“The writers heard complaints about The Bear being a comedy”: Jeremy Allen White’s FX Series S03 Attempts to Redeem Itself after Highly Controversial Emmy Win
The 2024 Emmy Awards were certainly a night of celebration, but one win left many confused. FX’s hit show The Bear, a gritty portrayal of a Chicago restaurant’s inner workings, swept the comedy categories, winning the award for Best Comedy Series. However, viewers and critics alike were divided over the question: is The Bear laugh-out-loud funny, or just a serious show with a twist of humor?
Fans of The Bear admire its realistic take on restaurant life. The show tackles serious themes like grief, anxiety, and identity, all within the backdrop of a chaotic kitchen. While many comedic moments exist, viewers felt the overall tone leaned heavily towards drama. However, the series is working hard to make up for a controversial Emmy win.
Jeremy Allen White’s FX Show Seeks Redemption in Season 3
The Bear is originally written and defined as a comedy with 30-minute episodes. However, fans think Christopher Storer’s creation, initially set in a sandwich shop aiming for gourmet status, is far from light-hearted. They question why the show won in a comedy category, even though it’s serious. Now, in its third season, it is working to make things right and improve how fans see it.
In the season, there’s a funny scene where Neil Fak (played by Matty Matheson) has to serve mirepoix broth to customers under Chef Carmen Anthony “Carmy” Berzatto’s (played by Jeremy Allen White) instructions. But Neil messes it all up in a really humorous way. Check out the scene below:
The writers heard complaints about the bear being a comedy and responded with this masterpiece of a scene pic.twitter.com/dpMD8YokA2
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) July 5, 2024
This moment seems to be the writers’ response to criticism about the show being categorized as a comedy. The scene goes against the seriousness and anxiety-ridden drama of the show to pander to the masses. It proves that this show is indeed a comedy despite its façade of trauma.
Today’s TV Shows Evolve Beyond Traditional Emmy Categories
The confusion surrounding The Bear is larger than the Emmy Awards’ genre categories. Before 2021, shows under 30 minutes were considered comedies, while longer ones were dramas. However, this rule was scrapped in 2021, leaving show producers to choose their own category. Some think The Bear entered the comedy categories to win more easily, possibly beating out shows like Abbott Elementary or Ted Lasso.
The rise of shows like The Bear and Atlanta (another comedy category Emmy winner) blurs the line between comedy and drama. They have funny moments but focus more on deep stories and characters. This makes people wonder: is there a place for pure laugh-out-loud comedies in TV today? Maybe not, suggests The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach. He went on to say (as reported by THR):
I feel like these ideas about comedy and drama are a little bit outdated… We’re all just trying to reflect the mess of being human which is deeply hilarious, and we’re all suffering.
Watch The Bear on Hulu!
