‘The Bear’ Creator Teases Season 2 Leans Into the ‘Lighter Side’ of Kitchen Chaos

Jeremy Allen White in 'The Bear'
Preview
Matt Dinerstein/FX

The what for Season 2 of the comedy-drama gem The Bear is no secret: We last saw genius chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Golden Globe winner Jeremy Allen White) hanging a window sign reading “The Bear Is Coming Soon” to signal the end of The Beef, his family’s struggling Chicago restaurant. Now the question is how.

Carmy and the staff must somehow work together to make The Bear, a more upscale Windy City eatery, a reality. “They think they’re starting from a healthy place,” says show creator Christopher Storer.

Carmy’s bolstered by the roughly $300,000 he found stashed in tomato cans by his late brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal), who had dreamed of franchising the old business before his suicide.

Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White in 'The Bear' Season 2

(Credit: FX)

Still, Storer adds, “A [new] restaurant just creates the same amount of problems and headaches every day. We see everyone step up in different ways to open this thing by a very specific date.”

Despite those challenges, expect a palate cleanser: “For Season 2, we found ourselves leaning a little more into the lighter side,” says executive producer Joanna Calo. Sounds tempting!

FX’s The Bear, Season 2 Premiere, Thursday, June 22, Hulu

This is an excerpt from TV Insider’s June issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the issue, currently on newsstands or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.

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