameless”, he plays a genius whose potential is masked by his family who is riddled with mental illness, poverty, and substance abuse. His character arc in the series is unmatched. White talks about the character similarities and differences between Lip and Carmy when he tells Vulture, “Where I see a really big gap between them is their confidence. Lip was so fun to play because I had faith in him. He had a good sense of self. He knew how smart he was, how gifted he was, to the point of being obnoxious. Yes, Carmy’s gifted. He’s a talented chef. He’s worked very hard at it. But I don’t think he had that same confidence or sense of self. While Lip and Carmy can both be considered fragile characters, Carmy is on the edge all the time. Everything is life or death for him”. 

In “The Bear”, he shows his stripes as a talented actor. White’s performance is unmatched as he is constantly at a ten and most of his lines are being screamed. But he does portray the mental health aspect respectfully to viewers. He is definitely the television actor to watch over the next five years. 

Critics say about “The Bear”, “There are many great dishes that are made from the same basic ingredients – it’s what you do with them that counts, and The Bear gets the balance between atmosphere and story, sour and sweet, just right”. With an incredible Rotten Tomatoes score of 100% which is nearly unheard of, “The Bear” proves to be a must watch. Season two was confirmed in October of 2022 and fans can expect to see it in 2023!
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