The Bear season 2 reviews are out
OP Note: Critics were given the first four episodes to review. There are 10 episodes total and they will be released on Thursday, June 22nd on Hulu. There are some mild spoilers in all the reviews (especially the first one I posted by Alan Sepinwall for Rolling Stone)so be careful if you go to the sources and want to remain completely spoiler free.
#TheBear s2 is less likely to give you a heart attack - most of the time, anyway - but it remains one of the most engrossing, deeply felt shows on television. My review: https://t.co/FlSpQJYOFt pic.twitter.com/GSllAy3zLZ
- Alan Sepinwall (@sepinwall) June 19, 2023
Excerpt: The new season has its moments, and even whole episodes, that might not be healthy viewing for anyone under a cardiologist’s care, but the tone is often much lighter, and at times plain joyous. It’s also a more frequently funny show(*), where the near-constant series of kitchen calamities are designed to elicit laughter more often than angst - for the audience, at least. Carmy, Sydney, and the gang are still justifiably harried throughout...what I can say is that the later part of the season features moments that made me laugh, ones that made me want to turn off the TV and never call anyone “Chef” ever again, ones that thrilled me, and even a few that just plain made me weep.
‘The Bear’ Season 2 Is a Better, Richer Second Course https://t.co/jYmdW1ixcJ pic.twitter.com/RAsfzB0mIe
- IndieWire (@IndieWire) June 19, 2023
Excerpt:
Season 2 does exactly what second seasons are supposed to do: It fine-tunes the storytelling, amplifies what’s working, and digs deeper: both into who these people are and what lures them to this life. If Season 1 looked at how kitchens could become vomit-inducing fear factories thanks to egomaniacal chefs with abusive work habits, then Season 2 asks what would draw someone to such a place to begin with...Many of these themes existed already, but how “The Bear” tackles them in Season 2 is as riveting as before with added dashes of confidence, consequence, and consideration...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.
Yes, chef: The Bear season 2 is just as good as the first season, taking the show and its characters in new directions. https://t.co/bLz1G5d9GY pic.twitter.com/l5TjrZBnze
- /Film (@slashfilm) June 19, 2023
Excerpt: rather than simply recreate the same dish, "The Bear" season 2 is plating something different. It still looks and feels like the show we grew to know in season 1, but there's a fresh meal here that I don't think many viewers will be expecting. As the characters continue to evolve, to grow, to change, to become not different characters but more developed individuals, "The Bear" takes us along with us, guiding us through several courses, each more delectable than the last. There's no sophomore slump on this menu.
'The Bear' Season 2 Keeps Up the Heat and Wisely Gets Out of the Kitchen: TV Review https://t.co/IrtNZBUBkt
- Variety (@Variety) June 19, 2023
Excerpt: These storylines are impressive flexes, and winning nods to the show’s niche. But they also help “The Bear” feel more like television, a medium that rewards cultivating a deep bench and an adaptable approach. The series can still show signs of repetitive tendencies and overwrought sentimentality...“The Bear” is best when it leans into its protagonists’ masochistic obsession without indulging their self-serving narratives.
While 'The Bear' still feels as kinetic and stressful as its award-winning first season, the series does itself a massive favor by shifting gears in Season 2.
Read @fIetcherpeters' review: https://t.co/vLZCdk4Mxp
- Daily Beast's Obsessed (@beastobsessed) June 19, 2023
Excerpt: As The Original Beef undergoes a massive overhaul, so too does The Bear, which now takes more time to develop other characters’ storylines...While The Bear still feels as kinetic and stressful as its award-winning first season, and Carmy is still very much at the center, the series does itself a massive favor by shifting gears in Season 2. By giving us a break from the turbulent chaos of Carmy’s mind, The Bear cooks up one big melting pot full of new stories. That, in turn, paints a better picture of the most important character of all: the restaurant itself, which is equipped with a big, beating heart
TLDR: it's getting really great reviews (though the Variety one is a little more mixed). A lot of raves for Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. More focus is given to the supporting characters (yesssss) and though it's still stressful at times, this season is quieter and funnier.
