FX’s The Bear was set to cook up yet another storm at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, after dominating the category the previous year. After all, the series entered the 76th Primetime Emmys having accrued the most nominations of any single year of a “comedy” series in history. While the show certainly won three of the four acting awards in the comedy category (Ebon Moss-Bachrach won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Liza Colón-Zayas won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Jeremy Allen White won Best Actor in a Comedy Series), it lost Best Actress in a Comedy Series to the great Jean Smart of Hacks for her sixth Emmy win, and lost Best Comedy Series to Hacks as well.
The Bear also lost Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series to Hacks, while it did win Outstanding Direction in a Comedy Series for Christopher Storer. Hacks, in its acclaimed third season, came out of nowhere to beat not just The Bear but also the final season of the 25-year-old classic Curb Your Enthusiasm (and the last season of What We Do in the Shadows). And so it wasn’t quite the absolute domination that the series experienced in its first season at the Emmys, then earning Best Comedy, Best Actor for Jeremy Allen White, and Best Supporting Actor awards for Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
During his acceptance speech, Jeremy Allen White gave thanks to his sister, his co-stars, and his fellow Emmy nominees, and said:
“This show has changed my life. It has installed a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you’re able to reach out, you’re really truly never alone. I thank this show.”
FX’s The Bear was already a dominant force at the Creative Arts Emmys, hosted the weekend before the Primetime Awards. Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Guest Actor and Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, respectively. Will Poulter, Bob Odenkirk, and Olivia Coleman, were also vying for the same prize for their guest star performances in The Bear’s second season.
Will The Bear Season 3 Achieve Similar Success?
Season 1 of The Bear set the bar high for future seasons of FX’s hit culinary drama. Introducing the Berzatto family and the staff of The Original Beef of Chicagoland sandwich shop, all of whom are grieving the death of Mikey Berzatto (Bernthal), the series follows Mikey’s younger brother Carmy (White) as he tries to save the restaurant. Season 1 boasts the rare achievement of a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 2 sits just behind it with 99%. However, there is some contention within the fanbase about which of the first two seasons is superior.
Sadly, what the majority of the fan base can agree on is that Season 3 is the weakest so far. Taking a slight step back from Carmy’s progress in dealing with grief and repairing his relationship with his family, Season 3 focused on the supporting characters in The Bear restaurant. Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Natalie (Abby Elliott) were both given standalone episodes, exploring their individual circumstances, and the mentally grating Fak family were given the spotlight in a few too many episodes. Season 3 certainly has its defenders (the first episode is a masterpiece — it shouldn’t even be a debate), but it is less likely to keep the series’ hot streak at the Emmys going for a third year running.
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