There’s a couple of money-related deus ex machina I found a touch unconvincing, but otherwise it’s an admirably intense and often near exhausting depiction of kitchen stress and that feeling of being in the weeds. Certainly not a comedy in any traditional sense, but that makes the rare actual “punchline” stand out more and the sitcom-length 30 minute episode lengths suit the food prep speedrun vibe very well.

(S1:84/S2:76) Both S1+S2 decline at the end. S1 has a deus ex tamatoes. In S2 characters shift towards concepts they previously seemed critical of without deeper recognition/exploration. Pretentious elitism, service to ridiculous/obsessive whims of wealth & mind-numbing wage servitude are simplistically glossed over in a patina of saccharine feel-goodisms & uncritically depicted as journeys to personal excellence/respect, especially in the purity of serving others, without much balance/analysis.

Season 1: The cast rocks (Edebiri being the standout), and the s01e07 onetake is badass. It makes zero sense how Sydney acted in that episode though. She should be the one apologizing. Moss-Bachrach's character is also great. Season highlight: Carmy's monologue in the finale.

Intense, right? (S1) That second-to-last episode perfectly captures the existential terror only those with kitchen stripes can fully understand. (S2) The loongest uplifting 80s training montage, but that double length family backstory episode, just mind-blowing! (S3) The narrative momentum comes to a halt in place of psychological vignettes. The 'haunting' dialogue is so epic!

Thoroughly impressed by the fact that someone was able to make a drama series about a fast food kitchen this tight.

I don't think I've seen a drama show that's varied in quality this much before, though there's more good than bad. The best episodes portray the utter frustration, intensity, dedication, duty, and even joy from running or working in a service industry -- and the family Thanksgiving episode is an absolute blast to watch. Yet the worst episodes (mostly from season 3) can be so unbelievably redundant, emphasising airy cinematics over actual progression with story or character.

Update: Watched season 3, I liked the first two more but still enjoyed this one. [I think we need an entire show just about the Faks.)

Very nice overall, bit cartooney characters from time to time, especially Cousin Rick. But still above average TV for sure

It's really good, but I can't rate this any higher because the ending of this first season does not make any sense whatsoever.

Stressing, intense and fun.

Wants to be like a Safdie Brothers flick so badly, but fails to do so.

2024-12-27: season 2, like a lot of these new shows, the second season is so much less tight since they're prepping for infinity seasons 2024-12-22: season 1

the beary best tv i've seen in awhile man, fak is the absolute best

One third the most emotionally resonant drama on TV. One third the slowest, most boring show on TV. One third yelling.

(Season 1) Pretty much all episodes follow the same pattern: 20 minutes of everything going wrong and people screaming at each other, a short intermission with extreme close ups with short depth of field of food being cooked, and then 5 minutes of one character showing some personal growth so that we feel good again. Over all it's pretty well made, I just find all the screaming exhausting to watch even if it's motivated by the characters' emotional baggage and shitty situations.

The Bear S3 forgets what was good in the previous seasons and comes to a screeching halt in a 10 episode textbook circle jerk. There’s barely any conflict or storytelling, but nothing but pretentious montages and unfinished conversations. The comic relief brothers fell painfully flat and symbolizes the creator's total loss of hold on the material and what it’s about. A vapid, boring and extremely snobby work that ejaculates on itself and leaves a huge sticky mess that i'll not get back to

The Bear is absolutely incredible television, I truly believe on par with the best of the best. It's a tightly-written and incredibly acted story of trauma, mental health, pursuing dreams, obsession, family, and so much more. Each episode is brimming with a raw, frenetic pace that mirrors the chaos of the kitchen and of these characters' personal lives. There is so much nuance and subtext in every line that I feel like as each season goes on, each character becomes more and more real.

