Selome Hailu “The Bear” became an overnight sensation when its first season debuted in 2022 because of its visceral honesty about how it looks and feels to work in a restaurant. Much of the credit for that belongs to Courtney Storer. Storer, sister of series creator Chris Storer, has worked in high-profile kitchens from Verjus in Paris to Jon & Vinny’s in L.A., but her most recent job has been to serve as “The Bear’s” culinary producer, getting the writers, cast and crew acclimated to the world the series takes place in. “In Season 1, it was it was a lot of storytelling with the writers, but also providing my journals and different training guides to give insight into the ethos of restaurants,” Storer says. “It’s bigger than the conflicts: It’s the decision-making, the structure, the procedures, the recipes.”
‘The Bear’s’ Jeremy Allen White Says Syd Wasn’t Jealous of Carmy and Claire, Defends ‘Beautiful’ Platonic Relationship
01.07.2023 - 02:39 / variety.com
Emily Longeretta SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Season 2 of “The Bear,” now streaming on Hulu. In Season 2 of “The Bear,” Jeremy Allen White’s Carmen Berzatto finally let his walls down and explored interests outside the kitchen. It didn’t work out well for him — but he did try. Carmy also had to balance his friendship and working relationship with partner Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), who kept her eye on the prize when he seemingly became distracted. Throughout the second season, viewers also learned more about Carmy’s upbringing, specifically in the star-studded sixth episode, “Fishes.” That episode was a flashback to the family’s last Christmas together, with Jamie Lee Curtis appearing as his troubled mother, and Jon Bernthal returning as his brother, Michael, on the verge of a breakdown.
Here, White opens up to Variety about Season 2’s arcs, Carmy and his mother’s relationship and his hopes for the chef down the line, both personally and professionally. How are you feeling this time around versus the release of the first season? I think there was kind of a much slower sort of build in the first season. it felt like it kind of came in waves, and there was a word of mouth thing happening. And this time, it feels like we got shot out of a cannon or something. It all feels very, very immediate. Putting all the episodes out at the same time again, it’s kind of wild. Do you have a preference on that? I know it’s not your call, but whether the show comes out as a binge or weekly? Above my pay grade to make that choice, but I personally like to watch shows that I really love slowly. But, that’s an option even with all the episodes out at once. We give them options. After Season 1, we talked about how you felt
Alicia Vikander Wants to Put ‘Beautiful and Nasty and Unapologetic’ Women on the Screen
Karim Ainouz film “Firebrand,” in which she stars as the 16th-century British queen Catherine Parr opposite Jude Law’s King Henry VIII. For Vikander, it marked a return to the Czech Republic, where she made her first international movie, 2012’s “A Royal Affair,” starring as another queen, Denmark’s controversial 16th-century monarch Caroline Matilda.In between those two royal dramas, Vikander has starred in movies that include “Anna Karenina,” “Ex Machina,” “Jason Bourne,” “The Green Knight” and “The Danish Girl,” for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.During her trip to Karlovy Vary, Vikander sat down with TheWrap for a discussion of “Firebrand,” the importance of depicting honest, unapologetic women onscreen and just how disgusting it was to smell the special perfume Jude Law commissioned to capture the scent of a dying Henry VIII.
‘The Bear’: Will Poulter “begged” creators to cast him in season 2
Black Mirror star Will Poulter has recalled how he “literally begged” the producers of The Bear to cast him in the show’s new second season.Poulter is one of many new faces in the second season of the Disney+ show which lands in the UK on July 19. He stars as pastry chef Luca and is joined in the new season by Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Olivia Colman and more.Speaking to Variety about the role, Poulter discussed his love of the Jeremy Allen White-starring show’s first season, and how strongly he put his case forward to be cast.“I called them.
Coronation Street's Charlotte Jordan says it 'wasn't intentional' as she cosies up to co-star at festival
Coronation Street star Charlotte Jordan was left saying it 'wasn't intentional as she proved she and her co-star are just as in sync off-screen as they are on it. The actress, who plays Daisy Migeley in the ITV soap, ditched the cobbles for the fields as she headed to Lytham Festival.
TCA Awards Nominations: ‘Succession’, ‘The Bear’ & ‘The Last Of Us’ Lead; HBO/Max Laps Field With 20 Noms
There won’t be a TCA Summer Tour this year, but the Television Critics Association is out with the nominees for its 39th annual TCA Awards. Wrapped HBO Emmy winner Succession, sophomore FX dramedy The Bear and HBO’s freshman drama The Last of Us lead the field with five noms each. See the full list below.
