In a post on Writer Unboxed, Keith Cronin examines the tv series The Bear. “It’s truly a master class in storytelling, particularly in terms of ever-heightening conflict, character development, realism, attention to detail, and dialog that just rings SO damn true to the ear,” he says. But why?
- It’s a great example of a “high concept” premise – with hidden depths. The Bear has a relatively easy premise to grasp: “An award-winning New York chef is called back home to Chicago to pick up the pieces after his brother commits suicide, leaving him in charge of a failing blue-collar sandwich shop.” Within that simple premise, the show leverages a diverse range of characters.
- Nearly every character – from the main chefs to the guy who fixes the toilet – is on a transformational journey. “This show takes more than one character whom we initially dislike (or at least mistrust), and shows us both a potential for growth and a goodness in them that we could have never foreseen,” Cronin writes. “Although The Bear has a clear protagonist, over the course of three seasons we get to know nearly everybody associated with the restaurant – from its financier to its handyman and his annoying but hilarious brothers – in new and surprising ways.”
- The creators work hard to get the details right. Before filming began, several of the primary cast members took professional culinary training and the main actors even worked as line cooks in some major restaurants. “The language and buzzwords used in the show ring true, and the cinematography captures the beauty of the food being produced with a vividness that usually leaves me freaking starving after watching an episode or two,” Cronin says.
- The story manages to go low, but aim high. Characters make bad decisions and experience bad luck, but also get the chance to rise. “We see people who should know better making bad choices, and/or saying and doing things they will come to regret,” Cronin notes. “But rather than the grittiness of the characters’ lives becoming a downer to witness, instead we are inspired by how hard they are willing to work to keep those lights turned on, while trying to do work ultimately aimed at making other people happy.”
- Each season delivers some truly BIG dramatic moments. The show doesn’t shy away from pushing its characters to the limit. The characters also continuously strive towards big goals. “The pressure these people work under is self-imposed, because they are all trying to do something that they are well aware will be VERY difficult to pull off,” Cronin notes. “But that doesn’t stop them from trying.”
