“The Bear” Backlash Was Inevitable. Here’s Why It’s Wrong. It’s a tale as old as time: something — anything! — becomes massively popular, and eventually the naysayers come out of the woodwork to announce that actually it’s not that good. On rare occasions, they’re right: the later seasons of Ted Lasso were insufferable. But more often than not, these people are simply trying to be contrarian because they’re snobs who can’t allow themselves to like the same things as the great unwashed. It makes sense, then, that we’ve reached that moment for The Bear. After two critically acclaimed seasons — not to mention a few episodes that are already being described as some of the greatest we’ve ever seen on TV — and a slew of honors, its ubiquity at awards shows and on year-end “best of” lists has made it an easy target. Add to that stuff like Jeremy Allen White’s Calvin Klein ad and the sheer amount of times people keep saying “Yes, chef,” and it’s almost understandable that some would be getting sick of it. Is The Bear‘s third season perfect? Not at all. But as InsideHook Managing Editor Bonnie Stiernberg details in her appraisal, to argue that it’s somehow bad is, frankly, insane. | 