Buckle up ladies and gents because FX’s The Bear received 23 award nominations for a Comedy series in a single year. It’s clear that this year’s 76th Emmy Awards are sure to be as entertaining as said series broke the comedy series, 30 Rock’s, 15-year-long-standing record of 22 nominations. This almost doubles The Bear’s nomination amount of 13 at the 75th Emmy Awards.
The blurred lines of comedy and drama.
If you have been an avid watcher of The Bear like me since the premiere of the first season in 2022, you would know that the second season was absolutely wild. Cue ‘Love Island’ Islander Leah when I say, “the DRAMA.” Richie’s (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) character arc, the one-take scene in the season finale, and the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Sydney (Ayo Edibiri) and Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) are all the reasons why season two was such a big hit.
With a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics have called Season 2 “the best thing on TV right now” and “a wonderful series that contains moments of sheer perfection”. Although The Bear is an instant fan favorite amongst the public, comedy fanatics and critics are arguing whether or not the series can be judged under the comedy category.
Throughout the past few years, the lines between drama and comedy have been getting blurrier and blurrier. In 2014, the hit show, Orange is the New Black, was categorized under Comedy, but the next year as a Drama. Leaning more towards dramatic than comedic, many are wondering if The Bear is being falsely categorized.
The Bear Season 3: Flop or Not?
However, the bigger question that is raising speculations is whether or not The Bear’s latest season will receive as many accolades and nominations as the previous seasons. With an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 10% decrease from the second season, the third season may be a flop.
“The new season, like its Michelin-hungry protagonist, has lost sight of what makes it great,” said New Yorker writer Inkoo Kang.
With filler episodes that sidetrack from the main plot, many viewers feel as if the storyline has fallen stagnant and the writers have lost the story’s pulse. In contrast, others feel as if the third season is perfectly in line with the show’s creativity.
Personally, I’m still a fan and absolutely loved Ayo Edibiri’s directed episode titled “Napkins” because of the in-depth look into Tina’s character, played by Liza Colón-Zayas. However, nothing will top the second season. It’s a hard feat to follow. With all the high praises the show has received, the world will have to wait until September 15 to see if The Bear will win all 23 Emmy nominations.