In case you did not know, The Bear is a psychological comedy-drama TV show (which first aired in 2022). In the series, Carmy (a young chef from the fine dining world) returns to Chicago to take over his family’s sandwich shop after a devastating loss.
Far from the environment he’s accustomed to, Carmy faces the harsh realities of running a small business, managing a headstrong and stubborn kitchen staff, and navigating complicated family dynamics, all while dealing with the aftermath of his brother’s suicide.
As Carmy strives to transform both the shop and himself, he discovers that his rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew becomes his chosen family.
The Bear has to be one of the best TV shows that I’ve watched in the last 10 years. It features performances by Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott and Matty Matheson.
There’s probably a lot that you don’t know about this show, but today my aim is to change that..
Here are 11 Interesting Facts You Might Not Have Known About The Bear TV Show
1. Jeremy Allen White (who plays Carmy) attended cooking school for two weeks and gained hands-on experience working in the kitchens of several restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Pasjoli, to prepare for the show.
2. No hand doubles were used in the making of The Bear. The actors performed all of the chopping and prep themselves.
3. Matty Matheson (who plays “Fak”) is a professional chef. Ironically, he doesn’t cook a single dish in the show.
4. The Bear is inspired by the early career of legendary Michelin star chef Marco Pierre White.
5, The character of Carmy is loosely inspired by real-life Chicago chef Charlie Trotter.
6. The series features a high frequency of the f-word. Across 18 episodes, the word and its variations are used 1,052 times, averaging once every 34 seconds. In one episode (1×07), it is used every 13 seconds.
7. This is Jeremy Allen White’s second show set in Chicago; his first was Shameless.
8. Series creator Christopher Storer has revealed to Uproxx that The Original Beef of Chicagoland is inspired by a friend’s restaurant.
He explained, “We make it clear that it’s set in 2022, but there’s also a timeless quality to this place. It’s based on my friend’s restaurant in Chicago, located in the beautiful River North area, yet it’s a relic from a different era. There’s a sign inside that says, ‘Even though it’s 2022 out there, it’s 1998 in here.'”
9. Storer and executive producer Josh Senior personally selected the songs for the show’s soundtrack. Storer explained to Uproxx, “We ended up becoming the music supervisors out of sheer necessity. We thought, ‘Let’s save some money and just handle it ourselves.'”
10. Pastry chef Marcus, portrayed by Lionel Boyce, is obsessed with perfecting the doughnut. The sweet treats featured in season one were prepared by professional baker Sarah Mispagel-Lustbader, who instructed Lionel on the finishing touches.
“She would prep the cakes and show me how to do the final steps,” he told Vulture. “It would be me applying the frosting, glazing, or filling the doughnuts… I’m just doing the finishing touches because baking takes so long. We don’t have eight hours to film the whole process from start to finish. It’s all TV magic.”
11. The cast refer to each other as ‘chef’ even when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Well, there you have it, 11 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know about The Bear TV Show. If I’ve left out something important, feel free to comment below.
Check out the trailer for the first season of the show below:
You can stream The Bear on Disney+.
Watch this space for updates in the TV category on Interesting Facts.
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