It is officially summer and that means that it’s time for last summer’s break-out hit, The Bear to return to Hulu for Season 2!
The Bear follows a classically trained, world-class chef, Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) who takes over a small, yet popular Chicago sandwich shop, left to him by his brother Michael (Jon Bernthal) who died by suicide. Ayo Edebiri co-stars as Sidney and Lionel Boyce co-stars as Marcus.
Season two of FX’s The Bear follows Carmy and his crew as they work to transform their grimy sandwich joint into a next-level spot. As they strip the restaurant down to its bones, the crew undertakes transformational journeys of their own, each forced to confront the past and reckon with who they want to be in the future.
Of course, it turns out the only thing harder than running a restaurant is opening a new one, and the team must juggle the insane bureaucracy of permits and contractors with the beauty and creative agony of menu planning. The transition brings a newfound focus on hospitality as well. As the entire staff is forced to come together in new ways, pushing the boundaries of their abilities and relationships, they also learn what it means to be in service, both to diners and each other.
Last Summer, The Bear, which is set and filmed in Chicago, became an official “breakout hit” as FX’s most-watched half-hour series earning awards from the Screen Actors, Writers and Producers Guild, and a Golden Globe for White as best actor in a TV series, musical or comedy.
With The Bear returning for Season 2, a few select critics have been given early access to Season 2 and with 12 critics reviews posted on Rotten Tomatoes, The Bear currently is ranking 100% fresh!
Here’s what critics are saying about FX and Hulu’s The Bear:
Alison Herman from Variety had this to say, “The Bear is best when it leans into its protagonists’ masochistic obsession without indulging their self-serving narratives. Sydney and Carmy’s time in the lab is a showcase for the best platonic chemistry you’ll find anywhere on screen — which only helps us feel Syd’s pain as she starts to worry Carmy may not be the most reliable or collaborative business partner.”
Ben Travers from indieWire said, “Well before Ted Lasso made it a popular joke, too many half-hour shows (of any genre) stretched their runtimes to fit in every idea they could, usually to the show’s detriment. The Bear indulges here and there, including an hourlong entry, but it knows exactly why it’s doing so, and the resulting episodes never feel their length. Carried by magnetic turns from White, Edebiri, and Moss-Bachrach (along with an astutely assembled ensemble by Jeanie Bacharach) and a resolute sense of purpose, The Bear flies by once again. Only this time, you’ll be even better satiated.”
Bill Goodykoontz from Arizona Republic said, “The performances are uniformly excellent. White could act just with his eyes — are anyone’s more soulfully hangdog? — but he doesn’t. He digs into the grief and guilt that haunt Carmy, as well as the obsession required to make someone great at something.”
Alan Sepinwall from Rolling Stone had this to say, “It remains a magnificent achievement. The ever-so-slight shift in tone most of the time doesn’t change that — especially since The Bear can still make scenes and episodes so nerve-racking, you will question every life choice that led you to watching it.”
Angie Han from Hollywood Reporter agrees, “the series doubles down on its deep affection for the characters and the relationship between them — and in doing so, delivers a second season that’s even more delectable than the first. “
Kathryn VanArendonk from New York Magazine/Vulture said, “Season two, to its great credit, becomes a different kind of show — a season with its own set of questions and preoccupations. It’s still a series about inheritance, ambition, and how a history of family pain can turn those two things into competing forces. But it’s a notch lighter than it was before — just a touch more hopeful while introducing new areas of tension via inescapable relationship cycles and the costs of an all-consuming career.”
Todd Lazarski from AV Club said, “From the first bite are all the markings that made the show a massive hit last year. Twenty five minutes of patter and flow and it feels almost like time for a drink from a big plastic pitcher. And maybe a wet nap. Or, since we’re going in that direction, perhaps an amuse bouche?”
Matthew Gilbert from Boston Globe had this to say, “The Bear is back and — braise the lord and be still a la carte! — its magic is fully intact. No sophomore slump here. In many ways the series returns much as it left, a pacy take on a community of chefs, an intimate glimpse at a family scarred by alcoholism, and a study in grief. The musical sequences kick in regularly, and the camera continues to move in ordered chaos through the episodes — except when it gets close to and lingers on the unusual angles of Jeremy Allen White’s face as Carmy, our introverted hero with perfectly mussed hair, aqua eyes, and a dream.”
Richard Roeper from Chicago Sun Times said, “The electric Jeremy Allen White is still front and center (there’s a reason he won all those awards), with the brilliant Ayo Edebiri essentially a co-lead, but a number of other players have their own story arcs, their own moments to shine — and the gifted ensemble cast is more than up to the task. It’s a joy to watch them at work.”
Akos Peterbencze from Paste said, “Overall, The Bear remains one of the best original shows on TV, even if the performances often outmatch and rise above the writing this time around. With such a talented cast—and many emerging young actors—it’s not that surprising that Season 2 lets it rip once again.”
FX’s The Bear was created by Christopher Storer, who acts as executive producer alongside Joanna Calo, Hiro Murai of Super Frog, Josh Senior and Matty Matheson, with Tyson Bidner serving as producer. The series is produced by FX Productions.
The entire 10-episode season 2 of The Bear drops Thursday, June 22, exclusively on Hulu.
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