The Bearisback with Season 4, so before we collect our thoughts on the new season, it’s a good time to remember some of the show’s greatest moments thus far. Whether that’s the Faks (Matty MathesonandRicky Staffieri) fighting amongst each other, Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) being hilarious just by being himself, orsmall moments of fun that the ensemble cast provides, the best moments ofThe Bearare, without a doubt, comedic.
It’s hard to claimThe Bearas a full-on comedy, butthe show does have some excellent funny moments that prove it is one, at least in part. These ten moments can be proof of that, and we can finally start to accept that the show will remain in the comedy/musical section of award shows.
Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a young chef from the fine dining world, returns to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after a tragedy. As he navigates the chaotic environment of the small kitchen, Carmy must manage the struggles of turning around the failing business while dealing with his own grief and personal demons. The series dives deep into the intense world of culinary arts, highlighting the challenges of running a restaurant, the bonds formed among staff, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.
10The BERF Shirt
Season 2, Episode 1, “Beef”
One of the smaller moments of the show that makes the lore all the more fun and entertaining is when Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) noticesRichie (Moss-Bachrach) wearing an “Original Beef” T-shirt, but it has a misprint, and the shirt says “BERF.“This is the beginning of Season 2, when we’re just seeing Carmy and his co-workers start working on his new restaurant, The Bear. Richie and Carmy are in the basement of the restaurant, andRichie begins worrying about his purposearound the place, feeling redundant and insecure.
This is a tiny moment that’s still chuckle-worthy because, let’s face it, BERF is a funny word.
As Richie wonders about his role,Carmy just notes, “Your shirt says ‘Original BERF,'” and Richie calls it a “collector’s item"that happened because of a printing mistake. This is a tiny moment that’s still chuckle-worthy because, let’s face it, BERF is a funny word. However, it’s also the beginning of Richie starting to feel like he’s losing the original purpose he had in Beef when he worked with Carmy’s brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal). This funny moment was so iconic that people started selling the “Original BERF” merch online.
9The Third Fak
Season 3, Episode 5, “Children”
The Faks—Neil (Matheson) and Theodore (Staffieri)—areoften the funniest charactersof any episode ofThe Bear. Staffieri and Matheson play off each other well, and while Staffieri is a great improv actor, Matheson, who is professionally a chef and comedian, not an actor, often becomes the heart of a scene. In Season 3, Episode 5, titled “Children,” there isan entire scene with the Fak brothers that makes the episode’s tone lighter and funnier, including a special, unexpected guest star—John Cena. This was a funny moment in itself, but then the Faks began arguing.
Neil and Theodore engage in a hilarious back-and-forth that seems improvised between the performers…
The scene is a hilarious progression from little to total chaos:it begins with Neil not knowing what to do with his arms when he’s serving customers. As he does that,the third Fak, Sammy(Cena), walks in with a trolley as part of the reinforcements for the restaurant’s opening. Then, things escalate as Sammy threatens to haunt Theodore over some stolen SD cards and Sammy and Theodore attack Neil for using their father’s bathroom (“Everyone knows it’s the best one,” Neil says). Neil and Theodore engage in a hilarious back-and-forth that seems improvised between the performers, since they also look like they’re about to lose composure.
8The Mold Problem
Season 2, Episode 2, “Pasta”
The period in which the staff of The Beef are renovating the place to turn it into The Bear,their budget is drawn thin, and they have to do a lot of things alone.Checking the safety of the restaurant’s shell is vital, and so Richie, Marcus (Lionel Boyce), and the Faks take it upon themselves to check the condition of the walls and ceilings; that’s when Nat (Abby Elliott) points out to Richie that the place has a serious mold problem.
It’s such a funny slapstick moment, and unexpected in some ways…
As a self-made fixer-upper, Richie doesn’t believe Nat, telling her they don’t need to call any expert or professional to take care of their ceiling and walls, fervently denying the existence of mold there. He then says, “If the ceiling had mold, it would fall if I did this,” and knocks on the ceiling with a broom;it collapses on top of his head, covering him with moldy bits of wall. It’s such a funny slapstick moment, and unexpected in some ways; we do anticipate it happening, but not so hilariously. “Pasta” isone ofThe Bear’s funniest episodes, for sure.
