Consideration followers of Peak TV: The Bear is again. The reigning champion for the Excellent Comedy Sequence Emmy has returned for season 3 for extra ennui and darkish humor with Carmy Berzatto, the present’s status chef who returns to Chicago to run the wildly worrying kitchen at his late brother’s sandwich store.

Since its pilot episode, The Bear has been showered in accolades from critics, who known as it a unprecedented present that has an ear for true-to-life dialogue, irresistible characters whose ache and stress (and there’s a variety of stress right here) appear to be deeply empathized with by the present’s writers. The Bear went on to brush the 2023 Emmys and now has the standing of must-watch TV for all because it enters season 3.

However can such a extensively beloved present maintain the accolades of all TV critics for a 3rd season? The reply is a powerful … virtually. The season has “Common Acclaim” standing on Metacritic with a rating of 81 out of 100 (although examine that to Season 1’s grade of 88 and a couple of’s high-water mark of 92 and it appears to be like just like the honeymoon may be over for The Bear + Critics). Or we will look as a substitute on the stellar 94% rating amongst critics for The Bear season 3 on Rotten Tomatoes aggregator.  

The Arizona Republic’s  Invoice Goodykoontz had excessive reward for The Bear’s third go-around, writing that “the present is simply as nice because it was final season, and that’s simply it — as nice, no larger. Which remains to be, all issues thought of, pretty much as good or higher than anything on TV.”

Determiner’s Nicole Gallucci believes that the present is one for the ages, as confirmed by season 3, writing, “The Bear‘s good mix of overstimulating mayhem, precision, and catharsis is a particular place unto itself. Season 3 grills, sears, then professionally plates your heartstrings, proper earlier than cruelly tossing them within the trash, and it doesn’t matter what turns into of Carmy’s rising Chicago sizzling spot sooner or later, the present will depart a permanent legacy on tv.”

Proper right here at The Hollywood Reporter, our TV critic Daniel Feinberg sees a comparability between these characters and people in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This makes for great TV, he writes: “On an episode-by-episode foundation, the third season of The Bear is pretty much as good as something the present has ever performed. Probably higher? …. Indecision may be thrilling and I discovered the dangers The Bear takes in these 10 episodes to be thrilling. However if you happen to’re hoping to see issues progress at an adrenalized charge, it is a season in limbo that displays its foremost characters and their respective holding patterns.”

Whereas they nonetheless gave kudos, some critics felt the latest season misplaced a few of the magic of the prior two. Empire critic John Nugent writes, “There’s nothing right here that fairly matches the extraordinary heights of final season’s ‘Fishes’ or ‘Forks’. However when it actually sizzles, The Bear remains to be the perfect desk on the town.”

Vulture’s Kathryn VanArendonk appears to agree with this, writing “Regardless of its season-three missteps, although, The Bear remains to be one of the fascinating exhibits on TV. For each little bit of preening self-congratulation, there’s one other second that may knock you sideways.”

However it seems, Common Acclaim standing on Metacritic can include some less-than-ecstatic opinions, and this season of The Bear has a couple of critics calling it almost self parody (yikes).

Alan Sepinwell of Rolling Stone writes, “At its greatest, The Bear stays progressive, glorious, and so vividly rendered that it could possibly really feel scrumptious to observe. However the season additionally feels complicated, overdone, and inconsistent at some factors.”

Self-importance Truthful’s Richard Lawson may need detested the season, writing that “The Bear is loaded with generic conversations about Massive Issues and plaintive needle drops to the purpose of self-parody. Solely towards the very finish of a ten-episode season can we see some true processing of Carmy’s tortured skilled psyche—it’s appreciated, however arrives too late.”

Critics are a enjoyable learn at occasions, however one of the simplest ways to search out out is to train these crucial pondering abilities — everybody’s a critic, as you recognize — and learn the way a lot you want The Bear season 3 for your self. It airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 9 pm ET.