The Bear is a drama series created by Christopher Storer, and premiered this year on FX on Hulu. The series stars Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Abby Elliott, and has received a lot of critical acclaim for the way it captures the intensity of the food industry.



The Bear achieved the rare accomplishment of a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, dealing with the concepts of mental illness and grief in a moving way. The cast is incredibly impressive, bringing life and dimension to their characters, with Variety‘s review of the series specifically praising White’s performance. We’re excited to see where the show goes next. Indeed, per Esquire, The Bear has been renewed for a second season. Until then, here are seven similar shows to watch if you enjoyed The Bear.

7 Shameless

One of the first comparisons that immediately comes to mind is Shameless, which can be streamed on Netflix. The series follows the dysfunctional Gallagher family and their lives in Chicago, combining humor with gritty backdrops and family dynamics. The series also stars Jeremy Allen White as Lip Gallagher, who struggles with addiction. He has evolved a lot as an actor in The Bear, however, his performance in Shameless is also very impressive, and it’s easy to see similarities in their characters in both series.

Related: The Bear Season 2: Plot, Cast, and Everything Else We Know

6 This is Going to Hurt

This is Going to Hurt stars Ben Whishaw in the leading role, following a doctor in 2006 who is overworked in his job. The series serves as a critique of the British healthcare system and does not shy away from portraying the shortcomings that it has. His personal life begins to suffer due to the burden that is being placed to him, and it’s a perfectly done, gritty drama that bears much resemblance to The Bear.

5 Ramy

Ramy follows a first-generation Egyptian-American teenager, played by the show’s creator Ramy Youssef, who has to find balance between his religious up bringing and the culture of New Jersey and the lifestyle that goes along with it. Ramy experiences a lot of internal struggles that are similar to Carmy, and viewers will definitely enjoy this show if they enjoyed The Bear.

4 Sweetbitter

Sweetbitter follows Tess (Ella Purnell), a young waitress who is working at an extremely high-end restaurant in New York City. The similarities between this Starz show and The Bear lie in the restaurant settings that they share, and we see the characters in both shows develop their relationships with their co-workers in a familiar setting.

Related: The Bear Season 2 Storylines We Hope to See

3 The Chef Show

The Chef Show is a spinoff series of Jon Favreau’s Chef, which follows a chef who opens up a food truck after he is humiliated at work and fired. The spinoff series focuses on the real lives of various chefs as they are invited to cook with Favreau, resulting in natural conversation. The Chef Show shares the setting of a restaurant and the backdrop of food, and also focuses on true stories from those in the restaurant industry.

2 Severance

Severance is directed by Ben Stiller and follows Mark S. (Adam Scott), who is the central character. The show focuses on Mark’s mission to “sever” his outside self from his workplace, so his grief that he feels after the loss of his wife can be kept in a box. Both this series and The Bear focus on characters who are struggling with their mental health in very different ways in the workplace, both being equally successful.

1 Succession

Succession is an HBO drama that centers around the Roys, a family of billionaires who are vying for control of the media empire that their father controls, which results in the Roy siblings desperately competing for his attention and trying to outdo each other. The Bear is obviously very different in its narrative, however, the focus on Carmy’s relationship with his brother, Mikey, and how much this impacted his character ties these two shows together as family dynamics are explored.