System (The Bear)

"System"
The Bear episode
Mr. Beef, the shooting location for the pilot
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byChristopher Storer
Written byChristopher Storer
Cinematography byAdam Newport-Berra
Editing byJoanna Naugle
Original release dateJune 23, 2022 (2022-06-23)
Running time28 minutes
Guest appearances

"System" is the series premiere of the American television comedy-drama The Bear. The episode was written by series creator Christopher Storer. It was released on Hulu on June 23, 2022, along with the rest of the season.

The series follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, an award-winning New York City chef de cuisine, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his late brother Michael's failing Italian beef sandwich shop. The episode introduces the characters, as well as Carmy's internal conflict in trying to keep the shop afloat.

The premiere received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised its cast and production values. It won two Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

Plot

After having a dream where he releases a caged bear in the streets, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto goes to his job at The Original Beef of Chicagoland sandwich shop, which belonged to his brother Michael until his recent death. Having returned to his hometown of Chicago, Carmy finds it difficult to run the place, particularly over receiving shipment and due payments.

Carmy operates the shop with Michael's best friend, manager Richard "Richie" Jerimovich; baker Marcus Brooks; cooks Tina Marrero and Ebraheim; and handyman Neil Fak. He interviews a new applicant, chef Sydney Adamu. She has experience, having trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and admires Carmy's career achievements, which includes the James Beard Foundation Award, and wants the job as The Beef is her father's favorite restaurant. Carmy hires her, although he does not disclose why he is working at the Beef.

As Carmy tries to control the environment, the stubborn staff resist Carmy's efforts to modernize the restaurant. While having lunch, Carmy goes outside to control a crowd that gathered to play for an arcade game in the shop. When the scene soon escalates, Richie goes outside and fires a gun in the air to control the crowd. After getting back to the shop, Richie reminds Carmy that he has no idea how the shop works and that he must adhere to their standards instead. As he tries to open a can of tomatoes for spaghetti, Carmy begins to feel uneasy and instead drops it in the trash.

Context

  • One of the vintage clothing pieces that Carmy trades with Chi-Chi (Christopher J. Zucchero) for beef is "a coveted 1955 Levi's Type III trucker jacket."[2] The dialogue between the two also references Levi's "short-lived" Big E selvedge denim style.[3]
  • There is a large Mälort billboard visible above the restaurant when Carmy is trading denim for beef. Jeppson's Malört is a Chicago native liqueur that, in the words of Food & Wine magazine "occupies the rare air of popular city-specific beverages that both connote pride and are widely perceived as being bad."[4]
  • A neon sign advertising Vienna Beef hot dogs hangs in the window of the Original Beef restaurant. This homegrown Chicago brand is well over a century old and "practically every Chicago neighborhood has at least one Vienna hot dog stand, and if you enter sports stadiums in Chicago and others around the country, there's a good chance you'll see Vienna hot dogs for sale."[5]
  • Syd's résumé includes cooking school at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, and stints at Smoque, Avec, and Alinea. Smoque opened in 2006 and specializes in barbecue.[6] Avec opened in 2004 and is run by Donnie Madia and chef Dylan Patel.[7] Alinea is a famous and enduring three Michelin star Chicago restaurant headed by Grant Achatz.[8]
  • Sydney identifies Carmy as the "best CDC at the best restaurant in the whole United States of America," meaning chef de cuisine at a restaurant that is implied to be Eleven Madison Park in New York (in later episodes, identified as a fictional restaurant named Empire, perhaps as a nod to "EMP" crossed with the Empire State). As a BuzzFeed writer put it, given their impressive culinary experience "both seem equally confused about crossing paths at a local sandwich shop."[9] Carmy ran high-end restaurants, and Sydney is classically trained chef, but the Beef is not about that, rather "it is for the everyman on their lunch break. It is also a cornerstone of the community, more frequented by serious regulars than by first timers. It doesn't produce the absolute best food, but it produces delicious food. When Carmy takes over, his focus is on saving it, and he can't help but make it tastier. Mikey's crew is resistant for much of the first season, but the proof is in the pudding."[10]
  • When Sydney asks Carmy if he wants a cartouche, that is "a piece of parchment paper that you cut into a circle and put over a soup to trap the steam."[11]
  • Carmy refuses to sell to Jimmy in part because he will "flip it into an Applebee's," which is a major casual sit-down dinner chain of restaurants.[12]
  • Cookbooks visible in "System" include the Noma Cookbook, which Richie slams down as representative of Carmy being a "pretentious gayrod," as well as Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers, Daniel, The French Laundry Cookbook, and several titles by Ina Garten and Marcella Hazan.[8] Culinary producer Courtney Storer has cited Hazan as a major influence.[13]

