The Funniest Aspect of “The Bear”? Sweeping the Emmys
TV watchers have expressed their opinions about the FX show "The Bear" and its many, many wins at the Emmys. Credit: Kevin Woblick on Unsplash
Many would agree that when FX’s “The Bear” debuted in 2022, it immediately established itself as one of the best shows on television. With three seasons now under its belt, the show’s status has only risen, racking up numerous awards and a large, established fan base.
The show’s quality can’t be disputed, but what has caused a rift amongst the show’s fanbase and others alike has to do with its nominations, and subsequent wins, at the Emmy Awards.
The Emmys are the night to award the best in television, and the last two ceremonies have seen “The Bear” completely dominate, racking up award after award. This would be all well and good, but what has many up in arms is the show winning all of these awards in the comedy categories, rather than the drama categories.
Coming from someone who has seen the show, it’s definitely not a comedy. “Hacks” is a comedy. “Abbott Elementary” is a comedy. “Ted Lasso” is a comedy. “The Bear” is not. Sure, it has little pieces of comedic bits scattered throughout, especially from characters like Richie, played by Ebon-Moss Bachrach, and Jimmy, played by Oliver Platt, but the majority of the show should be classified as drama.
“The Bear,” for both of its two seasons, has been placed in the comedy category at the Emmys, and the main argument is that the competition in the drama category is way stiffer. Also, FX usually has other shows that it places in the drama categories, so it doesn’t want two of its shows competing against each other.
Going up against “Succession” at the last ceremony was a death wish, given that the show was a total juggernaut at the Emmys that couldn’t be stopped. This year, it was “Shogun” that dominated, and that would’ve been way harder to go up against, compared to the shows in the comedy categories, like “Hacks,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” “Abbott Elementary” and “Only Murders in the Building.
I understand the argument that the show can be considered a “dark comedy,” or is rooted in its comedic moments, but I’d disagree. Episodes like “Fishes” and “Review” dispute that entirely, given the fact that they are rooted in drama, but have moments of comedy on the surface.
That’s what “The Bear” is, inherently. It’s not a comedy show with dramatic undertones, it’s the exact opposite. That’s totally fine, but if the basis of your show hinges on its dramatic storytelling, it shouldn’t be considered a comedy, even if it has comedic moments.
Although the show picked up a lot of awards at the ceremony, it did lose a few that many thought were shoo-ins, like “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Comedy Series,” both going to “Hacks,” a show many people believe should be winning because it’s a “true comedy.”
Did this happen because Emmy voters are sick of “The Bear” sweeping and want to award true comedy? Have they heard online discourse? That could be the case.
However, the one thing disproving this was the completely random win “The Bear” picked up in “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series” for Liza Colón-Zayas.
Everyone thought this category was a nonstarter and that Hannah Einbinder of “Hacks” was an easy pick for her awesome performance in the show's third season.
Einbinder, and many other people in the audience, were shocked when Kaitlin Olsen announced Colón-Zayas as the winner. Even Colón-Zayas herself seemed surprised.
Einbinder’s own mother, actress and comedian Laraine Newman, took aim at the Emmys and “The Bear” on X before the ceremony kicked off, saying “Every time I think about ‘The Bear’ being in the comedy category for the Emmys I can feel an ulcer developing.”
After “The Bear” went on to set the record for the most Emmy wins by a comedy series in a single year, Newman tweeted “F***. THE. BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
She finished off with, “I think the Bear is a great show but IMHO it’s not a comedy — not even a dark comedy.”
Although all of these tweets have since been deleted, she clearly shares the same sentiment that a lot of people seemingly do as well.
Throughout the whole ceremony, it was evident, judging from the reactions of a lot of nominees in the crowd, that there were moans and groans every time “The Bear” won an award. Many of these people, including the actors, producers and showrunners, believe it’s taking away awards from the actual comedies.
Does the show deserve awards? Yes, because it’s one of the best shows on TV. However, placing yourself in the comedy categories is a cop-out, because everyone knows it’s arguably the best show there.
No one would be complaining if the show was sweeping in the drama categories, because at its core, the show is a drama. Maybe FX and the show’s producers should consider making the switch at the next Emmy Awards and give in to friendly competition.