TCA Awards: ‘Succession,’ ‘The Last Of Us’ & ‘The Bear’ Lead 2023 Nominations
The Television Critics Association revealed its nominations for its 39th Annual TCA Awards with Succession, The Last of Us and The Bear leading the charge. Winners are scheduled to be announced on Monday, August 7.
‘Succession,’ ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘The Bear’ Lead 2023 TCA Awards Nominations
“Succession” and “The Last of Us” are facing Disney+’s “Andor,” AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” AMC’s “Interview with a Vampire,” Paramount+’s “The Good Fight,” HBO’s “The White Lotus” and Showtime’s “Yellowjackets.” As for individual acting achievements between the two leaders, both Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay were nominated for “The Last of Us,” and Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong were nominated for “Succession.”As for comedies, nomination leader “The Bear” will be facing off against “Abbott Elementary” in Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. The ABC hit took home the top honor last year.
TCA Award Nominations: ‘The Bear,’ ‘Succession,’ ‘The Last of Us’ Lead With Five Nominations Each
Selome Hailu Though the Television Critics Association’s (TCA) summer 2023 press tour was canceled as a result of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, the annual TCA Awards move forward. This year, the final season of “Succession” was joined by two Season 1 series, “The Last of Us” and “The Bear,” as the most-nominated projects. Each was nominated for five awards among the fourteen total categories. TCA also added two new categories to the list this year, splitting Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming into separate awards for children’s and family programming.
‘The Bear’: How Ramy Youssef and Lionel Boyce Crafted Marcus’ Copenhagen Adventure
Selome Hailu Though production on Season 2 of “The Bear” was well underway before Ramy Youssef traveled to Copenhagen to direct the fourth episode, series creator Chris Storer was slow to bring him fully behind the curtain. “He didn’t let me watch anything they had shot [in the first three episodes]. He was like, ‘No, no. You can see it when you come back, but just make this what you think it should be,'” Youssef remembers. Youssef is the first and only person to serve as a director on “The Bear” besides Storer and his co-showrunner Joanna Calo. When a tight production timeline made it impossible for Storer or Calo to direct in Copenhagen on top of nine Chicago-set episodes, Youssef was Storer’s first choice. Storer has been a director and executive producer on Youssef’s Hulu series “Ramy” since its 2019 debut, and had bounced ideas for “The Bear” off of him since “way back when it was a movie idea.”
‘The Bear’ Creator Christopher Storer Joins Mob Movie That Once Intrigued Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann
Brent Lang Executive Editor Christopher Storer is no slouch when it comes to orchestrating kitchen chaos, having created the hit Hulu comedy-drama “The Bear.” Now, he’ll turn his camera on “The Winter of Frankie Machine” and trade trades the tense world of short-order cooking for a mob story about a hitman who is lured out of retirement to set up a meeting between waring crime families only to turn into a target himself. It’s a mean streets saga that previously attracted attention from the likes of Martin Scorsese, who was set to make it at Paramount Pictures with Robert De Niro, only to abandon it in favor of “The Irishman”; as well as Michael Mann and William Friedkin.
‘The Bear’ Creator Christopher Storer To Direct Don Winslow Novel Adaptation ‘The Winter Of Frankie Machine’ At Paramount
EXCLUSIVE: As his series creation The Bear turned in record Season Two ratings for Hulu, Christopher Storer is set to direct at Paramount Pictures The Winter of Frankie Machine, an adaptation of the 2006 Don Winslow novel. The film will be produced by Shane Salerno and The Story Factory, and Storer will use the Brian Koppelman & David Levien draft those writers did when Martin Scorsese was going to direct Robert De Niro in the lead role.
'The Bear' Season 2's Chocolate Banana, Taylor Swift References and More, Explained
FX's has returned with season 2, continuing its story about a chef forced to take over his family's Chicago-area sandwich shop. Created by Christopher Storer, the acclaimed dramedy stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmen «Carmy» Berzatto, the culinary star who returns home after his brother's untimely death while he works through his personal and professional drama at The Original Beef. Season 1 saw Carmy bringing on sous chef Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) while also clashing with longtime staffers, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson), Neil (Matty Matheson) and Marcus (Lionel Boyce), as he made dramatic changes to the establishment.
