The BEAR-Hulu Series Puts Heat into the Kitchen WATCH IT!

Christopher Storer's new drama series, THE BEAR is an enticing ensemble drama set in a working class, Chicago neighborhood sandwich shop.  The central character, Carmyn "Carmy"(Jeremy Allen White) is a celebrated, top NYC restaurant chef.  Carmy returns to Chicago to take over his brother's popular sandwich shop shrouded in debt.  The story is told partly in flashback where we learn Michael, Carmyn's brother committed suicide and bequeathed the shop to him.  Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) plays "Cousin Richie" Michael's best friend and partner in the business.  Most of the heat in the kitchen steams from Richie's resentful reluctance to adapt Carmyn's changes to running the business, managing the staff to convert the place into a polished, profitable dining establishment.  Richie's persona is a foul-mouthed, know-it-all tough with more soft spots than a wheel of Swiss.  Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) is a fine dining chef who seeks employment at The Bear, bearing her honed skills in the kitchen mired with top notch business acumen.  The two other main characters are Natalie "Sugar" Carmyn and Michael's loving and forbearing sister and Uncle Jimmy (the formidable Oliver Platt) as the wealthy, seemingly benevolent ally that wants to buy the business.  Michael was in debt to Uncle Michael for a $300K business loan.  The ingredients for a savoring soap opera are brewing but the taste de resistance is the mix of the actors from top to bottom that brings the pot to a simmer each episode.  Each episode leaves us craving for more.  The motley mix of employees with big hearts and stuffed inside a tiny space include pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce), stubborn but dependable sous chef Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) and Somalian chef Ebrahim (Edwin-Lee Gibson) a battle of Mogadishu survivor.   Shown in flashbacks is an unrecognizable Joel McHale as a villianous chef and former boss to Carmyn at the swanky NYC restaurant Eleven Madison.  The mixture is heavily laden with the cream of the crop actors.  The filming catches the intensity behind the scenes in restaurants, piques the salivating glands of foodies, pays homage to the Windy City and cooks up a souffle of suspense for what happened and mainly, for what the next course will serve up.  I give THE BEAR an A rating.   C'est Magnifique!