After The Bear nearly swept the comedy category at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, the cast faced an important question in the press room: Is the show actually a comedy?
Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto enthusiastically said, “Yes!” when asked by reporters whether he considers the Hulu series a comedy, per Deadline.
Executive producer Josh Senior, meanwhile, explained that The Bear’s half-hour run time helps it fit the constraints of the category but noted he’s more concerned about making viewers feel something. “I think the show is true to life,” he said after the Monday, January 15, awards show. “Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes it’s real. What we try to do is tell a real story.”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who took home the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series on Monday for his turn as Richie, elaborated on Senior’s comments. “I feel like these ideas about comedy and drama are a bit outdated,” he told reporters. “We’re all just trying to reflect the mess of being human, which is deeply hilarious, and we’re all suffering.”
The cast went on to share some of their favorite comedic moments, with Moss-Bachrach, 46, and Ayo Edebiri agreeing that a moment in season 1 when the sandwich shop gets a C grade from the Chicago health department perfectly toes the line between comedy and drama.
“Those are serious circumstances. That’s full drama,” Moss-Bachrach said. “But I think when you play things for keeps and the circumstances are kind of wild about getting a C. … Nobody wants to take ownership of that C … it becomes pretty funny.”
Online discourse over the last few weeks has been questioning whether the high-stress show about a chef who comes back to his Chicago hometown to run his family’s sandwich shop should be classified as a comedy or a drama due to its mix of funny moments and family drama.
Over the past couple weeks, The Bear has won best comedy at the Golden Globe Awards, Critics Choice Awards and Emmys. The show’s actors have also earned plenty of accolades, with White, 32, winning best actor in a comedy series at all three awards shows. Edebiri, 28, also prevailed at all three events, while Moss-Bachrach won a Critics Choice Award in addition to his Emmy. (The Girls alum lost his Golden Globes category to Matthew Macfadyen, who won for Succession.)
Created by Christopher Storer, The Bear premiered on Hulu in 2022 to critical and audience acclaim. Season 2 of the show dropped in June 2023, and season 3 is expected sometime in 2024.
