Anyone who has ever worked in the food industry is sure to be a fan of last year’s Hulu's FX-based original series, The Bear. The accuracy of the show’s portrayal of what it’s like to work in a kitchen has rung true from culinary enthusiasts, ranging from those who have worked in Michelin Star restaurants to those who have worked in their father’s local delicatessen. The comedy-drama series encompasses the friction, frustration, and butting of heads that come with a group of individuals working together in a small, cramped area and the comradery and bonding.
Above all, time is what drives the characters of this show. One of the biggest complaints from people who work in the restaurant industry is that their job takes up all of their time. The pressure of time affects them so heavily while performing the jobs that they sometimes struggle to reconnect with their lives outside of work. Each character in The Bear has their own external conflicts and struggles outside the kitchen, but when they’re on the clock, they are On. The. Clock. This handy guide will refresh your memory of who’s who and their role in the series. Heard, Chef!
Jeremy Allen White as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto – Owner/Head Chef, a.k.a. “Jeff”
Following his breakout role as Lip Gallagher in Shameless, the 32-year-old actor continued his Chicago-based-character streak as Carmy in The Bear. Jeremy Allen White won a Critics Choice Award and a Golden Globe for his performance as Carmy. The first season occurs just four months after Carmy’s older brother, Michael (John Bernthal), commits suicide, leaving Carmy in charge of his struggling restaurant. Before these events, Carmy was an up-and-coming chef in New York City, even winning an award from Food & Wine for “Best New Chef.” On top of him having to deal with grief and the loss of his brother, a part of him resents the restaurant and everything it represents to him after “making it” and working in high-end kitchens.
Throughout the first season, Carmy struggles to implement new systems, techniques, practices, and recipes to pull The Beef out of the gutter. He is met with resistance from his kitchen staff and brother’s best friend, Richie, as they are accustomed to their own routines and habits that essentially prevent the kitchen from being a smooth-running machine. For every step he takes forward, something else goes awry, creating an infinite loop of damage control that he needs to address.
At the end of the season, however, it’s revealed that Michael, Carmy’s older brother, left a note for Carmy before his death. The note included a recipe for spaghetti and insisted on using the smaller cans of tomatoes because they “tasted better.” Carmy opens one of the smaller cans, only to find that it had been stuffed with hundreds of dollars in cash. After discovering all the hidden money in the restaurant and reconciling with some of his best staff members, the season closes with Carmy deciding to change the name of the restaurant from “The Beef” to the series title, The Bear.
Ayo Edibiri as Sydney Adamu – Sous Chef
Aspiring new sous chef Sydney, played by Ayo Edibiri, joins the crew at The Beef in the first episode. Edibiri is best known for her role as Hattie from the biographical comedy-drama Dickinson, but she also appears in the latest season of Black Mirror in the first episode, “Joan is Awful.” Her character in The Bear is exceptionally talented but new to the restaurant business.
She is one of the few characters who support Carmy in many of his decisions, but her determination to excel and advance her career causes conflict between the two of them. As helpful as she tries to be in the first season, she ultimately defies Carmy by serving a risotto she prepared to a food critic after he explicitly told her not to. The critic ended up giving a glowing review of the restaurant’s revamped new menu, specifically complimenting the risotto. Carmy is upset with her but acknowledges the success that the critic’s review brought upon The Beef.
The tenuous professional relationship between Carmy and Sydney is finally pushed to the brink when Sydney accidentally forgets to turn off the “pre-order” setting on their newly installed to-go ordering system, causing a pile-up of orders that the restaurant cannot complete before the lunch rush. Carmy loses his temper, causing Sydney and pastry chef Marcus to quit on the spot. Carmy eventually apologizes to Sydney, and she returns to The Beef as sous chef. She will undoubtedly be pivotal in the new season as they reinvent the restaurant’s branding for The Bear.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich – “Manager”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Girls) plays the role of Richie, the best friend of Carmy’s older brother, Michael. This is not the first show he’s acted alongside John Bernthal, who plays Michael in a flashback episode, as the two of them have also co-starred in The Punisher. Before Michael’s death, Richie was essentially The Beef's de facto manager, resulting in Carmy and Richie butting heads from the start of the season. Richie has never truly worked in a restaurant environment and did not understand why Carmy is so insistent on making changes to something he (Richie) sees nothing wrong with, despite the downhill spiral that the restaurant has been making in the past few years.
Richie’s character is explosive and easily agitated, contributing to many of the conflicts Carmy faces as he tries to pull his brother’s failing restaurant out of its early grave. He initially keeps Michael’s note to Carmy a secret but ultimately shares it with him, resulting in Carmy discovering all the cash his older brother left behind for him. At the end of the first season, it appears that Carmy and Richie might finally be on the same page, but based on their personalities, that might not last too long into the new season.
