Streaming: A star and a surprise guest: News from “The Bear”

Dozens of Emmy awards and nominations, lots of critical acclaim and a leading actor on everyone’s lips: Since the launch of “The Bear” two years ago, a real hype has developed around the series. The third season, about the staff of a restaurant in Chicago, will start on August 14 on Disney+. The series’ recipe for success is still the same: a charismatic star, deep characters and an unusual setting.

A new image of men

Jeremy Allen White plays the lead role as Carmy, a gifted but stressed-out chef. The 33-year-old American has been omnipresent lately. Parallel to the series’ success, Allen White established himself as a star in Hollywood, in which some people see a new image of men: muscular and outwardly very traditionally masculine, but at the same time with dreamy, soft sides. An advertising campaign as an underwear model cemented his erotic image, which is a frequent topic on social networks.

Allen White is certainly one of the main reasons why “The Bear – King of the Kitchen” has become so popular. He plays the main character in season three with great skill. At first glance, Carmy seems apathetic and beside himself. But injuries and traumas that are rooted in his violent family history and his tough training as a star chef shine through again and again.

A series that thrives on strong characters

“The Bear” shows everyday life in a restaurant kitchen, which is hectic and often nerve-wracking. It seems so realistic that it can also cause stress in the audience – which is reinforced by camera work with very fast cuts and pans. One might wonder why this didn’t scare off so many viewers.

One answer: You’ve never seen such an unfiltered view of the rough everyday life of a restaurant owner. In season three, several actual gourmet chefs play small roles. A second explanation: “The Bear” balances out the stress with cleverly written, multi-layered characters. You really want to know what happens next.

And so it goes on

In the third season, Carmy drifts into a kind of manic ambition after his failed relationship. After a long renovation phase, his restaurant “The Bear” has just reopened when he decides to change the menu every day from now on.

This causes head chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) to question how equal she is in the joint project “The Bear”. And whether she should draw conclusions from this that could threaten the future of the restaurant. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), on the other hand, struggles with loneliness and the fact that his ex-partner is going to marry someone else.

This new partner is portrayed in a surprising cameo appearance by Josh Hartnett. Once famous with films such as “Pearl Harbor” and “Black Hawk Down”, the 46-year-old is currently celebrating a small comeback with blockbusters such as “Oppenheimer” and “Trap: No Way Out”. In “The Bear” he wears bitten, red-painted nails and unfortunately gives Richie no reason not to like him.

Little plot, lots of curses

The kitchen team has long since become a kind of unruly chosen family. But in the third season, you sometimes get the feeling that the creators around Christopher Storer rely too much on the interaction of their great actors. A little more action wouldn’t have hurt.

But there is still plenty of it: impressively staged food, for example asparagus with duck egg and potato, ravioli with peas and parmesan foam, sirloin with mushroom and cherry jus. There is also excellently used film music, which still consists mainly of atmospheric indie rock. And a cast that swears more than in probably any other series.