Latest news with #TheBear's'
New York Post
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Real chefs weigh in on what 'The Bear' gets right and wrong
Yes, chef! Emmy-winning hit 'The Bear' returned for Season 4 on June 25 at 8 p.m. — and it puts chefs back in the spotlight. The awards darling Hulu drama follows Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) as he takes over his late brother's (Jon Bernthal) Chicago restaurant and wrangles his kitchen staff, including Syd (Ayo Edebiri), his volatile cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), line cook Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce), and handyman Neil Fak (Matty Matheson). Now, several real chefs are weighing in, telling The Post what the hit show gets right — and wrong — about their profession. 17 Jeremy Allen White in 'The Bear.' HULU Emily Brubaker, 44, the Resort Executive Chef at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, CA, shared that when she used to work in a 3-star Michelin restaurant, she saw her own experience in 'The Bear's' flashback scenes with Carmy and his cruel old boss (played by Joel McHale). 'When Joel McHale is leaning over [Carmy], and people [in the kitchen] are saying times, like, '24, 13,' and he leans in and says like, 'you're trash, and you're never gonna be any better than this' and things like that – my husband and I actually stopped watching ['The Bear'] for a little while, because it was like PTSD,' she recalled. She added that the show's flashback to Carmy's fine dining work experience was 'crazy because it's just so realistic.' 17 Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri in 'The Bear.' FX Networks 17 Jeremy Allen White as Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto, Lionel Boyce as Marcus, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich in 'The Bear.' Brubaker, who is also a contestant on NBC's cooking competition series 'Yes, Chef!,' (which has its season finale Monday at 10 p.m.) added that in Season 3 of 'The Bear,' when characters such as Andrea Terry (Olivia Colman) appeared on the show, that also rang true. 'Last season with all of those amazing chefs popped in almost like mentorship…is a lot of what the industry is like,' she explained. 'You have these people you look up to who are like the unicorns of the business, and having them come in and give you advice or even critique what you're doing is all taken heart. But, it sometimes can be really hard to hear,' Brubaker added. 17 Emily Brubaker in a photo from her Instagram in April 2025. chefbrubs/Instagram 17 Emily Brubaker in a photo from her Instagram in June of 2025. chefbrubs/Instagram Thomas Vignati, 29, a private chef based in New York City, told The Post that the practice of everyone on the show calling each other 'chef' is legit. 'I keep in contact with my old bosses, and I call them Chef – not even their names,' he said. Before pivoting to private work, Vignati worked at restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern and Lilia. 17 Chef Thomas Vignati at the Union Square Farmers market on June 25, 2025. Brian Zak/NY Post 17 Emily Brubaker on NBC's cooking competition series 'Yes, Chef!' Pief Weyman/NBC 17 Chef Thomas Vignati at the Union Square Farmers market on June 25, 2025. Brian Zak/NY Post He added that he thinks the show focuses too much 'on the obsessive nature of working in a restaurant kitchen. They make a point to show that it's sometimes to the detriment of your personal life. I think that's accurate in the sense that it requires a lot of sacrifice.' However, he believes 'The Bear' exaggerates it. 'There's the trope of the suffering artist that gets pulled in. People who work in restaurants are normal people who have lives and can find work/ life balance,' Vignati insisted, adding he feels 'The Bear' sometimes leans 'too heavily on the suffering artist trope.' 17 Ronny Miranda in a June 2024 Instagram photo. ron_the_cook/Instagram 17 Chef Thomas Vignati at the Union Square Farmers market on June 25, 2025. Brian Zak/NY Post He said scenes in the show that have irked him are moments where 'they sprinkle things in to make them seem like an authority on kitchens.' Vignati recalled a scene in the first season when Syd unnecessarily name-drops 'a cartouche,' saying it 'made me roll my eyes' since it didn't ring as realistic for what a chef would say and seemed to be there just 'to show that Sydney knows what she's talking about.' But, he said, 'On the other hand, it's cool because it does give [regular people] a lexicon of food terms. For instance, Vignati recalled that even when he's working privately, he notices that some clients 'definitely watch the show.' When one client was walking behind him in the kitchen, he shared that they called out 'behind,' which is 'a real thing that happens in [professional] kitchens.' 