7"No, Sir, That Was My Brother”
Season 1, Episode 4, “Dogs”
Season 1, Episode 4, “Dogs,” is pure comedy gold. It’s perhaps the first truly comedic episode of the show so far, and all of its characters display a funny side to them (though Richie is hilarious from the very moment we meet him, even if only accidentally). In “Dogs,” Carmy and Richie visit their family friend, Cicero (Oliver Platt), and throw a kids’ birthday party in his backyard. They start serving hot dogs and homemade juice, andthis is the first time people see Carmy in Chicago afterhis brother Mikey’s death.
It’s one of those moments that makes you laugh out of embarrassment or even disbelief that Carmy has to hear something like that…
One hilarious moment that shows the dark humor of the series is tiny here, but still one of the most memorable, and that’s when Carmy is setting up the hot dog stand, and an old man approaches him. Carmy greets him, saying, “Hi, Mr. Szorski,” and the old man just responds with, “I thought you killed yourself.“Carmy, very seriously, just responds, “No, sir, that was my brother.“It’s one of those moments that makes you laugh out of embarrassment or even disbelief that Carmy has to hear something like that, and it’s peak dry, dark humor.
6"Snyder Cut Mother—ers”
Season 1, Episode 1, “System”
When we meet the staff of The Original Beef of Chicagoland, they’re all in a rush to make the best sandwiches in town. Richie works the till and chats people up when,at some point, a line of cosplayers is formed in front of The Beef. They’re all there to play a game tournament on the arcade game that Fak brought, but they’re also waiting in line to eat sandwiches. They’re forced to wait, so they naturally get rowdier the longer that takes. Carmy and Richie have an ongoing fight during the episode, which ends after Richie comes out to calm down the cosplayers.
This part is so funny because why involveZack Snyder in it like that?
The crowd is loud and unruly, and Richie shoots his gun in the air and calls them all, among other Internet-based insults, “Snyder Cut motherf***ers.” This part is so funny because why involveZack Snyderin it like that? Moreover,this was Richie’s way of helping Carmy, and he does it hilariously, the only way he understands—with a gun, swearing, and insults, because that’s the best way to deal with unruly crowds.
5"Is He Still Holding the Fork?”
Season 2, Episode 6, “Fishes”
Season 2, Episode 6, “Fishes,” isThe Bear’s most intense episode, and it’s hardly funny as much as it isanxiety-inducing and somewhat tragic. Still, in this entire mess of lovable, imperfect charactersgathered for a Christmas dinner, funny moments are bound to happen. Among many, one that stands out is the culmination of the dinner, when Mikey fights with Lee (Bob Odenkirk) by throwing forks at him. While they fight, others observe, including Stevie (John Mulaney) who,to try and de-escalate the situation, improvises saying grace at the dinner table.
The grace continues on and ends with “please give Michael the strength not to throw that fork”…
Mulaney is a great situational comedian, andhow he portrays Steviefeels a lot like watching him just be himself there. As expected from Mulaney’s comedic style, the grace Stevie makes up isn’t helping but somehow just makes people feel more tense; meanwhile,Mikey is ready to throw another fork at Lee, gripping one in his hand. Stevie opens grace with “It’s great,” and immediately, we’re forced to laugh nervously; continuing, he says he’s thankful that everyone is healthy until he says, “and, is he still holding the fork?” The grace continues on and ends with “please give Michael the strength not to throw that fork”; it’s one of the funniest moments in the show, though full of underlying sadness and awkwardness.
4Fak and Richie Get Ready to Steal Electricity
Season 2, Episode 5, “Pop”
In Season 2, Episode 5, “Pop,” we see Carmy get closer to Claire (Molly Gordon) and realize she’s the embodiment of fun that he’s been missing in his life for a while due to overworking. Carmy and Claire go to get a liquor license, then visit a house party before they end up at The Bear, which is still a work-in-progress. The calm and romantic episode is then cut byshowing Richie and Neil being the chaotic duo that can make any situation hilarious, though the reason they’re there isn’t all that fun.
