'The Bear' Sets Record For Comedy Wins At Emmys—Despite ...

2 days ago

Forbes

Topline

“The Bear” won a record-setting 11 Emmy Awards from 23 nominations Sunday evening, the most in a single year for a series in the comedy categories, but controversy over whether the show—known for its tense, stress-inducing tone—should actually compete in the drama categories brewed on social media and at the ceremony.

Jeremy Allen White won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for "The Bear." (Photo by Gilbert ... [+] Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Variety via Getty Images Key Facts

“The Bear” shattered its own record for the most nods—and wins—in a single year for a comedy series at the 76th Emmys ceremony, a title once held by “30 Rock,” a sitcom known for its quick wit and humor.

Whether “The Bear” is actually a comedy is the subject of debate because of the show’s tense atmosphere, themes of suicide and depression and what some feel is a lack of outright laughs.

Actors Dan and Eugene Levy joked about the show’s controversial category placement during their opening monologue: “Some of you might 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.”

Reporters asked “The Bear” actors Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach about the category placement on the red carpet, to which Edebiri said the conversation is not for the actors to have, and Moss Bachrach said: “Comedy, drama, who cares, man?”

Actress Laraine Newman, mother of “Hacks” actress Hannah Einbinder, stirred controversy for tweeting and deleting “F*CK. THE. BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” after her daughter lost the comedy supporting actress Emmy to “The Bear” actress Liza Colón-Zayas, adding in another post “The Bear” is a “great show but IMHO it’s not a comedy.”

The category placement stirred controversy on social media: During the ceremony, Emmy-nominated television writer Chase Mitchell noted the show has some funny characters, but called comedy lead actor winner Jeremy Allen White’s character “humorless.”

News Peg

“The Bear” won acting awards for White, Moss-Bachrach and Colón-Zayas, as well as another trophy for directing, on Sunday night. The ceremony ended on a surprising note as the HBO/Max series “Hacks” won the top prize for Outstanding Comedy Series. “Hacks” actress Jean Smart also bested Edebiri for the lead actress in a comedy Emmy. At last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys ceremony, “The Bear” was the biggest comedy series winner, taking home prizes for Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal in the guest acting categories, as well as additional wins for cinematography, casting and editing. “Shogun” won a record-shattering 18 Emmys in the drama categories, the most ever awards won by a single season of a show.

What Do The Emmys Consider A Comedy Series?

According to the rules governing the upcoming Emmy Awards ceremony, the Television Academy defines the distinction between a comedy series and a drama series as the content of the episodes being “primarily comedic for comedy series entries, or primarily dramatic for dramatic series entries.” The Academy says it reserves the right to review and change category placements. The current definition differs from previous rules that were in effect until 2021 that series with half-hour episodes were considered comedies, while shows with longer episodes were classified as dramas. Episodes of “The Bear” are typically around 30 minutes, though some are longer. Variety reported in June that competitor networks have tried to push the Television Academy to review “The Bear”’s category placement, citing multiple unnamed industry sources, adding they likely would not gain traction because the placement of comedy-dramas has been a “long-standing debate” that has impacted other programs at film and television award shows.

Contra

The cast and crew of “The Bear” has previously defended its placement as a comedy series. After the series’ Emmy victories last year, reporters asked the cast and crew whether they consider the show a comedy—to which White responded: “Yes!” Executive producer Josh Senior said the show is “true to life. Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes it’s real. What we try to do is tell a real story.” Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who won an Emmy as a supporting actor for “The Bear,” added “these ideas about comedy and drama are a little bit outdated.” White previously told USA Today in 2022 he feels the show is a “dramedy,” stating it is “certainly funny at times. We're trying to make it like real life. Sad things can be funny. Funny things can make you sad, and it has all of those moments in it.”

Surprising Fact

Netflix’s hit series about a women’s prison, “Orange Is the New Black,” was nominated as a comedy series in 2014, but was switched to the drama categories in 2015. The switch was caused by a rule change that took effect that year, which forced series with hour-long episodes to compete as dramas unless they filed a petition. The show filed an appeal to compete as a comedy, but it was denied. That year, several series with hour-long episodes—“Glee,” “Shameless” and “Jane the Virgin”—successfully petitioned to be moved to the comedy categories.

Tangent

Other series have straddled the line between comedy and drama in recent years, such as recent Emmy favorite, “Succession,” which dominated in the drama categories for years despite also being known for its rapid-fire one-liners and satirical tone. “Fleabag,” which also tackles themes of suicide and heartbreak, won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2019, while the dark comedy “Barry” racked up nominations in the comedy categories in recent years.