Few summer streaming series are as anticipated as The Bear Season 3. The restaurant-set dramedy has received ample critical praise and impressive award hardware since its debut in June 2022, including 10 Emmys for its first season and 23 nominations for its sophomore season this past June (a comedy series record). So it’s no surprise that fans and press alike are chomping at the bit for as many plot spoilers and behind-the-scenes info as they can find. You might think that would be easy to find, given the popularity of the series, but at their press conference in June, the Bear cast was tight-lipped and careful not to give too much away in advance of the series debut.
Many questions from the assembled press were met with apologetic shrugs or full-out guffaws when Jeremy Allen White (Carmy Berzatto), Ayo Edebiri (Sydney), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie), Lionel Boyce (Marcus), Liza Colón-Zayas (Tina), Abby Elliott (Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto), and Ricky Staffieri (Ted) realized there wasn’t much they could share. They often looked to fellow castmate and executive producer Matty Matheson (Neil) to field some tougher ones. Now that the series has dropped, we can only imagine how much they might have to say now on topics from relationships to character arcs and more.
What the cast was keen to share, though, was their palpable love of the series, their roles and each other. Colón-Zayas raved about the opportunity to be a part of something as singular as The Bear: “I mean, the best cast, the best writers and creators, the crew, you know, there’s so much kindness. I love this. I love what we have going on.” Series star Allen White agreed wholeheartedly, saying, “it’s really special to all be together for as long as we get to.”
Though understandably tight-lipped, Allen White was able to give us a bit of insight into what’s in store for Carmy himself, particularly that he made it out of the walk-in refrigerator we last saw him in. But as for the rest of the season? “Carmy does what he does,” the actor said, shrugging, “which is that he sort of buries himself back into his work and really tries to challenge himself and in doing so, really challenges everybody around him.” Which we can only assume makes Carmy even more challenging to be around that he already was.
The tightly scripted third series sees fan-fave Edebiri step behind the camera, directing the sixth episode, titled ‘Napkins’. The Emmy winner gave some insight how it all came about. “[Chris Stoner and I] had a conversation, and he was like, ‘Which scripts are you responding to?’” Edebiri explained, “And I was like, ‘I would literally give you my firstborn child, who does not exist yet, if I could [direct] the Liza episode, because I would love to work with Liza in that way.’” Getting to work with her co-stars in a new capacity thrilled the Emmy-winner: “It just felt like a bit of a master class but also a gift.”
Edebiri wasn’t the only cast member adding to their Bear credits this season. Co-star and Executive Producer (and former chef) Matheson also co-authored the season premiere, ‘Tomorrow’. His time in culinary school was particularly handy when looking to add as much authenticity as possible to Carmy’s journey: “There are little pieces that you grab onto throughout your life, and that’s what makes you who you are, the good and the bad.”
When asked how they might sum up Season 3 in just one (non-spoilery) word, words like ‘precision’, “perfection’, ‘challenges’, and even ‘razzle dazzle’ were all thrown out as possibilities. Based on how things have been going so far, we’d be willing to bet “award-winning” is a safe bet too.
The Bear Season 3 is streaming now on Disney+ in Canada.