Fak’s appearance is hilarious and makes the scene feel like an ongoing situation.
Richie plans to steal electricity from the restaurant’s neighboring building because their HVAC needs more amperage. When Nat and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) confront Richie in front of Carmy and Claire, there is a lot of loud talking and funny back-and-forth. After Carmy defuses the situation and tells everyone to leave, moments later,Neil appears in full-black gear with a balaclava on his head and headlamp, saying, “I’ve been waiting for Richie on the roof.” Fak’s appearance is hilarious and makes the scene feel like an ongoing situation. Before that, Richie also says a funny line to Carmy: “I’m not like this because I’m in Van Halen; I’m in Van Halen because I’m like this.”
3The Faks Have a Baseball Card Scheme
Season 2, Episode 5, “Fishes”
Anotherfunny scene from “Fishes"includes, of course,everyone’s favorite duo—the Fak brothers. Neil and Theodore are, firstly,wearing identical clothes, saying their Dad purchased their outfits with Kohl’s Cash. Then, the fact that the episode opens with them pitching baseball cards to Cicero first and then to Stevie midway makes it one of the funniest running jokes onThe Bearand gives more insight into the hive mind of the Fak family. Their exchange with Stevie about the cards, though, is one of the funniest moments of the entire show.
Neil and Theodore are first teaching Stevie how to roll dice—unsuccessfully. The explanation turns a sharp left when Theodore interrupts an unrelated fight, turns to Stevie, and says, “Do you have 500 bucks on you?“The brothers then pitch Stevie by telling him that they can turn those $500 into $1500, within a couple of months, though. Their pitching is chaotic and doesn’t suit a serious business model, but their tenacity is really something to be admired. Neil calls it “ROIs on RBIs.”
2Fak Threatens Richie With a Call to Mom
Another stellar moment from Season 2, Episode 2, “Pasta,” happens just before the mold ceiling incident, and it’s another exchange between Richie and Neil Fak. Their relationship is solidified through moments like these, where it’s obvious they love each other but disagree on basically everything that’s ever happened or existed. In this hilarious exchange,Richie and Fak are arguing over “calling Mom,” which is their code word for Nat, the most responsible and reasonable member of the staff and Carmy’s sister.
…Their back-and-forth turns from yelling to silent, threatening whispering…
As Richie, Fak, and Marcus are remodeling and repainting the walls in the restaurant, Richie and Fak first argue over the ladder, with Richie explicitly banning Fak from standing on it. Fak rolls up with his own ladder, immediately annoying Richie, and then recognizes the stains on the walls as mold.Richie funnily says, “Mold is a buzzword,” dismissing its existence, then warns Neil by saying, “Don’t freak out and go calling for Mom.” Then, their back-and-forth turns from yelling to silent, threatening whispering, which is all the more ridiculous and funny when the view shifts to Marcus watching their conversation with utter confusion on his face. It’s priceless work and a great display of the comedic abilities ofThe Bear’s talented cast.
1Hot Dogs vs. Ketchup
There’s already been mention of Season 1, Episode 4, “Dogs,” but its most hilarious moments happen whenever Richie and Carmy are together in the yard. Richie barges out, frustrated that Cicero is acting Italian when he’s 100% Polish, and Carmy retorts with “You’re not Italian, either.” To de-escalate, Carmy asks Richie to prepare the ingredients for cooking, such as hot dogs, buns, and condiments.When he asks where Richie had put the ketchup, Richie says he didn’t bring it.
This is the greatest laugh-out-loud moment in Season 1, and probably the entire show…
This entire exchange is so funny because it’s also relatable, but Carmy asks, “Why didn’t you bring ketchup?” and Richie asks back,“What kind of ahole is going to put ketchup on a hot dog?“and Carmy, obviously staggered by the statement, says, “A child.” Richie’s response is, “A child ahole,” which just shows how unflinching he is in his belief that he did the right thing by not bringing the dreaded ketchup. This is the greatest laugh-out-loud moment in Season 1, and probably the entire show, because it’s pure comedy fuel, meant to show thatThe Bearalso wants to have fun.
NEXT:The 10 Best Recipes from ‘The Bear,’ Ranked from Easiest to Hardest