It grows on you. Starts bit off and weird paced but opens up and the character arcs are getting deeper and interesting. At least a couple of the episodes are masterpieces - the one with the family dinner and the one about Ritchie, which by far stole the show.

s1 generally around 70 expected to drop after s2. s2 gave me what i needed, mainly claire, and the xmas fam, then it was generally around 80, finale 85 and now i want 10 seasons lmao no less than 4 and i'm confident in 5 still being great. they've got 3 characters who can carry their own episode and they've got a 4th whenever they wanna do it

I am just rating the production, the quality of acting, editing, overall cinematography, and the pleasure I get from watching. I just couldn't take my eyes off of it. If I go into theoretical aspects, I'd say The Bear has many flaws. I wouldn't say I like this lame philosophy of fine dining, to be perfectly honest. I find it very pretentious. To make more sense, the whole flow of the events should have been the other way around, ending where it had started in the first place.

S1: 100. S2: Has its upsides but you might as well skip.

S1: 85 S2: 90 S3: 88

It's just terrific. A heart attack of a drama, but in a good way. The continuous shot episode is a wave of tension. The great news is that the second series is even better.

Looks amazing, but such bad writing. I can't convince myself it's good.

The direction and editing make this an intense ride, but also know how to slow down and simmer in the quieter moments at times. There are some times when things are a little too cliche or characters develop in an unrealistic way to suit the narrative. I've never worked in a (true) kitchen, and this is probably as close as I can ever get to it. (Sorry, Waiting)

I enjoy the frequent changes in pace. The characters are well-sketched out, but sometimes appear overly exaggerated. The camerawork is fantastic! This is quite excellent tv series.

So hectic I felt I had some sort of illness watching it.

S1-89 S2-81 s3-86 (that delivery episode is amazing. Some of the arguments feel less believable. Liked the final episode confrontation, hated the strong mislead cliff hanger)

S01-87 S02-87 S03-91

Excellent cast, soundtrack, writing, directing and camerawork. 30 minutes sometimes leaves me wanting more, but it would be impossible to recreate that stress burst over longer periods. One of the better new shows in recent memory.

S1: 78 S2: 90

Raw, emotional, and grounded in the reality of restaurant workplace culture. Season 2 edit: I think the new direction of the restaurant detracts from the message a bit. And the narrative feels a bit more unfocused. I like Fak's playful presence in season 2, though.

S1: 65 S2: 70 An often overacted kitchen drama with enough aesthetic charm to keep it afloat. The individual episodes in the 2nd season were the best so far.

Starts off magnificently with economical storytelling at its finest, using every available cinematic tool to build character and atmosphere. Few places have felt this real this fast as The Beef and the people in it. What separates The Bear is also that it is so humane, tackling both the darker and lighter side of life. For every viciously tossed insult there is a moment of connection. The final episode felt out of place at first but with distance mellowed out into a bittersweet end note.

The most amazing show I've seen this year! Spectacular!

What a clean show. A family drama hidden inside a kitchen show.. Every part of this show is close to perfection. From the acting to the filming to the editing, and the characters.. It is such a good, and amazingly chaotic show. Love at first sight.. But, that ending.. Just didn't fit.. Why such a sharp turn? I need the second season to descend into chaos immediately.

Takes a while to adjust to the crazy kitchen pace but in the end the story and all characters create a wholesome and realistic experience.

Not bad, but nothing special either. Last two episodes of the first season were peak. The tension in the kitchen, intensity was passed to the viewer perfectly. Sydney, Marcus and Tina are a bit too cliche characters and not very good actors. Jeremy Allen White is just incredible. He gives that uneasy vibe impeccably. Overall, an alright show to kill time but nothing else.

Mükemmel.

S1: 85 | S2: 85 | S3: 80 | Excellent all around, with tight pacing, superb acting, and some really interesting and well developed characters.

& Gamze

loud and fun

S1: 90 - S2: 90 - S3: 70

HIDDEN GEM. OUR GREAT BOY LIP GALLAGHER FROM SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO KILLS THAT BABY!

s1: 85, s2: 90, s3: 75.