Compliments to the chef!
Hulu has revealed premiere viewership details for The Bear Season 2, and the series has cooked up some solid numbers for the streaming service.
FX revealed Tuesday that the Jeremy Allen White drama surged 70% in total hours streamed over the first season after the first four days of viewing.
Additionally, the Season 2 bow was the most-watched premiere of any FX series on Hulu.
Unfortunately, FX and Hulu don’t typically reveal raw viewership statistics, but the way the numbers are spinned certainly sounds impressive.
There were many concerns that the show would be wasted by premiering all episodes at once, but it seems the show is off to a great start.
Far too often, binge-release shows dominate the competition for about a week, but there’s a good chance The Bear will showcase some staying power.
The Bear follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), and Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they work to transform their grimy sandwich joint into a next-level spot.
As they strip the restaurant down to its bones, the crew undertakes transformational journeys of their own, each forced to confront the past and reckon with who they want to be in the future.
“Of course, it turns out the only thing harder than running a restaurant is opening a new one, and the team must juggle the insane bureaucracy of permits and contractors with the beauty and creative agony of menu planning,” FX teases.
“The transition brings a newfound focus on hospitality as well.”
“As the entire staff is forced to come together in new ways, pushing the boundaries of their abilities and relationships, they also learn what it means to be in service, both to diners and each other.”
The half-hour series also stars Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Matty Matheson, with Edwin Lee Gibson, Oliver Platt, and Molly Gordon in recurring roles.
FX’s The Bear was created by Christopher Storer (Ramy, Eighth Grade), who acts as executive producer alongside Joanna Calo (BoJack Horseman, Undone), Hiro Murai (Atlanta, Station Eleven) of Super Frog, Josh Senior, and Matty Matheson, with Tyson Bidner (Ramy) serving as producer.
What are your thoughts on the numbers?
Do you think it was a good idea to share all the episodes in one drop?
Hit the comments.
And, if you’re still on the fence, here’s why you should be watching The Bear.
We promise: It’s excellent!
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.