The Emmys have once again left us scratching our heads. For the second consecutive year, The Bear has received nominations (and a win) in the comedy category. During the 2024 Emmys, hosts Dan and addressed the controversy surrounding the show’s classification right from their opening monologue.
Eugene Levy remarked, “Tonight, The Bear is nominated for 23 Emmys, making it the most nominated comedy in history,” which was met with applause from the audience. He added, “While we all love the show, and many might expect us to joke about whether The Bear truly belongs in the comedy category, we’ll refrain from making any jokes, staying true to the show’s spirit.”
Hosts Dan and Eugene Levy humorously address the ongoing controversy over ‘The Bear’ being labeled a comedy
As the crowd chuckled, the camera captured reactions from the series’ stars, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who both nodded in agreement. If the stars themselves question the classification of The Bear as a comedy, why does it keep landing in that category?
The straightforward reason is that it aligns with the producers’ decision. The Television Academy of Arts and Sciences has no strict criteria for defining a comedy, as such distinctions are too subjective to standardize. Consequently, The Bear is placed in the comedy category simply based on the producers’ preference.
However, given the show’s exploration of themes like grief, addiction, toxic work environments, and mental health, many argue that this classification doesn’t fit. One anonymous television writer even told Rolling Stone’s Alan Sepinwall that The Bear being categorized as a comedy is “offensive.”
The writer explained, “While I enjoy the show, it’s perplexing and troubling that it receives awards for Best Comedy when it hardly aims for comedic moments in most episodes.” Considering that the Emmys first started in 1955, the confusion around categories is somewhat understandable. Back then, the distinctions between comedy and drama were more straightforward.
Shows like Bewitched and Hawaii Five-O clearly represented their respective genres. Today, however, television shows often blend genres, making strict categorizations more challenging. The Bear is widely regarded as a psychological drama with dark humor elements, but some argue that its dark humor qualifies it for comedy.
Despite the debate, The Bear has dominated the comedy category for the past two years, and it seems likely to continue its success in the future.
