Welcome to my series, Top of the Queue! This series is meant to highlight some of the best television has to offer and the reasons why you should watch series that are currently on television right now. There are a lot of great shows on television right now, and one thing I want to highlight is the reasons why you should check out the show. So I will give five reasons why you should watch a show.
June’s pick for Top of the Queue is season two of The Bear!
The Bear, created by Christopher Storer, is about fine dining chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) as he comes back to Chicago to take over his brother’s sandwich shop after he dies. The staff at The Beef needs to adapt to Carmy’s new style of management and a new vision for the restaurant. His cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and chef Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) are resistant to Carmy where as baker Marcus (Lionel Boyce) embraces the challenge. A rising star chef named Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) comes to learn from Carmy and together they forge a path forward together as partners. The Bear season two is 10 episodes and is currently streaming on Hulu.
The Bear is among one of the shows in 2022 that caught me completely by surprise. It made my top shows of 2022 list and was a showcase for great performances, food, and a gripping story. Everyone is great in their roles and Carmy earning everyone’s respect is among my favorite parts of season one. Season two ups the ante with two more episodes than season one and I could honestly watch 100 episodes of this in one sitting if I could.
Here are the top reasons why you should check out The Bear season two:
Every second counts
If you appreciate a show that has callbacks that matter and a show where no episode is wasted, watch The Bear. 10 episodes fly by but every episode matters. That’s something you can’t say about every show on television right now.
Everybody matters
Almost everyone has an important storyline or something of note to do. Certain characters have standalone episodes that help develop them. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a show that made sure to develop all the characters, not just the main ones.
The characters are all great, but Richie is my season MVP
I don’t think I was rooting for a character to succeed as much as I wished Richie to succeed. Moss-Bachrach is outstanding in his role and should be on the shortlist for some awards consideration. He spends a lot of time this season trying to figure out his purpose. What we as the audience gets is someone growing up and taking responsibility for his life.
Two of the best episodes of television this year
“Fishes” will undoubtedly get all the love and it’s most deserving of it too. To get that many amazing guest starts is nothing short of an accomplishment. However, between the intimate moments between pockets of guests, the tension that builds throughout the episode, and the development we see about why Carmy is the way he is, “Fishes” is a triumph of television. As a standalone, flashback episode, everything works well and is great. For me though, the follow-up episode “Forks” is why I love the show and helps develop Richie.
A great new addition of significance
Other than the guest starts, there’s only one new character named Claire (Molly Gordon). She fits in well with the cast and her chemistry with Allen White is off the charts. She represents life outside of the restaurant that Carmy doesn’t think he can have.
Allen White will continue to clean up acting awards
Carmy is a complicated character, rich with layers and trauma we continue to unpack. Allen White plays this role beautifully and will be in for awards love coming up later this year.
The Bear is the best show on television for 2023. Everything counted, everything mattered, and everything was fantastic. Every character had something to do and most importantly, every episode built the story to an exciting conclusion. I don’t know how much longer the show can go on, but this is now appointment viewing for me.
What’d you like about The Bear season two? Let me know in the comments below or message me directly about what you liked!
Contributed by: Mike Hilty