17 Ronny Miranda on the NBC competition series 'Yes, Chef!' Pief Weyman/NBC 17 Ronny Miranda in a May 2025 Instagram photo. ron_the_cook/Instagram He noted that he finds it 'funny' that people add that language to their home kitchens after watching 'The Bear,' but said, 'That's an interesting dynamic' and noted that the show 'is fun to use as a tool to explain what life is like.' Ronny Miranda, 42, who is the Conference Lead Chef at the Culinary Institute of America's Napa campus, told The Post that he enjoys 'The Bear' but also thinks that it 'glorifies' the 'toxic chef' stereotype. 'It fixates too much on the harsh realities of our industry – like Carmy perpetually dangling on the edge of sanity.' 17 Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White in 'The Bear.' FX Networks 17 Ronny Miranda on 'Yes, Chef!' Brendan Meadows/NBC 17 Chef Thomas Vignati at the Union Square Farmers market on June 25, 2025. Brian Zak/NY Post He explained, 'And that's tragically true and accurate for a lot of chefs in the industry. But they're not showing the passion that he has. When they do show passion, it comes out in these weird, angry ways instead of showing the joy of cooking.' Miranda, who was also on the NBC competition series 'Yes Chef!,' revealed that the show 'gets a lot of stuff right: it's hard to be a chef. A lot of times, it's a lonely task.' 17 Emily Brubaker on 'Yes, Chef!' Pief Weyman/NBC 17 Chef Thomas Vignati at the Union Square Farmers market on June 25, 2025. Brian Zak/NY Post He noted that most restaurant kitchens are 'absolutely more supportive than it shows on 'The Bear.' They're showing the harshness of the industry and the negative aspects of being a chef when they could be showing Carmy growing.' Brubaker explained that when she first told her parents she wanted to be a chef, they thought that was 'insane' because it meant that she would have to work holidays and 'the craziest hours.' 'The Bear' and other chef-related movies and TV shows 'have really shown that we do it because we love it. It's because we're artists,' she explained. 'You're never going to tell a painter that they paint too much or that they disappear from the world because they're working on a project.' Brubaker said that she thinks 'The Bear' has opened people's eyes 'to how dedicated we are to our craft, and the passion and the talent that goes with it.'
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The Bear Season 4: Brie Larson, Francine Fak, and Danielle Deadwyler join the chaos
'The Bear' returns June 25, 2025, with a fresh wave of talent strengthening the kitchen drama. While Jeremy Allen White and the core cast come back, several significant new cast members are making waves. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Brie Larson joins the kitchens Oscar winner Brie Larson is stepping into 'The Bear' universe for Season 4 in a role described as vital. Though details are being kept under wraps, insiders hint her character brings both gravitas and friction to Carmy's finely tuned or maybe fraying operation. Francie Fak: A newcomer Francie Fak is another newcomer with buzz. Reports point to her joining the series in a supporting role under the name Francine Fak. It's unclear whether this is a character name or a nod to cult-favourite chef Neil Fak Fak (played by Matty Matheson). Either way, Fak seems primed to stir things up in the kitchen. Returning favourites The core cast includes Jeremy Allen White as Carmy, Ayo Edebiri as Sydney, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie, Lionel Boyce as Marcus, Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina, Abby Elliott as Natalie, and Matty Matheson as Fak, who will all return. Rest, Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Donna Belazzato in a recurring arc, Oliver Platt as Cicero, and Molly Gordon as Claire returns for recurring appearances. Notably, Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce make their writing debuts, co-penning an episode, a creative expansion following Edebiri's direction of Season 3's 'Napkins.' Premise and the premiere date recap The story picks up immediately after Season 3's cliffhanger: Carmy faces the fallout from a cryptic Chicago Tribune review, and Sydney weighs a high-stakes career move. All 10 episodes of Season 4 will premiere simultaneously on June 25, 2025, on FX on Hulu and internationally via Disney+. Further, Season 4 is shaping up to be 'The Bear's' most expansive yet, both in storytelling depth and star power. With heavyweight additions and creative growth among the original team, don't expect anything short of a red-hot comeback.
