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Every Episode of ‘The Bear,’ Ranked

The Hollywood Reporter gives its star ratings to every single episode of the beloved FX series, from its very first course to its last (so far).

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.