Lionel Boyce as Marcus – Pastry Chef
Nobody appreciates the skill and technique of baking more than Marcus does. Played by Lionel Boyce (The Jellies!), Marcus is the pastry chef for The Beef in the first season. He’s tasked with baking all the bread for the sandwiches the restaurant is famous for, but during the first season, he becomes obsessed with creating more than just bread. Inspired by Sydney and Carmy’s professional approach to a culinary lifestyle, he begins experimenting with different proofing techniques, ingredients, and… donuts.
Determined to create an exceptional donut, Marcus spends a lot of his time experimenting with different flavor profiles and donut designs, resulting in him falling behind on his duties in the kitchen. After Carmy loses his temper, Marcus quits and later meets with Sydney (after she had also quit) to discuss their future aspirations. While Marcus and Sydney return to work with Carmy in his restaurant, the two characters have demonstrated their willingness to walk away if things aren’t cohesive between management and staff.
Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina – Line Cook
Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment) nails the portrayal of her character Tina in the first season, reminding viewers of that one aunt that had little-to-no tolerance for anything she deemed unacceptable. As a veteran line cook, Tina embodies the ideology that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” She is so set in her ways that she butts heads with newcomer Sydney, who was given a superior role in the kitchen hierarchy (despite Sydney’s attempt to refer to it as a “chill-archy”).
Later in the first season, Tina brings her son, Louie (Pedro Enrique), into the restaurant to learn basic kitchen skills after he gets suspended from school. It’s an early introduction to his character, but he might likely show up in the new season if he develops a taste for working in the food industry.
Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim – Line Cook
Ebraheim, played by Edwin Lee Gibson, is a secondary character who leaves much room to delve into his personal life in the upcoming season. Gibson, who played Lionel “Happy” Halloway in the most recent season of Fargo, plays an experienced line cook in The Bear. As an immigrant, he is learning and grasping the concept of colloquial American English throughout the first season. Throughout the turmoil of the first season, he has maintained consistency as a line cook (and eventually Chef de Parti). Still, he will most likely have an episode or two dedicated to his backstory and internal struggles in the upcoming season.
Abby Elliot as Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto – Co-Owner
The character of “Sugar,” who is the restaurant's co-owner and older sister of Carmy and Michael, is played by Abby Elliot (Cheaper by the Dozen). Elliot is a second-generation SNL alumni, following the footsteps of her father, Chris Elliot. Sugar is concerned about Carmy after Michael’s death in the first season. She is relieved when he tells her he’s started attending Al-Anon meetings to deal with his grief and get better insight into what his brother was going through during his final years. Later in the season, she comes to the restaurant looking for documents needed for taxes that have yet to be paid, as she is legally tied to the business as a co-owner. She will be involved in the latest season as Carmy tries to rebrand The Beef into The Bear, especially after he discovers the money Michael left behind for him and the restaurant.
Sugar’s husband, Pete (Chris Witaske), appears sporadically in the first season. Despite his genuine and earnest efforts to be welcomed into the family, none of the other characters on the show seem to like him. He will most likely return for the second season, continuing his path of being treated like a puppy sprayed by a skunk.
Matty Matheson as Neil Fak
Matty Matheson, a renowned Canadian restaurateur, and comedian, plays the role of “Fak,” the go-to Mr. Fixer for all electrical and plumbing issues in the restaurant. He comes to Carmy’s assistance countless times throughout the first season, often adding comedic relief. As he was friends with Carmy and Michael throughout their childhood, he sometimes overstays his welcome but ultimately proves to be a true family friend and will probably continue to do so in the new season. Like Ebraheim’s character, he is likely due for an episode that highlights his backstory or internal struggles to develop his character further in Season 2.
Oliver Platt as Uncle Jimmy Cicero
Oliver Platt (Chicago Fire) appears in only two episodes of the first season of The Bear, but he will continue his role in the second season. As Carmy and Michael’s uncle, he is financially invested in the restaurant. In the second episode of the first season (and Platt’s introductory episode), he informs Carmy that Michael is in serious debt, owing $300,000 to him. To assuage his uncle’s financial pressure, Carmy agrees to cater a children’s birthday party for Cicero and accidentally spikes the ecto-cooler punch with Xanax. Cicero found this hilarious, but there’s no doubt he will return in the second season to ask for some of the cash that Carmy found at the end of the first season.
Molly Gordon as Claire
As if Carmy didn’t have enough to worry about in the first season, Season 2 introduces us to Claire, a figure from Carmy's past. Played by Molly Gordon (Booksmart), Claire will have at least eight episodes out of the 10 to possibly spark a new relationship with Carmy. While we know that they knew each other before, details are scarce as to how they actually met and why they grew apart.
Guest Stars
In addition to Molly Gordon joining the cast for Season 2, Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) will guest star as a Copenhagen-based chef who takes Marcus under his wing to train. Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) will also guest star in an undisclosed role, and Robert Townsend (Kaleidoscope) will appear as Sydney’s father. As of June 22, all ten episodes of The Bear Season 2 are now available to stream on Hulu. Thank you, chef!
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