Production

Development

In May 2022, Hulu confirmed that the first episode of the season would be titled "System", and was to be written by series creator Christopher Storer, marking his first writing and directing credit for the series.[14][15]

Casting

Casting director Sharon Bachrach put together a book of five potential actors for each part.[16] Christopher Storer had previously worked with Jeremy Allen White on The Rental and wanted him for the part.[16] Storer also had Edebiri top of mind from the beginning.[16] Ayo Edebiri read for the part over video call from New York City; she never tested opposite White.[16]

Filming

Much of the pilot episode was filmed on location at Mr. Beef, a real family-owned Italian beef sandwich shop in Chicago.[17] According to Chris Zucchero, son of the original owner, Joseph Zucchero (who started the place in 1979), the "pilot was shot entirely at Mr. Beef as far as the dining room, but the back of the house stuff was all shot in a separate kitchen. Then, when the show got picked up, they built Mr. Beef on a set at the Cinespace in the south end. They did it to a T, down to the stains on the wall. It was sort of a symbiotic thing they were doing, going to the set and then coming to Mr. Beef. It was amazing to see. And they still filmed the second season at Mr. Beef too, outside and in the front."[17]

The cinematographer for the pilot was Adam Newport-Berra.[18] Due to a combination of factors, including the configuration of the building's lights and the reflective stainless steel fixtures, there was very limited RF bandwidth available for use by the production sound team on the pilot shoot.[19] They made do with wireless microphones, and one experienced boom operator, and any deficiencies in the recorded sound were patched over by dialogue editor Evan Benjamin and re-recording mixer Steve "Major" Giammaria.[19]

Costuming

The costume designer for the pilot was Cristina Spiridakis.[20] Carmy keeps his collection of "mid-century selvedge Levi's" in his unused home oven.[20] Sydney enters the restaurant wearing a Musa scarf rolled up for use as a headband, and what costume designer Courtney Wheeler described as "this beautiful Thom Browne embroidered shirt from Dover Street Market."[21]

Music

The episode included songs, such as "Via Chicago" by Wilco, and "Animal" by Pearl Jam. Storer explained the decision to have the episode end with "Animal" during the credits, "We were making a statement that this is a loud show, and you are either in or out. I think it's very much not your thing, or it is very much your thing. I don't think there is too much of a middle ground. Ending the first episode with 'Animal' added this punctuation mark."[22]

Release

The episode, along with the rest of the season, premiered on June 23, 2022.[23]

Food: Italian beef sandwiches

Main article: Food of The Bear (TV series) § Italian beef sandwiches topped with giardiniera

Italian beef sandwiches were first popularized in Chicago in the 1920s and marketed more widely beginning in the 1940s. A typical sandwich is seasoned, roasted, shaved beef served on a French roll, and topped with a mix of chopped pickled vegetables (called giardiniera) and/or peppers, and often with some jus (gravy) added back on.[24]