I'm ready!!
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
#TheBear s2 is less likely to give you a heart attack - most of the time, anyway - but it remains one of the most engrossing, deeply felt shows on television. My review: https://t.co/FlSpQJYOFt pic.twitter.com/GSllAy3zLZ
- Alan Sepinwall (@sepinwall) June 19, 2023
Excerpt: The new season has its moments, and even whole episodes, that might not be healthy viewing for anyone under a cardiologist’s care, but the tone is often much lighter, and at times plain joyous. It’s also a more frequently funny show(*), where the near-constant series of kitchen calamities are designed to elicit laughter more often than angst - for the audience, at least. Carmy, Sydney, and the gang are still justifiably harried throughout...what I can say is that the later part of the season features moments that made me laugh, ones that made me want to turn off the TV and never call anyone “Chef” ever again, ones that thrilled me, and even a few that just plain made me weep.
‘The Bear’ Season 2 Is a Better, Richer Second Course https://t.co/jYmdW1ixcJ pic.twitter.com/RAsfzB0mIe
- IndieWire (@IndieWire) June 19, 2023
Excerpt:
Season 2 does exactly what second seasons are supposed to do: It fine-tunes the storytelling, amplifies what’s working, and digs deeper: both into who these people are and what lures them to this life. If Season 1 looked at how kitchens could become vomit-inducing fear factories thanks to egomaniacal chefs with abusive work habits, then Season 2 asks what would draw someone to such a place to begin with...Many of these themes existed already, but how “The Bear” tackles them in Season 2 is as riveting as before with added dashes of confidence, consequence, and consideration...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.
Yes, chef: The Bear season 2 is just as good as the first season, taking the show and its characters in new directions. https://t.co/bLz1G5d9GY pic.twitter.com/l5TjrZBnze
- /Film (@slashfilm) June 19, 2023
Excerpt: rather than simply recreate the same dish, "The Bear" season 2 is plating something different. It still looks and feels like the show we grew to know in season 1, but there's a fresh meal here that I don't think many viewers will be expecting. As the characters continue to evolve, to grow, to change, to become not different characters but more developed individuals, "The Bear" takes us along with us, guiding us through several courses, each more delectable than the last. There's no sophomore slump on this menu.
'The Bear' Season 2 Keeps Up the Heat and Wisely Gets Out of the Kitchen: TV Review https://t.co/IrtNZBUBkt
- Variety (@Variety) June 19, 2023
Excerpt: These storylines are impressive flexes, and winning nods to the show’s niche. But they also help “The Bear” feel more like television, a medium that rewards cultivating a deep bench and an adaptable approach. The series can still show signs of repetitive tendencies and overwrought sentimentality...“The Bear” is best when it leans into its protagonists’ masochistic obsession without indulging their self-serving narratives.
While 'The Bear' still feels as kinetic and stressful as its award-winning first season, the series does itself a massive favor by shifting gears in Season 2.
Read @fIetcherpeters' review: https://t.co/vLZCdk4Mxp
- Daily Beast's Obsessed (@beastobsessed) June 19, 2023
Excerpt: As The Original Beef undergoes a massive overhaul, so too does The Bear, which now takes more time to develop other characters’ storylines...While The Bear still feels as kinetic and stressful as its award-winning first season, and Carmy is still very much at the center, the series does itself a massive favor by shifting gears in Season 2. By giving us a break from the turbulent chaos of Carmy’s mind, The Bear cooks up one big melting pot full of new stories. That, in turn, paints a better picture of the most important character of all: the restaurant itself, which is equipped with a big, beating heart
TLDR: it's getting really great reviews (though the Variety one is a little more mixed). A lot of raves for Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. More focus is given to the supporting characters (yesssss) and though it's still stressful at times, this season is quieter and funnier.
I'm ready!!
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5