‘The Bear’ Season 1 vs. Season 2: Which Is Better?

The FX kitchen dramedy The Bear premiered its second season on June 22, 2023 and was met with high appraisal from critics and viewers alike. And, it appears that in the wake of the anticipation for the continuation of the award-winning series, many were quick to overlook some of the glaring issues that it presented. Now, it’s nothing new to compare the first and second seasons of a television show, and often, they fall into something that’s referred to as a “sophomore slump.” But that’s not exactly what happened to this show. So, how do you go about comparing the two? 

Well, first there’s the establishing of what a “sophomore slump” typically is. WhatCulture defines it as a trend that involves a second season not being able to “recreate” the “same sort of magic” as its predecessor, and that, “the writers and directors simply hadn’t planned too far ahead and have to cobble together scripts and plotlines in a relatively short amount of time.” Using similar language, Rotten Tomatoes defines it as a second season that has “truly lost [its] way.”

While I prefer the first season of The Bear to the second, I don’t think it’s a matter of “lost magic” or even lazy storytelling. Instead, it boils down to a few key changes that made the second season feel underwhelming from top to bottom. While it offered a few noteworthy episodes, like Episode 6 “Fishes,” as a whole, it felt disjointed. Here’s our comparison of Season 1 and Season 2 of The Bear using five different criteria: overarching storyline, characters and cameos, relationships, genre, and the finale. 

Overarching Plot

The first season of The Bear established itself as a claustrophobic kitchen nightmare that predominantly takes place in one location: the Original Beef of Chicagoland. Through eight episodes, the characters were introduced and established within the context of the restaurant, and only time would tell who they are outside of it. When the season did break out of its comfort zone in the debut season, it added depth to the characters and their relationships with each other: Carmy and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) catering a birthday party for Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt); and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Marcus (Lionel Boyce) having an intimate dinner after an intense day.

Then, there was its key focus on Carmy and his mental health issues following his brother’s suicide, which was portrayed through dream sequences and his negative self-talk, sparked by his former boss. The storyline was contained and precise, despite the chaos of the kitchen.

Season 2 accomplished the exact opposite, taking its characters on solo trips around the world and Chicago as they obtained additional training and struggled to open up the new restaurant. As anticipation built for the new restaurant’s soft opening, so did anticipation for the character’s eventual reunion, which led to a frustrating feeling of “just get to the point already.”

Characters and Cameos

Sorry to say this, but some of the cameos in The Bear Season 2 just didn’t work for me. While the aforementioned “Fishes” was an explosive episode that was enriched by its all-star cast, the ones that came before and after felt like nothing more than a flex. Olivia Colman as a head chef of another restaurant proved to be more distracting than thought-provoking, as the common reaction to her appearance seems to be “Has she ever said no to role?” rather than anything about the actual role she played.

And Will Poulter, while devilishly handsome, was just a reminder of how all-over-the-place Marcus’s storyline was: his mom is in hospital, he visits Copenhagen to get inspiration from one of Carmy’s old colleagues, and he has a bubbling crush on Sydney. Please, just pick one! I’m begging you!

The first season was more subtle with its starry guests and the show’s press team even asked outlets to keep the identity of Carmy’s brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal) and the appearances of Joel McHale and Molly Ringwald under wraps in any early press. Meanwhile, the latest season used cameos to turn the season into a game of who’s who.

Circling back to the core characters, unlike Marcus, two storylines that were done right by the new season were Richie and Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), both of whom were sent on solo quests that ended up sparking much-needed change in their personal lives. 

Romance

The table scene! You guys, the table scene! Now if there’s one thing Season 2 accomplished, it’s setting the shippers aflame. The first season of the dramedy gave little wiggle room for potential ships, aside from its brief scene with Sydney and Marcus. But Season 2 dialed it up 100% with Marcus asking Sydney out on a date, and Carmy and Sydney exchanging thoughtful looks while crouched underneath a table together. People were even feeling the chemistry between Richie and Mikey, who were already established to be close friends but were shown as such in flashbacks during the supersized episode about the Berzatto’s Christmas dinner. One person tweeted screencaps from the episode with the caption, “Richie is basically a widow,” and I couldn’t agree more.

But, given the current war between shippers and anti-shippers that the show has sparked, it has yet to establish one thing: do the relationships even matter in the grand scheme of things? Does the show plan to circle back on these romances or make them a core part of the show? Possibly not, as seen in the underdeveloped relationship between Carmy and his new lover Claire, which ended as soon as it began and painted the love interest as an irritating manic pixie dream girl. 

Is The Bear A Comedy Now?

Last year’s award circuit sparked a conversation about The Bear’s decision to submit itself to award shows as a comedy, despite being dark and depressing, and grappling with topics like suicide without substantial comedic relief. Many speculated that the decision was to give them a greater chance at winning, because how would the show compare to prestige dramas like Ozark and Succession.

However, the latest season was more lighthearted, and the show seems to have embraced its standing within the comedy genre while still avoiding ha-ha jokes. Who knows what that’ll lead to – but my bets are that the fork-throwing scene from “Fishes” will make its way into the FYC clips, despite its heavy context. 

Finale 

Oh boy, how to even address the finale? The finale was the best part of Season 2 as it shifted the focus back to our leads, Carmy and Sydney, and trapped its head chef in a walk-in freezer, emulating the same sort of claustrophobia as the first season. But what did it leave in its wake? Literally nothing but an explosive argument between Carmy and Richie that we’ve already seen multiple iterations of, and Sydney crumbling under the pressure of her assignments – again, which we saw this Season 1. These callbacks mimic the vibe of the entire season: they attempted to do something new, reverted to what they did best, and then crumpled under the pressure.

The lessons learned in this finale felt like lessons that could have been learned over the course of one or two episodes, not 10. Where Season 1 shined in its ending – reuniting the stubborn cooks and guiding them to a new beginning – Season 2 ended in the same way it should’ve began: emphasizing its hot-headed Chicagoians’s flaws. Tina and Richie are exempt –  but Carmy and Sydney… you were sorely missed.

So, Which Season Is Better: The Bear Season 1, Or The Bear Season 2?

Now that we’ve reached the ending may I encourage you to please put your pitchforks down? Obviously, viewers can prefer whichever season they want. No harm, no foul. And despite feeling like the second season was flawed, I still watched it on repeat four times within its opening week, so FX and Hulu fully have my endorsement for additional seasons.

But that said, here’s hoping in Season 3, The Bear gets back to the kitchen.