It's a common TV trope for two single characters to fall in love. Still, the comedy-drama The Bear challenges typical clichés by showing a platonic relationship between Jeremy Allen White's character, Carmy, and Ayo Edebiri's character, Sydney. The two have powerful chemistry, starting when they attended culinary school to tap into their roles as chefs in a struggling Chicago restaurant. Jeremy Allen White spoke with Variety on the "competitive" nature of their relationship:
“When we started at culinary school, we were instantly almost competitive with one another which was very, very weird. We didn’t really know each other. We’d met and we were excited to do the show, and then this quiet competition started to sort of impress our teacher. It was odd but worked for the show."
The plot concerns Carmy, a professional chef, moving back home to take care of his brother's sandwich shop in Chicago after his brother died and left the restaurant to Carmy in his will. Overwhelmed by the business, Carmy enlists a professionally trained sous chef, Sydney, to help run the kitchen. She's played by Ayo Edebiri, who has real-life experience in the kitchen. However, when asked about a potential romance between Carmy and Sydney, Edebiri said it wasn't going to happen:
“I know there are people who are very invested in that, and I understand and I appreciate it, but it was not that for me.”
She also stated that any sort of romantic plot was "never discussed by anybody." The writers could have included a spicy love triangle between Sydney and her male coworkers but instead opted for a realistic look at how restaurant staff members interact with each other - by butting heads and helping one another.
Showrunner Christopher Storer Promises More Realism for Season 2 of The Bear
The Bear showrunner and creator Christopher Storer says that the series is about partnership, although he's surprised at how well-received it was by the audience. He attributes the show's success to the chemistry between the actors:
“We wanted to make something that was about friendship and a partnership... It really is so funny that that is one of the things that people took away — of all the heavy s**t that’s going on in the show! It was interesting because Ayo and Jeremy, since they are our friends and are such wonderful people, I think there is this charisma that comes off both of them... From the beginning, it was like, we should just show people being really good at their jobs and pushing each other."
He also teased a little about the next season, saying that it's about "starting fresh" and relates to running a restaurant in real life:
"Season 2 really is about the opportunity to start fresh and what does that mean. What does Carmen and Sydney’s dream restaurant look like? But also at the same time, what is a dream restaurant in 2023 look like?"
The first season of The Bear premiered on Hulu in June 2022 and has been renewed for a second season which is slated for a 2023 release. Created by Christopher Storer, the series stars Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colon-Zayas, and Abby Elliott.
You can watch Carmy and Sydney first meet each other below: