What a fantastic show The Bear is! This is a Hulu Original, but here in the UK, The Bear is on Disney Plus and that is where I checked it out. I went into this thinking that what we had here was more of a comedy. While there is a bit of comedy here, I would say that this fits far more into the drama category than it does comedy.
How to Download The Bear
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like comedy-drama TV shows, check out also our review of Succession.
The Movie Review
The premise of the show is that we have this very talented chef called Carmy who is one of the top chefs in New York City. Carmy gets a call that his brother has died and that his Chicago sandwich shop has been left to him. This leads to Carmy having to return to his hometown of Chicago to keep this pace running.
What makes The Bear such a great show is the characters. You see, the cast of characters that work and hang around this sandwich shop are fantastic and the way the show develops characters is just so well done. It truly is some of the best character development you will have seen in a show over the last couple of years.
Carmy having to come to grips with no longer being a fancy chef in New York, having to work here, deal with his family and come to terms with the death of his brother is great stuff. The show can be quite sad, there is some funny stuff here, but I was not expecting this to hit on as much of an emotional level as it did.
My favorite character has to be Richie who is the best friend of Carmy’s brother and who is basically the manager. Richie is great as he seems so erratic and a real troublemaker, but then it all clicks, he is sad about losing his friend and that is why he is the way he is. It walks that fine line of being funny, but also sad and emotional at the same time.
Carmy also decides to take on a few new members of staff such as his new sous chef, Sydney, Marcus the pasty chef, and Tina the old hand from the shop that is stuck in her ways. I also got a huge kick out of Jimmy who is like a gangster and the investor in this place, not to mention uncle to Carmy who wants to know where his 100 grand went!
One of the most interesting things about The Bear is the length of the series. This show is only eight episodes long and the episodes range from 20 minutes at the shortest to 40 at the longest. Most episodes last around the 30-minute mark so this is a show that is not asking for a great deal of commitment. Also, it is worth noting that The Bear has been renewed for a second season which I am very excited about.
I truly cannot say enough good things about The Bear. I went into this expecting to like it, but it completely surpassed my expectations. It was so good, I watched all eight episodes in just two sittings! I highly recommend that you give this show a chance, I am sure you will be hooked after the first episode.
