The Bear Needs to Stop Cooking and Go Home

Here is my controversial opinion, delivered with the confidence of a man who has never successfully made risotto: The Bear should have ended after Season 2. That finale gave us a perfect emotional crescendo—Carmy trapped in the walk-in, Richie discovering purpose through good service, Sydney realizing she might want a life outside the family circus. It was messy, moving and just a little bit miraculous.

Then the show kept going, because apparently no television character is allowed to achieve a satisfying arc without immediately developing three new anxieties and a complicated relationship with a refrigerator.

Season 3 had beautiful episodes, excellent performances and the general pacing of someone looking for their keys in a dark room. The show began mistaking discomfort for depth. Every meal became a metaphor. Every argument sounded like it had been workshopped by a grief counselor. I still love these people, but I no longer need to watch them whisper “yes, chef” while emotionally bleeding onto a cutting board.

Benny’s Picks

Hacks — Max. This is what character growth looks like when it remembers to be funny. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder remain a two-woman demolition crew, and the show can land a joke, a gut punch and a perfectly timed look before The Bear has finished plating its first course.

Somebody Somewhere — Max. A small, humane comedy about lonely people trying not to become lonelier. It has no culinary trauma, no prestige fog and no interest in making you feel stupid for laughing. Bridget Everett is extraordinary, and the show’s emotional honesty sneaks up on you wearing sweatpants.

The Studio — Apple TV+. Hollywood satire with actual teeth, not just expensive sunglasses. It understands that show business is both absurd and deeply stupid, which makes it one of the rare entertainment-industry comedies that feels written by people who have met an executive.

Reservation Dogs — Hulu. If you missed it, correct that immediately. It is funny, tender, surreal and packed with performances that feel less like acting than eavesdropping on a brilliant family.

Skip It

The Idol. The controversy was more entertaining than the show, which is never a good sign. It wants to be dangerous so badly that it ends up feeling like a perfume ad written by someone who just discovered the word “trauma.”

Sleeper Pick

Colin From Accounts — Paramount+. The title sounds like a man who sends passive-aggressive calendar invites, but this Australian comedy is warm, filthy and genuinely charming. Give it one episode; by episode three, you’ll be emotionally invested in a dog, two disasters and a relationship that should absolutely not work.