The Bear is breakneck television — often more of a thriller than a comedy, despite what certain awards shows would have you believe. The FX series from creator Christopher Storer and co-showrunner Joanna Calo stars Jeremy Allen White as professionally and emotionally embattled chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a restaurant superstar trying to turn his family’s sandwich shop into a world-class dining destination. He’s surrounded by an equally elite cast, from Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as co-leads Syd and Richie, to the unparalleled array of guest stars like Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal. A feast for the eyes in every sense, the totality of The Bear relies on every episode as the recipe for the general vibe of the show.
So, how to rank all these essential ingredients, then? A fair question. The reasonable answer, probably, is “don’t.” And yet, just as The Bear deals in the folly of needless competition and oneupmanship, so too must we now attempt to rank every single episode of the series.
Let’s start with the premise that even the lowest-ranked episode is better than the highest-ranked episode of most other modern shows, as a means of apologizing if your favorite Bear outings are lower on this list than you’d like. These rankings reflect the opinion of one particular writer (it’s me, I’m the writer), having rewatched all three seasons in their entirety for the express purpose of this daunting exercise. Don’t like ’em? Go to a different restaurant, then! But if you’re ready, roll up your sleeves, bellow “Yes, Chef” and let’s get to work.
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28. “Next” (Season 3, Episode 2)
Image Credit: FX “Tomorrow” was a tough act to follow, as we’ll get into much later on this list. Still, the explosive war of words between Carm (Jeremy Allen White) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) that covers the back portion of season three’s second episode is an exhausting return to the proper narrative following the introspective premiere. Their chaotic back-and-forth the morning after their friendship fell apart isn’t the most unpleasant thing that happens on The Bear, but it’s perhaps the most needlessly unpleasant thing that happens on The Bear.
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27. “Pop” (Season 2, Episode 5)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX “Pop” is a great example of why ranking The Bear is so difficult. An excellent episode that highlights two of the restaurant’s senior-most veterans: “Grandma” and “Grandpa” Tina and Ebra, played by Liza Colón-Zayas, and Edwin Lee Gibson, respectively). But the episode is outshined by others that accomplish the same thing with more fanfare. While it’s ranked so low here, I’d say it’s a perfect illustration of why The Bear is among the best shows around right now; the lowest-rated truly is better than the highest-rated of most other active series.
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26. “Bolognese” (Season 2, Episode 8)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX. Primarily existing to set up the final stretch of season two, “Bolognese” pays off a season-long arc in which the team has to pass a fire safety test, or else miss their window to open The Bear. Matty Matheson’s Neil Fak becomes the unlikely hero of the hour, among the earliest examples of a character who typically serves as comedic relief becoming an essential part of the Bear’s crew.
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25. “Sheridan” (Season 1, Episode 5)
Image Credit: Matt Dinerstein/FX The shit hits the fan, almost literally, in “Sheridan,” when the restaurant’s toilet explodes. It’s an all-hands-on-deck affair trying to fix the issue, while Carmy and sister Sugar (Abby Elliott) are in the thick of fixing their own issues. A solid episode, lost amid some better, similar episodes, not unlike “Pop.” On the music side, Wilco’s “Impossible Germany” provides some of the episode’s soundtrack, one of the many times the Chicago-based band appears in the series.
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24. “Pasta” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX Enter: Claire Bear, one of the show’s most divisive characters. Molly Gordon’s charming Claire enters the fray here, meeting Carmy at the end of the episode, and beginning their will-they-won’t-they arc that’s left some fans of The Bear colder than Carmy trapped in a fridge. But observe the throughline here: Carmy and Claire meet at the refrigerator aisle of a grocery store, only for them to break up beside another fridge later in the season. Points for symmetry!
