Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy – Nominee
It is far from what he had imagined his life would be: Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto is a celebrated chef, successful beyond his years and a rising star in New York’s world of fine dining. Until his brother leaves him a cheap Chicago eatery.
The first episode in the Hulu TV series The Bear starts with a dream sequence in which Carmy is on a cooking show and reveals that his older brother Michael who was addicted to painkillers has “blown his head off.” This is followed by one of the longest monologues in television history when he tells his story at an AA meeting.
After his brother’s suicide, Carmy has to leave his job and career at a New York Michelin-starred restaurant to return to Chicago to rescue his family’s crappy sandwich shop called ‘The Original Beef of Chicago’ where the idea of a fancy meal is putting relish on a hotdog and everyone in the kitchen calls each other chef, regardless of whether they are just chopping onions or washing dishes. The brother looms large over any decision Carmy (who is called The Bear, a childhood nickname) makes, usually derailed by the cousin who pretends to know everything about running a restaurant.
The series creator Christopher Storer is also the brain behind Ramy and Eighth Grade. Carmy is played by Jeremy Allen White whom viewers will recognize as Lip from Shameless. Ebon Moss-Bachrach is the cousin, and the rest of the cast is very diverse with Ayo Edebiri taking on the role of Sydney and Liza Colón-Zayas playing Tina. Abby Elliott, Corey Hendrix, Jose M. Cervantes, Richard Esteras, Edwin Lee Gibson and Lionel Boyce round out the ensemble of outcasts who try to save the eatery from going under. Jon Bernthal cameos as the deceased brother in flashbacks.
The Bear is darkly funny with scenes of fast-paced editing that leave the audience breathless and offers a glimpse into life behind the stove in a restaurant kitchen at rush hour. The first season ends with an unexpected cliffhanger that involves tomato cans.
The Bear is nominated for Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy for the 80th Golden Globes.