How does The Bear season three measure up?

Jeremy Allen White and Matty Matheson in still from season three of The Bear

Could season three of The Bear have been better? 'I know what Carmy would say'

(Image credit: Disney+)

published 2 July 2024

Season three of "The Bear" premiered to its highest numbers yet, pulling in more than 5.4 million worldwide views in the first four days of streaming.

Given the astonishing success of the first two seasons, and how the show is "churning out superstars quicker than plates on the pass", it's little wonder expectations are sky high, said Rebecca Nicholson in The Guardian.

The show follows troubled chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) as he tries to transform his family's Chicago sandwich shop into a fine-dining restaurant following the death by suicide of his brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal). "When the show is flying, it really is wonderful television," said Nicholson, but season three is "not 'The Bear' at its best".

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While it still "elicits a deep fondness", the new series has a "circular" feel that keeps winding back to the idea that Carmy may be stuck in a hopeless loop, forever repeating his mistakes. "Dogged repetition is the enemy of convincing story telling. It needs to move." And his sous chef Sydney (the "excellent" Ayo Edebiri) is "somewhat sidelined" throughout the latest instalment. "What a waste."

The opening episode delves into Carmy's journey to becoming a chef, splicing together flashbacks from his previous kitchen roles into a virtually dialogue-free montage filled with "people making ravioli and tweezing edible flowers". It's "avant-garde stuff", said Nick Hilton in The Independent, that "comes dangerously close to being boring".

Showrunner Christopher Storer seems more interested in showing off his technical abilities than weaving together a "cohesive" series, said Richard Lawson in Vanity Fair. And "what passes for humour" is essentially just the characters shouting "fuck you" at each other: "an exhausting shtick repeated ad nauseum".

There is "room for hope", said John Nugent in Empire. The show's "conceptual boldness" and reluctance to stick to a linear narrative remains "its strongest card". There are some high points: perhaps the best episode of the season is Edebiri's directorial debut, "Napkins", in which we discover how line cook Tina (a "superb" Liza Colón-Zayas) came to work at the sandwich shop.

The "most profound" scenes come from the guest stars. Celebrated chefs Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud are among the real culinary talents to make an appearance in season three, nurturing Carmy early in his career. Alongside the "many wonderful guest turns", there are a handful of "genuinely mic-drop cameos" (the casting of handyman Fak's long-lost brother is "inspired").

All in all, the show's signature blend of "peace and chaos framed in superb camerawork and terrific performances" ensures "The Bear" remains "one of the very best shows on television", said Benji Wilson in The Telegraph. Could season three have been better? "I know what Carmy would say."

Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.