FX’s The Bear Season 2? YES CHEF!—What we can expect

Movies and television shows often based on the professional kitchen most often disappoint. They either tend to lean more towards the romantic view of the professional kitchen and food itself, and on the other side of the spectrum, they tend to lean a tad too much on the seedier side of the pro kitchen. Thankfully though, FX’s The Bear did not go that route.

Now as a former cook I can definitely tell you that both aforementioned worlds exist…the former I sometimes miss now that I write full time, the latter I do not.

The seedier side is definitely out there and the high spots are too, but in reality the professional kitchen is a mix of both; very much like in all aspects of life: There’s good and there’s bad out there, and in the closed-in space of a pro kitchen, those elements of life ring out like the clang of a hot pan falling to the tiled floor.

The high end pro kitchen is often presented and dare I say it often misrepresented on reality TV and even on network TV shows and cooking competition shows. This is done to add allure to the pro kitchen or rather the romanticized thought of it.

FX’s The Bear has been renewed for a second season? But what can fans expect?

FXs The Bear has been the most honest view of the professional kitchen in years and in turn became the best representation of what happens in that world.

The show was created by Christopher Storer and the cast was exceptionally spot on—each character playing their part extremely well. Leading the cast is Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a chef who has quite the culinary following after an exceptional career in New York; he comes back to run the family sandwich shop after being left the business after the passing of his brother, Mikey (played by the very talented Jon Bernthal.

Well…the pieces of the puzzle come together quite nicely when Carmy wants to change the restaurant, improving it somehow and trying to convince his brother’s old, loyal, and longtime staff of these changes is an uphill battle for sure.

Enter Sydney Adamu, played by Ayo Edebiri. She shares Carmy’s passion for turning the restaurant into something a tad more of the fine dining sort and not only that, Carmy is an idol of hers.

This adds for quite the dynamic but the push and pull from both sides, those that want change and those that do not, create quite the atmosphere and it all unfolds beautifully onscreen.

Add to that some epic cooking scenes that not only ring true but will make you feel like you’re watching an unscripted documentary and not a written TV show of the fictional sort.

Add to this the emotional journey of Carmy and the rest of his family and close friend Richie, all of them trying to handle the loss of Mikey, and the financial burden he left behind.

Well, the show was quite simply a success and we all know that the show is coming back for a second season…as was announced on the show’s Twitter account in July of 2022. But we don’t exactly know what they have planned. So, what can fans expect?

As it turns out, the star of the show, who is currently working on a biopic of the professional wrestling legendary family, The Von Erichs and is starring alongside Zac Efron in that film, had a lot to say about Season 1 in an interview with W Magazine.

Here’s some of what he had to say about the show—particularly about episode 7 (the show ran for only 8 episodes and really, everything comes to an emotional head in that 7the episode, with a lot of that bleeding into episode 8, making for quite the intro to what’s to come in later seasons):

"“Pressure is what that episode was about, and we were all feeling a lot of pressure ourselves. You really do feel this weight of everybody needing to work together for success…Since everybody’s so good, it felt easy and natural to react to the situations and the other actors. What’s so nice about shows like this is, yes, there’s so much yelling—and that stuff is exciting to watch—but in contrast, it gives a nice scope for the quieter moments, too.”via wmagazine.com"

And about a particular monologue he had in the last episode of the season, one in which a lot of the back story of Carmy himself comes out…his motivations, his turmoil, etc., he said:

"“It was such a blueprint to Carmy and his trauma, and where he’s been coming from since you’ve met him. It was written really, really beautifully by Chris (Storer)… Carmy was making these discoveries for the first time, in front of an audience. There’s something inherently vulnerable about being in front of a group of strangers and speaking about something that’s so close to you. That worked in my favor because that’s what acting is. What was nice about the way that scene was written was, it’s the first time Carmy’s not hiding from anything. And once he started, he couldn’t stop. ”via wmagazine.com (link above)"

What can fans expect from the second season of The Bear?

Well, we’ve got the gossip from the show’s creator himself as it turns out. Christopher Storer told Esquire that the second season will focus primarily on how the ‘family’ (those in the kitchen) that we saw form in Season 1 move forward and actually try to build upon something.

*Spoiler alert!—All that turmoil led to something quite obviously. If you haven’t seen season 1, go watch it then come back and read this.

They’ve found Mikey’s money; they now have a strong family foundation where they’ve built from tragedy and a difficult period of coming together cohesively; now can they make a go and turn The Bear into a high end sandwich shop or more?

That’s the stress right there and can only add to the appeal for the second season.

Also there are questions to answer. Is Cicero and the debt still hanging over their heads? Who shot the restaurant window in Season 1?

Is Carmy okay, or is The Bear always just beneath the surface waiting to come out, and will the pressures that are on the horizon be too much for the man we’ve grown to root for and his staff?

I guess there’s only one way to find out…wait with bated breath for them to get to work on this and wait even more until it airs. Please hurry.

Did you enjoy the show? Are you looking forward to the second season? What do you want them to cover moving forward? Let us know.