FX Networks
Universally hailed as one of the best new shows of 2022, Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo’s heart-stopping culinary epic is returning for a second installment sooner than you might have expected. Here’s everything we know so far.
In a nutshell:
Carmy, Sydney, and co will remain in the kitchen for a second season of the critically acclaimed Disney+ drama, which will track The Original Beef of Chicagoland’s transformation into the former’s new restaurant, named The Bear.
Who will be in the cast of The Bear season 2?
All of The Bear’s major players—newly minted Golden Globe, SAG, and Critics’ Choice Award winner Jeremy Allen White (Carmy), Ayo Edebiri (Sydney), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie), Lionel Boyce (Marcus), Liza Colón-Zayas (Tina), Edwin Lee Gibson (Ebraheim), Corey Hendrix (Gary) and Abby Elliott (Sugar)—are expected to reprise their roles for season two. However, it’s not yet known if we’ll see more of either Mikey (Carmy and Sugar’s late brother, as played by Jon Bernthal) or the abusive executive chef Carmy worked under in New York, embodied by Joel McHale, via flashbacks. Molly Ringwald, who delivered a moving monologue as a guest star, may not be back either, but other familiar faces will feature: Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk, who, per Variety, has a yet-to-be-disclosed guest role; and Booksmart and Shiva Baby’s Molly Gordon, in a key recurring part. Considering the frenzy around the show’s second season, more A-list cameos could be on the cards, too.
What will be the plot of The Bear season 2?
The first season ended with—spoiler alert—Carmy discovering vast sums of cash stuffed inside the tins of tomatoes in their kitchen. In the final minutes of the last episode, we see him hanging up a sign on the door of The Original Beef of Chicagoland that says: “The Beef is closed. Thank you for your patronage. The Bear is coming.” Season two should, in theory, pick up where this leaves off, following Carmy and the team as they set up their new establishment.
More clues can be found in a recent interview that Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Christopher Storer, and Joanna Calo gave to Variety. Considering the way the first installment ended, White told the publication that he doesn’t believe Carmy is in a position to be a mentor to Sydney this time around. “I hope that’s something that’s explored a little bit in the second season—if he can kind of get out of his own way a little bit, how can he help everybody else in the kitchen, and also how can they help him?” he said. “I think, in this first season, he had a lot of selfish thinking going on. I think he wanted to be there for Sydney, but I don’t think he was capable.” Calo adds that while season one was about “finding a family and feeling anchored,” season two will focus on hospitality, taking care of others, and making the cast’s lives a bit bigger.
Also due to be covered? Whether or not Sydney will get profit sharing once the new restaurant opens. “It really is the natural extension,” said Storer. “The thing we talk about a lot is that winning is losing, so even though they have this new opportunity, it still creates a lot of the same problems. What does Carmen and Sydney’s dream restaurant look like? But also, at the same time, what is a dream restaurant in 2023? I think that’s the thing they’re sort of battling with.”
On 15 May, an official logline was released, too. It reads: “Carmy, Sydney, and Richie work to transform their grimy sandwich joint into a next-level spot. As they strip the restaurant down to its bones, the crew undertakes transformational journeys of their own, each forced to confront the past and reckon with who they want to be in the future. Of course, it turns out the only thing harder than running a restaurant is opening a new one, and the team must juggle the insane bureaucracy of permits and contractors with the beauty and creative agony of menu planning. The transition brings a newfound focus on hospitality as well. As the entire staff is forced to come together in new ways, pushing the boundaries of their abilities and relationships, they also learn what it means to be in service, both to diners and each other.”
Is there a trailer for The Bear season 2?
An official trailer dropped on 15 May, and it features Carmy and co-preparing for the reopening, testing out new recipes, and interviewing new recruits.
When is the release date for The Bear season 2?
Season two of The Bear will arrive on 19 July. Even more good news? There will be 10 episodes this time around, compared to season one’s eight.
Will there be more seasons of The Bear?
Quite possibly. In the Variety interview, it was reported that the producers had planned out season two at the same time as season one and that they “have a roadmap for the entire series but aren’t sharing just yet how long they see the show going.” Let’s hope there are many more seasons to come.
This article was originally published on British Vogue.