Chicago Tribune
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘The Bear' review: With the threat of closure imminent in Season 4, can the restaurant live to cook another day?
Early in 'The Bear's' fourth season, a digital clock is placed in the kitchen to count down the minutes over the next two months. If the restaurant's finances don't improve by the time it reaches zero, The Bear will close for good. There's something a little shameless but also on-point about introducing a literal ticking clock to the proceedings, emulating the world of reality TV cooking shows. Everything is riding on the next eight weeks. Can the team rise to the moment and fend off defeat? To an extent, that's been the overriding question of the entire series: Will this Chicago endeavor — be it a humble and disorganized Italian beef sandwich shop or an ambitious fine dining establishment — stay in business with so many headwinds threatening demise? It's a painstaking, sometimes precious, sometimes absurdist process, often captured in abstract montages. After a disastrous review of the restaurant from the Tribune that includes descriptors like 'confusing' and 'showoff-y,' the staff at The Bear are holding out hope that, together, they can save the day. One of the show's strengths is that you're always rooting for these misfits to find a way. Over the years, the series has become more of a character study with only occasional nods to plot. Season 4 is an extension of that and could have been condensed to fit into Season 3, leaving room for more propulsive storytelling. But creator Christopher Storer and co-showrunner Joanna Calo want you to luxuriate in the experience and are they taking their time. It's fair to ask if they've used that time wisely. Chef and owner Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) has been mired in a funk ever since the gang agreed to go all-in on the venture, vacillating between angry outbursts, stubborn self-sabotage and a sad-eyed mopiness, and it's kept him from making more meaningful connections with the people in his life, professionally and personally. He's recreated the same unpleasant workplace conditions that he disliked so much at the height of his career before coming back to Chicago, and I wish the show had committed to exploring this irony. The extended Berzatto family may be given pride of place in the show, but it's the restaurant's family that has been where the most compelling stories lie. Gradually, Carmy tries to be less of a pill. Still, nothing seems to bring him joy or a sense of fulfillment. What does he want out of life? When he first returned home to run The Beef, that seemed clearer: Trying to connect with the legacy of a brother who died by suicide, and to honor him in a way that also reflected his own talents. Now that Carmy's opened the restaurant of his dreams, everything is fuzzier. Even if The Bear becomes a wild success, it may not fill the gnawing hole in his soul. Maybe, though, it will be enough to ensure that his creative partner Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) also becomes his business partner. Or maybe she will be seduced away to open a new restaurant with someone else. Even she isn't sure what she wants. Carmy is an agent of chaos — a Berzatto family tradition! — but both The Beef and The Bear are where Sydney found her footing as a chef again. She has a love-hate relationship with the place. Or maybe hate isn't the right word; 'long sigh' might be a better phrase. Individually and together, Sydney and Carmy are working through remnants of old regret and new fears and also so much yearning. At its best, 'The Bear' (a Hulu series produced by FX) explores the idea of aspirations that are both specific and illusory. What does success look and feel like? The staff have achieved so much already. The biggest evolution has come from Cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), transforming himself from a jagoff into, quite simply, a better man. Even so, he still has a way with words: That tough Tribune review, he says, 'kicked me in the 'nards.' Never change, Richie. Sweeps (Corey Hendrix) is solidifying his knowledge of wines and growing more confident (master sommelier Alpana Singh appears in a cameo). As the manager of the lunchtime Italian beef service, Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) is exploring ways to generate more money to help sustain The Bear through uncertainty. Marcus (Lionel Boyce) has quietly become a pastry chef with real chops (and gets an assist from a fan favorite who returns this season). Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) remains the heart of the show, as the sous chef who realized, much to her surprise, she has the talent to merit working in the kitchen of this caliber. Colón-Zayas won an Emmy for her performance last year, and deservedly so. This time out, she gets fewer emotional beats to play. Storer and Calo gave her one terrific episode that detailed her backstory last season, but they seem stymied when it comes to building on that going forward. It almost doesn't matter because she's played by a fantastic actress, but Colón-Zayas — and we, the audience — deserve more complexity from the role. That's true of all the The Bear's employees. Though we get glimpses of these characters pursuing their goals, there's not enough of them knocking around together as a group. That feels conspicuous, because 'The Bear' likes to romanticize restaurants while also digging into the intense work and precision that goes into making them actually run. The latter is gripping (if sometimes stress-inducing) but the former is where the show has consistently been weaker. On his day off, Carmy visits Frank Lloyd Wright's former home and studio in Oak Park, and it's in these moments that the show is striving for moments that offer little payoff. Later, someone is rushed to the same hospital where Carmy's ex-girlfriend works and you think, what is this, an episode of 'Chicago Med'? But I love that Tina still affectionately calls Carmy 'Jeffery,' a formalization of Jeff, which is her jokey version of 'chef,' a title everyone uses when addressing one another in the kitchen. Finally, Sydney gets a sequence that situates her within a Black community that extends beyond her father, which is something the show has been missing up to this point. It's a reminder that she had a social life and other meaningful connections in Chicago before The Bear took over her every waking moment. Director and screenwriter Brian Koppelman returns as the wonderfully impassive numbers man to Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), a guy everyone simply refers to as Computer. There are yet again celebrity cameos, but they feel less distracting this time. The world of 'The Bear' is insular, so much so that it has all but forgotten about the vague notion of neighborhood regulars who kept The Beef in business. That it was once a fixture of the community and affordable for anyone. The show prefers to spend time with Berzattos and their hangers-on, creating a sprawling orbit of people who remain drawn to one another despite their dysfunction, including Matty Matheson's character, who is elaborately infantilized by the women in his life this season in ways that don't really sync with past portrayals. He and the other Faks exist to bring levity. Even so, the show is telling serious stories. That's OK. But it's also why 'The Bear' and its performances have been mislabeled as comedy for awards purposes. Carmy is grieving, maladjusted, uncollaborative, selfish and a terrible communicator — the kind of guy who screams 'I'm trying to say I'm sorry!' without actually formulating an apology — then gives his puppy-eyed stare when he's called on it. That's not a funny premise, nor one exploring life's absurdities, but a knottier one filled with drama. I miss the ragtag, kinetic, blue-collar energy established in the first season, when it was a collection of sweaty, frazzled, oddball personalities banging around in that grease-stained, beef juice-spattered kitchen and trying like hell to figure out a way to work together. Here's how Richie remembers the old place: 'At the beef stand? You walked in, and that place was rockin', alright? It was alive and you were part of it and it was a in there.' And there was a dark comedy coursing through so much of it. Or as the Tribune's food and dining writer Ahmed Ali Akbar told me last year: The show was originally a story about 'Carmy's big head trying to fit itself in that small kitchen and every individual having their own reasons for resisting him. But ultimately, they can't, because he owns the place.' Stories have to evolve, and the show has followed a path that leaves much of that behind. Season 4 ends on a note that could be construed as a conclusion; whether that's merely the end of one chapter or if it signals the end of the series altogether is unclear. Over the course of the season, the denizens of 'The Bear' tend to sound like they're reading words of wisdom off a fortune cookie, but you can't deny the sentiment undergirding at least one exchange. Think we'll make it, someone asks? 'I can only think about today,' comes the reply. Given the world at the moment, a truer sentiment was never spoken. 'The Bear' Season 4 — 2.5 stars (out of 4) Where to watch: Hulu
