The Bear is back for season two and fans are loving the new episodes. The second installment was launched on Disney+ on 22nd July 2023 for viewers in the UK, shortly after it launched on Hulu in the US.
Season two moves away from the protagonist Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his struggle re-adapting in Chicago as he returns home after his brother's death. Instead, the mew series now focuses on Carmy's group efforts along with fellow chefs Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Richard "Richie" Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) to turn the sandwich shop into an upscale restaurant.
From building a menu to getting permits, the daily struggles of the characters involve co-working with each other while accepting the past.
What happened in The Bear season one?
Season one of the Christopher Storer series revolved around young award-winning chef Carmy returning to his home in Chicago after his brother committed suicide. Carmy takes it upon himself to revive and manage his brother's sandwich shop.
What comes along is a series of comical mishaps. The dark culinary comedy explored topics like food, grief, family, and personal struggles that have caught viewers' hearts, critical acclamations, and 13 Emmy Award nominations, including one for outstanding comedy.
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Is season two based on a true story?
The second season of the kitchen drama is currently streaming on Disney+ and the fans are gripped by the attention to detail that perfectly resembles the restaurant culture in Chicago. It is true that Chicago is known for its famous Italian Beef sandwiches and that is what The Bear seems to capture. However, as perfectly as Christopher mirrored the existing shops in the state, The Bear is not based on a true story.
The show has although has taken inspiration from existing places in Chicago and events that have happened in the director's life. Carmy's sandwich shop known as The Bear has been copied from the real-life Chicago shop Mr. Beef on Orlean. The show's creator is a friend of Chris Zucchero who is the son of Mr. Beef's founder. This might be a hint as to how Christopher is privy to details when it comes to restaurants.
Similarly, Christopher's curiosity about the restaurant business has led him to talk to multiple chefs about their experiences. The Bear director told Esquire: "I can't tell you how many chefs told me, 'Oh, yeah, on opening night a toilet exploded.' Or the sink didn’t work. Or whatever it was. The cooking? That's one skill of a hundred that it takes to operate a place."
The Bear team has gone to many lengths to create an authentic version of the existing culture. To begin with, Jeremy Allen White who plays the lead role spent two weeks in intense training at the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena, California. "I worked in several really wonderful restaurants in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York," Jeremy told EW.
When it comes to interiors, the show has not only replicated a The Beef sandwich shop but there were days when the crew shot scenes in the real-life The Beef restaurant while customers had to wait.
Another reason for Christopher's fiction work to seem more authentic is the team’s regular collaboration with celebrity chef Matty Matheson who can be often seen making a cameo as the restaurant’s handyman Neil Fak.
Lastly, what amazed most fans or might amaze you now is Chris Zucchero who is the son of the late founder of the real Mr. Beef makes a cameo in the season that proves how far Christopher can go to have the authenticity factor stitched to the series.
All the episodes of the fictional yet seemingly realistic series are now streaming on Disney+.