Food: Sydney's family meal

Carmy's first assignment to stagiere Sydney is "We—you're gonna make family," referring to "family meal," or "staff meal," for the restaurant employees. Sydney rummages through the walk-in refrigerator and finds some ingredients that she recognizes would not immediately be needed for prep at an Italian beef sandwich shop, namely bananas or plantains, which Carmy says going to use for a "play on a panettone" (a traditional Italian cake) before he got distracted by Richie. According to one food writer, Sydney turns what she finds into "plantain stew with rice plus some fennel salad. Not the most broadly appealing dish, in my personal opinion."[25] Both bananas and fennel have been traditionally deemed aphrodisiac foods. In parts of Asia the banana was traditionally considered a symbol of male fertility,[26] while in the ancient Greco-Roman world, fennel was believed to have a feminizing influence on men but was associated with increased sexual desire in women (presumably due to the presence of phytoestrogens in this vegetable).[27]

Critical reviews

"System" received highly positive reviews from critics. Marah Eakin of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "Episode one, “System,” is really just about establishing the vibe and drama of The Bear, and it does a good job. You leave its tight 27 minutes with more questions than you entered with, and you want to stick around to find out the answers."[28]

Mia Sidoti of MovieWeb named the episode as the sixth best of the season, writing "The pilot of The Bear doesn't have time for introductions and throws you right into the chaos of it all as Carmy tries to win over his crew and also make some extra money since they're broke. You find yourself fighting to remember exactly who is who in the first 20 minutes, wrinkling your nose at how brash Richie is, and feeling bad for Sydney as she gets mixed into the mess that is The Beef."[29]

Accolades

For the episode, Christopher Storer won Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2023 Astra TV Awards Best Writing in a Streaming Series, Comedy Christopher Storer Won [30]
[31]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Christopher Storer Won [32]
[33]
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour) Sam Lisenco, Eric Dean, and Emily Carte Nominated
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series Joanna Naugle Won


Retrospective reviews

In 2024, Josh Wigler of The Hollywood Reporter named the episode as the 15th best of the series, writing "While the show improves as it goes along, all the essential ingredients for The Bear are right there from the beginning. It's incredibly satisfying to rewatch the series from the jump, knowing all the growth ahead."[34] ScreenRant ranked "System" 21st out of the 28 episodes produced through the end of season three.[35]

In 2024, Variety listed "System" at number seven on a list of top 10 episodes of The Bear for the humor and for immediately "establishing Marcus' self-doubt and curiosity; Tina's stubbornness and pride in her work; Natalie's moral clarity and denial; Richie's sympathetic but overbearing need to be heard; Sydney's creativity and impatience; Carmy's wisdom and rage."[36]

Variety named the episode as the seventh best of the series, writing "Both The Beef and The Bear itself are, as Richie says later in the season, "a delicate fucking ecosystem," and "System" prepares for that perfectly."[37]

In 2025, Vulture ranked "System" as 8th-best out of 38 episodes of The Bear.[38]

