There is a lot of great TV around at the moment, for example Andor, Shrinking and Sex Education just to name a few. However, I particularly want to call out the wonderful artistry of The Bear. It’s a show that is small in so many ways: Small cast of characters; small set; small stories but my goodness they’re powerful. They are so beautifully acted, set and produced.
Why is this even worthy of comment? Well it’s not a sequel or prequel, it’s not set in some pre-existing cinematic universe and it’s not trading on any big star names. We know many of the lead actors now, but when Season 1 came out, none of the core cast were household names, in the UK at least. Sex Ed had the marvellous Gillian Anderson and Shrinking has Harrison Ford and Jason Segel. They are fantastically good, but those names gave them more of a chance.
To my eye there’s something very pure and true about The Bear. It is consciously trying to be art. Unapologetically. And it delivers. The cinematography is stunning – watch how they show food being made and served. It’s gorgeous.
This show is opinionated too. It has something to say about why fine dining matters, how it’s a worthy pursuit. Perhaps more importantly it has a lot to say about family trauma and what it means to have survived it.
Finally the show respects the characters. They are true to themselves and develop in ways which feel authentic and important, even when painful to watch.
So far, touch wood, there isn’t a hint of trying to set things up for future sequels, spin-offs and padding. I hope they end when they are done and leave it at that. Then I will be able to return to The Bear whenever I need a dose of food, art and passion.
Jason Kitcat 