'Hacks' star's mom and former SNL cast member slams 'The Bear,' says it's not a comedy
Laraine Newman knows comedy − and has some strong feelings about "The Bear" competing as one at the Emmys.
"Every time I think about The Bear being in the comedy category for the Emmys I can feel an ulcer developing," the OG "Saturday Night Live" cast member wrote on X on Sunday, the day of the award show.
At the Emmys, the hit FX series scored a whopping 23 nods, but the Max showbiz series "Hacks" − which stars Newman's daughter Hannah Einbinder − ultimately triumphed over the "The Bear" for the top comedy award of the night.
Eindbinder lost in the best supporting actress in a comedy series category to "The Bear's" Liza Colón-Zayas.
Newman isn't the only one who's questioned why "The Bear" competes as a comedy category at the prestigious award show.
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Social media users have as well, and Eugene Levy − who hosted this year's awards alongside his dad Joseph − even made a quip about it during the broadcast.
"'The Bear' is nominated for 23 Emmys tonight, making it the most nominated comedy in history," Eugene said. "Now, I love the show, I love the show, and I know some of you will be expecting us to make a joke about whether 'The Bear' is really a comedy. But in the true spirit of 'The Bear,' we will not be making any jokes."
So why is "The Bear" considered a comedy? USA TODAY's TV critic Kelly Lawler previously broke it down:
Why is 'The Bear' considered a comedy by the Emmys?
The series, about a family-owned Italian beef sandwich joint in Chicago that is transformed into a fine dining establishment by chef Carmy Berzatto, played by Emmy-winner Jeremy Allen White, isn't often laugh-out-loud funny.
The heavily dramatic plot involves the protagonist's brother dying by suicide, and inherited family trauma is a major plot point. Plus the profanity is frequent and derogatory.
"The Bear" is far from the only dramatic TV series ever to compete as a comedy for a better shot at Emmys glory. There have been many cases of what awards-watchers like to call "category fraud."
It's the age-old story of the Hollywood awards race.
Whether it's actors competing in supporting categories instead of lead roles, dramas competing as comedies or returning series sneaking into the limited series category, there is always a little bit of campaign finagling.
Back when Season 1 of "The Bear" premiered, before all the hype and nominations, White had his own thoughts about whether the series could be labeled a comedy.
"I guess if you had to, I would describe it as a dramedy," he told USA TODAY in 2022. "It's certainly funny at times. I don't think Carmy’s necessarily funny, but I think the situations that he finds himself in can be. I think it's interesting and funny to watch this young man who’s not a wonderful communicator trying to communicate what he wants and his feelings to a group of people who are also not excellent at hearing him. So I think there is comedy that comes out of that. I don't know if it's like knee-slapping funny. I think it can be at times. It's real, or we're trying to make it real, like real life. Sad things can be funny. Funny things can make you sad."
Contributing: Kelly Lawler, Erin Jensen and Patrick Ryan
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