A BuzzFeed writer who watched season one for the first time in 2025 wrote, "That was a really compelling...pilot. I guess one more episode wouldn't hurt."[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ Colussi, Mary (2022-08-02). "17 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About "The Bear," The Most Talked About Show Of The Summer". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  2. ^ Veldman, Sarah (2024-02-24). "Jeremy Allen White has made 'the everyman style' trendy: 5 pieces to buy if you want to steal the look". The Manual. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
  3. ^ Wolf, Cam (2022-07-27). "Actually, 'The Bear' Is a Menswear Show". GQ. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
  4. ^ Wilmes, John (2022-05-12). "Chicago's Malört Liqueur Is Both Off-Putting and Excellent". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  5. ^ Haddix, Kraig & Sen (2017), p. 266.
  6. ^ Levitt, Aimee (2022-01-13). "Smoque BBQ Celebrates 15 Years With a Special Occasion Sandwich". Eater Chicago. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  7. ^ Selvam, Ashok (2025-06-26) [2023-07-17]. "Every Single Restaurant Featured in All 4 Seasons of 'The Bear'". Eater Chicago. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  8. ^ a b Kennedy, Alicia (2022-07-11). "In 'The Bear,' Food Is the Language of Love and Grief". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  9. ^ Ant, Aaron (2024-07-05). "Syd & Carmy's Best Moments From "The Bear" Capture The Essence Of The Service Industry". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  10. ^ Lord, Errol (2024-07-26). "What FX's The Bear Says About the Art of Hospitality". Aesthetics for Birds. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  11. ^ Wickes, Jade (2022-07-21). "An interview with The Bear's breakout star, Ayo Edebiri". The Face. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  12. ^ Liedke, Matthew (2025-10-16). "Applebee's and Other Casual Dining Franchises Struggled Last Year, Per Top 400 Data". franchisetimes.com. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  13. ^ Proximity Media, Paola Mardo (2025-12-01). What Does a Culinary Producer Do on THE BEAR? - S3E11 (Podcast). Retrieved 2025-12-15 – via YouTube. & "Transcript - Courtney Storer - Season 3 Episode 11" (PDF). proximitymedia.com. December 1, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
  14. ^ "(#101-108) "Season 1"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  15. ^ "The Bear - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c d Eng, Joyce (2023-05-18). "'The Bear' and 'The Patient' casting director Jeanie Bacharach: 'There are just certain people that you just really go to bat for' [Exclusive Video Interview]". Gold Derby. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  17. ^ a b Scorziello, Sophia (2023-06-23). "Why the Owner of the Shop That Inspired 'The Bear' Hasn't Seen the Show: 'Somebody's Still Got to Make Beef'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  18. ^ "The Bear cinematography with DP Andrew Wehde". Panavision. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  19. ^ a b Smith (2025), pp. 34–35.
  20. ^ a b Cartter, Eileen (2023-07-11). "The Bear's Jeremy Allen White Loves Good Denim Just as Much as Carmy". GQ. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
  21. ^ Rikhy, Trishna (2023-07-12). "The Heart of 'The Bear' Isn't Food—It's Fashion". Esquire. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
  22. ^ Hyden, Steven (July 11, 2022). "Inside The Delightful Dad Rock Soundtrack Of 'The Bear'". Uproxx. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  23. ^ Pedersen, Erik (May 13, 2022). "FX Summer Premiere Dates: 'Reservation Dogs', 'What We Do In The Shadows', New Series 'The Old Man' & 'The Bear', More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  24. ^ Haddix, Kraig & Sen (2017), p. 142.
  25. ^ "How to Cook Every Dish on 'The Bear'". CHAR Magazine. 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  26. ^ Hill (2011), pp. 17–18.
  27. ^ Hill (2011), pp. 101–103.
  28. ^ Eakin, Marah (June 23, 2022). "The Bear Series-Premiere Recap: Ballbreaker". Vulture. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  29. ^ Sidoti, Mia (June 23, 2023). "The Bear: Every Episode from Season One, Ranked". MovieWeb. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  30. ^ Anderson, Erik (July 11, 2023). "'The Boys', 'Yellowjackets', 'Abbott Elementary' lead 2023 HCA TV Awards nominations". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  31. ^ Schneider, Michael (January 8, 2024). "'The Boys,' 'Succession' Land Most Honors at Astra TV Awards (FULL WINNERS LIST)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  32. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (January 15, 2024). "Emmy Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  33. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (January 7, 2024). "2023 Creative Arts Emmy Awards: 'Welcome to Wrexham' Dominates, RuPaul Makes History, Carol Burnett Gets Emotional". Variety. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Wigler, Josh (July 8, 2024). "Every Episode of 'The Bear,' Ranked". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  35. ^ MacArthur, Greg; Lealos, Shawn S. (June 30, 2024). "The Bear: All 28 Episodes, Ranked from Worst to Best". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
  36. ^ Hailu, Selome; Shanfeld, Ethan (2024-07-02). "The Top 10 'The Bear' Episodes, Ranked". Variety. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  37. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan; Hailu, Selome (July 2, 2024). "The Top 10 'The Bear' Episodes, Ranked". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  38. ^ Eakin, Marah (June 27, 2025). "Every Single Episode of The Bear, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  39. ^ Hayes, Jeremy (2025-07-02). "I Watched "The Bear" Pilot For The First Time, And I Accidentally Binged It All". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2025-10-03.

Sources

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