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23. “Hands” (Season 1, Episode 2)
Image Credit: Matt Dinerstein/FX Joel McHale debuts as an at-the-time unnamed fine-dining chef who serves as Carmy’s boogeyman. While it takes almost two full seasons for the character to return (see more cameos in season three), McHale’s performance is haunting enough that when he does return in the future, the significance of his presence is immediately felt.
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22. “Brigade” (Season 1, Episode 3)
Image Credit: Matt Dinerstein/FX Carmy entrusts Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) with her first expanded responsibility, guiding the team through the Brigade system common in many restaurants, but not in this dysfunctional kitchen. It leads to Carm and Syd’s first major fight, swiftly followed by their first makeup, followed just as swiftly by the memorable (and accurate) line: “Fuck brunch.”
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21. “Legacy” (Season 3, Episode 7)
Image Credit: FX What will everyone leave behind when they’re gone? How will they be remembered? What did they contribute? These questions are on the minds of most of the characters in “Legacy” — sometimes spoken aloud, other times apparent through action. The best version of this question comes when Gillian Jacobs returns as Richie’s ex-wife, their friendship still evident as they co-parent their daughter. Richie’s legacy is a huge part of the series’ narrative, and it enjoys a meaningful place in the spotlight here.
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20. “Apologies” (Season 3, Episode 9)
Image Credit: FX Is Claire haunting Carmen? The Faks certainly think so, leading Neil and Teddy (Ricky Staffieri) on a quest to put the two of them back together. It doesn’t work and, apparently, Teddy should visit a doctor — just not Dr. Claire while she’s working at the hospital. The Faks are not to everyone’s liking; to them I say, you’re just haunted by their greatness.
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19. “Forever” (Season 3, Episode 10)
Image Credit: FX The season three finale includes some of The Bear‘s most overt expressions of love for the restaurant industry, with real-life world-famous chefs like Thomas Keller appearing to celebrate fictional world-famous chefs like Olivia Colman’s Andrea Terry. It is a beautiful episode with a lot of crucial forward momentum, from Carmy confronting McHale’s Chef David Fields to Sydney’s breakdown at her after-party. But it ends on a literal “To Be Continued,” which remains unresolved as of this writing — and I do not appreciate how The Bear just trapped us all in a proverbial fridge until season four comes out.
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18. “Omelette” (Season 2, Episode 9)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX Sydney makes Sugar an omelette with several delicious ingredients, including sour cream potato chips. It’s a set-up episode for the breakneck season two finale, sure. But, wow if that potato-chipped omelette doesn’t sound delicious. Bonus points for a great scene between Carmy and Oliver Platt’s Cicero, in which the restaurant’s reluctant investor coaches the chef on what’s required to make it in this business … a conversation that directly leads us into Carmy’s upcoming breakdown.
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17. “The Bear” (Season 2, Episode 10)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX Cue: Carmy’s breakdown! It’s friends and family only for the first night of The Bear. But the pressure is still high, as weeks and weeks of hard work come to a boiling point. The Bear expertly weaves its sonic palette all through the episode, with Wilco’s song “Spiders” (first seen in “Review”) coming back to haunt the kitchen as things spiral out of control — only for “Animal” by Peal Jam to kick in once Richie takes the wheel and saves the day. Carmen’s fridge freakout is a convenient way to set him against Richie and Claire, both plotlines still unresolved through the end of season three.
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16. “Ceres” (Season 1, Episode 6)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX Jon Bernthal makes his debut here as Mikey, Carm and Sugar’s brother, whose death by suicide haunts the entirety of the series. A ghost up until now, Bernthal instantly infuses Mikey with so much life, making the audience feel the character’s absence almost as much as the loved ones he left behind.
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15. “System” (Season 1, Episode 1)
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX The one that started it all! 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.
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14. “Beef” (Season 2, Episode 1)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX The one that started it — all over again! The Bear resets the deck completely with its season two opener, a much more hopeful entry than the very first episode of the series. What seems like an impossible dream at the very start now feels all too possible, if incredibly difficult to pull off. There’s much pain ahead for many of these characters in the ensuing episodes. But watching Carmy and the gang enter season two with so much hope is a satisfying way to set the story up.