‘The Bear’: Jon Bernthal Breaks Down ‘F—ing Tense’ Dinner Scene With Bob Odenkirk, That Improvised Table Flip and Mikey’s ‘Ugliness’
Emily Longeretta SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Season 2 of “The Bear,” now streaming on Hulu. “Fishes,” the sixth episode of “The Bear” Season 2, flashes back to the last Berzatto Christmas. In one of the most exciting episodes of TV this year, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, John Mulaney and Sarah Paulson join the chaotic family for a stress-inducing dinner sequence, which also features the return of Jon Bernthal as Michael. During Season 1, audiences learned that Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) brother died by suicide and held quite a lot of secrets. “Fishes” provides a glimpse into the life Mikey was living, under his mother’s roof. In an explosive back-and-forth with Lee (Odenkirk), Mikey erupts in rage and throws forks at his “uncle” as he scolds Mikey and calls him “nothing.”
'The Bear' Season 2 Guide to Every Guest Star, From Jamie Lee Curtis to John Mulaney
, FX's acclaimed dramedy about a fine-dining chef who takes over his late brother's failing Chicago sandwich shop, has returned with a stellar — and even more delicious — season 2. Adding to all the excitement and drama in the new episodes are a number of previously unannounced guest stars, from Jamie Lee Curtis to John Mulaney to Oliva Colman, who all make unexpected — but very notable — appearances throughout. Created by Christopher Storer, stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy, the put-upon chef who returned home in the wake of his brother, Michael's (Jon Bernthal), suicide.
‘The Bear’ Viewership Spikes 70% With Season 2 Launch, Marking FX’s Most-Watched Hulu Premiere
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Fans spent a lot of the time out of the kitchen and in front of the TV over the weekend, saying “Yes, chef,” to the second season of FX’s “The Bear.” On Tuesday, FX and Hulu announced “The Bear” Season 2 had seen a 70% increase in total hours streamed in the first four days following its June 22 launch — when compared to the FX comedy’s first season stats over that same post-premiere time period. While FX and Hulu did not reveal the actual streaming figures behind that data point, the Disney-owned brands did confirm “The Bear’s” second season debut was the most-watched premiere of any FX series on Hulu.
A Complete Guide to the Star-Studded Cameos in Hulu’s ‘The Bear’: From Jamie Lee Curtis to Jon Bernthal
Hulu’s series The Bear proved there’s no such thing as too many chefs in the kitchen after two seasons of star-studded cameos.
‘The Bear’ Is at Its Very Best With ‘Forks,’ a Sensitive Spotlight on Cousin Richie
Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic On the second season of “The Bear,” FX’s breakout restaurant drama, each character gets a moment to shine. But few seize it with quite such abandon as Richie. As played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Richie spent much of the first season at top volume and vein-popping intensity, perennially there to remind Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) of the chaos in the restaurant’s kitchen, and to add to it. Which makes him an unlikely candidate to train, for a period, at a true fine-dining restaurant, but so he does. Much as Marcus (Lionel Boyce) flies to Copenhagen to apprentice as a high-level pastry chef, so too does Richie “stage” in an upscale Chicago this show hadn’t yet shown us, so that he may learn the essentials of service.
Why the Owner of the Shop That Inspired ‘The Bear’ Hasn’t Seen the Show: ‘Somebody’s Still Got to Make Beef’
Sophia Scorziello editor Chris Zucchero, owner of Chicago’s beloved Italian sandwich shop Mr. Beef, is on the “L” trying to get a word in on the phone. He just wrapped up a long two days of catering parties for FX’s “The Bear” Season 2, providing hot Italian beef sandwiches with sweet peppers and spicy giardiniera for Hollywood’s finest. “The Bear” creator Christopher Storer — who Zucchero has been friends with since kindergarten — based “The Bear” on the classic establishment and shot about 90% of the pilot in Mr. Beef. Storer even cast Zucchero in the pilot as the guy in the parking lot who deals meat to Jeremy Allen White’s character Carmy.
‘The Bear’ Burning Questions After Season 2 Finale: Did the Restaurant Thrive? How Will the Staff Continue to Work Together?
Warning: This story contains spoilers about the plot of The Bear season 2.
Forget Jeremy Allen White — this is chef to lust after on ‘The Bear’ Season 2
Jeremy Allen White, there’s a new chef in town on “The Bear” that fans are going gaga over: Will Poulter’s tattooed pastry chef character, Luca. “will poulter in the bear s2. look at his fine ass i cannot,” one hot and bothered fan tweeted. Another viewer said, “Yes yes Jeremy Allen White, but may I give you The Bear Season 2’s major thirst object: Tattoo’d pastry chef Will Poulter.”Season 1 of the hit FX/ Hulu show, which premiered last summer, followed Carmy (White, 32), a chef from the fine dining world who returns to his home of Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after his brother’s death.