1 of 7 | Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White hold their awards for Best Performance for "The Bear" during the Golden Globe Awards on January 7, 2024. The cast is working on Season 3 of the series. Here are five similar food shows to watch. File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI |
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Feb. 26 (UPI) -- FX's runaway hit The Bear is charging into 2024. With production of its third season underway in Chicago and stars Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri cleaning up at award shows including the Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG Awards, viewers are hungry for their next helping of the high-intensity show.
The Bear, created by Christopher Storer, stars White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a young chef who inherits his family's sandwich shop in Chicago after his brother dies. White is joined by actors Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays cousin Richie, and Edebiri, who plays sous chef Sydney, as they try to turn around the popular yet dysfunctional destination, The Original Beef.
On Season 2 of the show, the staff of The Original Beef, including actors Matty Matheson, L-Boy and Liza Colón-Zayas, worked to renovate the restaurant and its menu. It also featured guest stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney and Olivia Colman.
While fans wait for Season 3 of the series, which was renewed in November, here are five similar food shows to watch:
'Chef' -- Prime Video
This 2014 film stars Jon Favreau as rising chef Carl Casper, who, after a very public meltdown, leaves his job to start a food truck with his son and sous chef. This film features well known actors John Leguizamo, Robert Downey Jr., Sofia Vergara, Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson and The Bear-mainstay Oliver Platt, who plays a food critic.
Like The Bear, this film examines the high-anxiety found in a professional kitchen and the people who thrive in that environment. Chef also has a heart, as it centers around Carl's patchy relationship with his son, played by Emjay Anthony.
'Kitchen Nightmares' -- Hulu
Starting on Fox and BBC America, Kitchen Nightmares has been running since 2007 and stars celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Ramsay, who has multiple TV shows and restaurants located around the world and is well known for his temper and reputation as a "tough boss."
Much like the fictional restaurant, The Original Beef on The Bear, many of the eateries featured in the show are dysfunctional, a bit run down and on the verge of closure. With just weeks to turn around the business, in some cases, restaurant owners turn to Ramsay to revamp their locations, menu and operational model. There are currently more than 90 episodes from six seasons streaming on Hulu.
'Big Night' -- Prime Video
This 1996 film stars Stanley Tucci and Tony Shaloub as brothers who open an Italian restaurant in New Jersey during the 1950s. Chef Primo (Shalhoub) and businessman/head waiter Secondo (Tucci) open their dream restaurant, but the authentic food doesn't suit local tastes. Struggling to maintain the business, the brothers hear a celebrity singer is coming to town and they dive into preparations for a "big night" to save the restaurant.
Like The Bear, Big Night focuses on the family dynamic behind the kitchen line but also speaks to the cutthroat restaurant business. Although it flew under the radar upon release, the film garnered critical acclaim and several awards from Sundance Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards, the National Board of Review and the National Society of Film Critics.
'Gentefied' -- Netflix
Released in 2020 on Netflix, Gentefied lasted two seasons and followed three cousins -- Chris, Erik and Ana -- who join together to keep the family's taco shop in business after their grandfather, the owner, dies. The series was launched after the success of the movie by the same name, which won several awards in 2017.
Set in Los Angeles, the dramedy was produced by America Ferrera and stars J.J. Soria, Karrie Martin Lachney, Ana Morales and Joaquín Cosio. Gentefied looks at the restaurant business through the lens of a family. And, just like The Bear, it highlights the struggles constantly working and living with family can bring.
'Sweetbitter' -- Starz, Hulu
Sweetbitter showcases what its like to break into the world of fine-dining and how that experience differs for men and women. The drama series originally premiered on Starz in 2018 and lasted two seasons.
The show, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Stephanie Danler, sources her real life experience while working in New York City's Union Square Café when she was 22. It stars Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) and Tom Sturridge (The Sandman).