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13. “Doors” (Season 3, Episode 3)
Image Credit: FX The one that started it all over again — again! Okay, no, it’s not the season three premiere. It’s not even the second episode of the season. But in many ways “Doors” feels like the episode that gets the show back on track, after an experimental beginning and a rocky follow-up. Finally, The Bear is open and we get to see exactly what that looks like. In an earlier episode, Uncle Cicero tells Carmy that once the restaurant opens, the rest of his life will involve withstanding a whole lot of punishment. “Doors” goes right into the punishing nature of working in this industry — at this high of a level, every single day — if not forever, then at least for the rest of season three.
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12. “Violet” (Season 3, Episode 4)
Image Credit: FX Once season three’s back on its feet, it cooks up its share of beautiful offerings. While some don’t care for the meandering nature of The Bear‘s newest season offering, I struggle to argue against an episode like “Violet,” in which Marcus and the others explore their own individual quests for inspiration and innovation.
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11. “Children” (Season 3, Episode 5)
Image Credit: FX In terms of raw comedic power, “Children” contains some of the show’s funniest moments, pound for pound: John Cena’s sudden arrival as yet another Fak, “haunting” one of the cousins, not to mention the incredible in-joke (and genuinely great performance) of casting famous food-loving Billions creator Brian Koppelman as “The Computer.” It is a joyous episode of The Bear, which isn’t always an easy way to describe this series.
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10. “Braciole” (Season 1, Episode 8)
Image Credit: Matt Dinerstein/FX The season one finale is the top-ranked finale on this list, in no small part because it’s the happiest. On the other side of losing his cool in “Review,” to put it mildly, Carmen finally starts reckoning with all the pain he feels around his brother’s death, and his own path through the restaurant world. And finally, there’s light at the end of the path, in the form of Mike’s cash stash found in the smaller tomato cans. (“They taste better.”) The team eating pasta together around the table, with Mikey looking on almost like a Force Ghost, is perhaps the most heart-warming moment in The Bear.
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9. “Sundae” (Season 2, Episode 3)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX As we vault deeper into the Top 10, we head into a string of episodes I like to call the “Yes Chef Series.” These episodes not only showcase the series’ love for food with mouth-watering expertise, they also dive deep into the show’s beating heart: the cast. Our first episode up in this series is “Sundae,” which follows Syd’s attempts to “unfuck” her palette, through a series of restaurant adventures featuring famous Chicago chefs. It’s an episode that makes a strong case for showrunners Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo, and the rest of the Bear team as the heirs apparent to the food travel TV void left behind by Anthony Bourdain.
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8. “Honeydew” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX The Bear Bourdains even further midway through season two, as the Yes Chef Series moves on to focus on Marcus’ training in Copenhagen. It’s a love letter to one of the most important food cities in the world, let alone in the show’s lore, and it manages to introduce a character whose importance has only grown in subsequent episodes: Will Poulter’s Luca, a brilliant chef who clearly believes Carmy is the best in the world, and wishes to guide Marcus in kind.
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7. “Napkins” (Season 3, Episode 6)
Image Credit: FX Directed by Ayo Edebiri, “Napkins” is one of the show’s best flashback episodes, focusing entirely on Tina and how she became part of The Beef restaurant’s extended family. Anchored by Edebiri’s sharp vision and Liza Colón-Zayas’ heartbreaking performance, “Napkins” invites not only Tina into the world of The Bear, it also invites the viewers to look at a long-gone time where Bernthal’s Mikey was still stable, relatively at least, and warm enough to welcome a complete stranger into the heart of his business.
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6. “Ice Chips” (Season 3, Episode 8)
Image Credit: FX Not a chef, but still part of the “Yes Chef” series, “Ice Chips” is the series’ best showcase for Abby Elliott as Carm’s sister Natalie. It’s a powerful exploration of the circle of life, with Nat and her mother healing old wounds as a new Berzatto baby is about to enter the world. As of this writing, there’s still plenty of time for the show to ruin the happy ending between Elliott’s Sugar and Jamie Lee Curtis’ Donna. But for now, the lasting impression is Mama Bear sitting between a pair of Faks — among the most comforting places one can ever be.
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5. “Fishes” (Season 2, Episode 6)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Everett Collection We interrupt the “Yes Chef” series to begin the Top 5, which is as far as this writer can take it with “Fishes.” It’s the first appearance of Donna, alongside a slew of other famous faces from Bob Odenkirk to John Mulaney and several more, in perhaps the single most harrowing (and certainly longest) hour of the series. Personally, “Fishes” is almost unwatchable because of how much pain it carries, and how real it all feels. But there’s no denying its place as an exceptional entry in The Bear mythology, deserving of its seat in the top five episodes. As much as I respect it, I hope never to watch it again.
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4. “Forks” (Season 2, Episode 7)
Image Credit: Chuck Hodes/FX The “Yes Chef” series concludes with the king of the castle: Richie’s run in “Forks,” the happiest and most fulfilled we ever see Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s character in the entire series. There are so many great moments studded throughout the episode, from Richie securing the Pequod’s deep dish to his conversation with Olivia Colman’s Chef Terry. But the high point of the episode, and indeed one of the very best moments in the entire series, is Richie driving through the sleepy city streets, blasting Taylor Swift from the stereo, an astounding aural expression of his own exploding heart.
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3. “Dogs” (Season 1, Episode 4)
Image Credit: FX If this was purely about my personal favorite episodes of The Bear, then “Dogs” would land at the very top. For me, “Dogs” does everything I ever want from The Bear: stress (but not too much) between Carm and Richie, fights so ludicrous as to involve an inflatable hot dog, brilliant comedic work from Oliver Platt’s Uncle Cicero, Carmy messing up by accidentally putting an entire children’s party to sleep with Ecto Cooler, only to be rewarded with a pat on the back from a Cicero who has grown weary of these overly energized kids. It also builds on the lore of Carm, Richie and the late Mikey’s relationships with Cicero and each other. It’s got drama, it’s got high comedy and it’s got delicious food. What more can you want from an episode of The Bear?
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2. “Review” (Season 1, Episode 7)
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Okay, maybe what you want from The Bear is an intense amount of stress and anxiety. If that’s you, then look no further than “Review” — the shortest episode of the series, almost entirely presented in a single take — as The Beef gets pounded with online orders spawned by a viral review. It explores how success comes in many forms, as does failure, and sometimes, the two things look very much alike: transcendent and monstrous all in one. Like the titular review itself, “Review” was the viral episode that put The Bear on the map back when it debuted, and has a strong claim to best episode of the series.
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1. “Tomorrow” (Season 3, Episode 1)
Image Credit: FX In many ways, the single greatest episode of The Bear is also its least accessible. It’s like “walking through a dream,” as Jeremy Allen White himself describes it. On the other side of Carmy’s caged evening inside a refrigerator, he returns to his restaurant and gets back to work, slowly and methodically. Structurally, the season three opener likewise works slowly and methodically, as it pulls the curtain back on Carmy’s life as a chef and all the knife work that led to this moment. It’s an ethereal experience, pulling from Carm’s time in Copenhagen at Noma, his work alongside Chefs Terry and Luca, the pain inflicted upon him by Joel McHale’s horrid Chef David… every cut, every course, all colliding at once, forming the core ingredients of the dish known as Carmen Berzatto. You can’t just sit someone down with “Tomorrow” and expect them to get The Bear, the way I’d argue you could with “Dogs” or even “Review.” Those two episodes are the TV equivalent of an Italian beef sandwich; “Tomorrow” is fine dining at its televised best.
