15 Shows Like “The Bear” to Watch After You Finish Season 3

Finished binge-watching 'The Bear' season 3? From legendary family dramas to high-pressure cooking competitions, here are 15 shows to watch next

The Bear has been a fan-favorite and critical sensation since its first season started streaming in 2022.

The series sees Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) — one of the world’s best young chefs — move back to Chicago to take over his late brother Michael’s failing restaurant, The Beef, before turning it into a fine-dining establishment: The Bear.

Now in its third season, which began streaming on June 26, the Emmy-winning series features an all-star cast including White as lead chef Carmy, Ayo Edebiri as Carmy's sous-chef-turned-partner Sydney Adamu and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Carmy's brash “Cousin” Richie Jeremovich. The show has even garnered a plethora of celebrity fans who have guest-starred on it, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Olivia Colman and Sarah Paulson.

According to Deadline, The Bear was renewed for season 4 and filmed back-to-back with season 3. However, with no release date announced, fans will have to wait to see what else is in store for Carmy, Sydney, Cousin Richie and the rest of The Bear crew. But, there are plenty of other series that explore family dynamics, intense work environments and the art of cooking to keep you satiated until another season of The Bear arrives.

From The Sopranos to Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, here are 15 shows to watch after you finish season 3 of The Bear.

The Sopranos

If you like The Bear for family drama and an exploration of Italian-American culture, you can find that and more in The Sopranos. The series focuses on the Soprano family as Tony (James Gandolfini) tries to balance a double life as a family man and a high-ranking Mafia member posing as a waste management consultant. While Tony and Carmy may appear different, they both struggle to balance their work lives and eventually explore their emotionally closed-off nature by seeking help.

The “Fishes” episode of The Bear season 2 features the entire Berzatto family at a dysfunctional, drama-filled Christmas dinner, which is perhaps the best recreation of the Soprano family dynamics since the ground-breaking series ended in 2007.

Succession

When most people think of restaurants, they think of food and the chefs, but the other reality is that restaurants are one of the toughest and most fast-paced businesses around. One of the most critically acclaimed shows to deeply immerse viewers in an intense family business environment is Succession.

Succession sees fictional multimedia mega-corporation Waystar Royco CEO Logan Roy’s children attempt to show Logan who is most deserving to take over the company while trying to fend off employees with similar goals. The HBO series won many awards during its four seasons for its writing, story and ensemble cast including Brian Cox as family patriarch Logan Roy, Jeremy Strong as “eldest boy” Kendall Roy, Kieran Culkin as the snarky Roman Roy and Sarah Snook as the cunning Siobhan “Shiv” Roy.

Whereas The Bear focuses on learning to cooperate for everyone’s good in an intense restaurant environment, Succession is all about posturing for power using dirty business politics and achieving success no matter the cost. For those who enjoy The Bear’s exploration of loss and grief, Succession’s fourth season may prove especially enticing while the entirety of Succession features intense family drama.

Julia

For fans of The Bear’s dedication to the culinary arts and showing delectable meals on screen, Julia will be a welcome addition to your TV palette.

Julia is about revolutionary chef Julia Child’s life after the release of her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and how it subsequently led to her creation of one of the first cooking shows on American TV: The French Chef. Set in Cambridge, Mass. during the 1960s, the series focuses on the trials and tribulations Child overcame to bring her show to screens all over the country.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Anthony Bourdain was one of the world’s most famous chefs and even inspired Carmy with his photo on the wall of The Bear. Bourdain was known for his obsession with food and cooking, which became an exploration of life, travel and culture.

This embrace of food was so infectious that he received multiple shows, culminating with CNN’s Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. The show saw Bourdain travel to different parts of the world seeking out the cities’ signature cultural cuisines to guide his intertwined cultural journeys.

The food and travel reality show won 12 Emmy awards and rivals The Bear’s obsession with the culinary arts. In one episode, Bourdain even travels to Chicago, visiting multiple restaurants reminiscent of both The Beef and The Bear while meeting real-life Chicago citizens and celebrities.

The Chef Show

The Bear can bring out the best in its characters through their genuine love of food. To see a similar joie de vivre that comes from a love of food and cooking, Netflix’s The Chef Show, starring Jon Favreau and Roy Choi, is a perfect entrée.

Similar to The Bear, The Chef Show also includes celebrity guests — although they play themselves in this reality show — such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr.

Breaking Bad

For fans of the dynamic between Carmy and Sydney or Carmy and Cousin Richie, it may feel familiar because it echoes elements of the relationship between Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. The show sees disgruntled high school chemistry teacher Walter White connect with his former student Jesse Pinkman to learn how to cook crystal meth and distribute it so he can leave his family money after a cancer diagnosis.

The series, which concluded in 2013, starred Bryan Cranston as White, Aaron Paul as Pinkman, Anna Gunn as Watler’s wife Skyler White, Bob Odenkirk as fast-talking lawyer Saul Goodman and Giancarlo Esposito as the menacing Gus Fring.

Shameless

For fans of The Bear’s lead actor White’s diverse acting abilities, Shameless provides an early look at White’s breakthrough role at the age of 21. White played Phillip “Lip” Gallagher for the entirety of the series’ run from 2011 to 2021.

Shameless stars William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher, a father living in poverty while working to feed his addiction as his six kids are forced to learn to take care of themselves. The subject matter may differ from The Bear, but Shameless carries similar tones in terms of exploring themes around addiction and family drama while featuring comedic writing.

Sweetbitter

For fans of The Bear’s restaurant politics, Sweetbitter — based on the 2016 novel of the same name by author and series creator Stephanie Danton — will help satiate fans’ tastebuds.

Sweetbitter sees 21-year-old Tess — played by Ella Purnell of Yellowjackets and Fallout — move to New York and get a job as a waitress at a high-end restaurant. Whereas The Bear deals mostly with the kitchen and business side of a restaurant, Sweetbitter focuses on the hospitality side of restaurants while also exploring Tess’ personal life.

Fans of The Bear’s season 2 episode “Forks,” where Richie learns about the service side of fine dining, and its effects on one’s purpose in life, will be especially inclined to digest this series.

Industry

While Industry focuses on the London financial industry rather than the restaurant industry, it still shares a surprising number of similarities with The Bear. It immerses the viewer in a workplace while also exploring the characters' personal lives and how their trauma shows up in their work lives.

The series sees a group of college graduates attempt to secure a highly competitive permanent position at the London investment bank Pierpoint & Co. The cast includes Marisa Abela, Myha’la Herrold, Harry Lawtey and Ken Leung.

Mad Men

For fans who enjoy The Bear’s high pressure workplace and experiencing the characters’ highs and lows, similar sentiments can be found in the 1960s advertising world portrayed in Mad Men. Not only that, but Mad Men’s main character Don Draper bottles up his emotions while excelling at his job at the expense of his personal life like Carmy.

Mad Men features an ensemble cast including Jon Hamm as the charismatic Don Draper, leading a double life as a wheeling and dealing advertising executive seeing a different girl nearly every night before coming home to his family. The cast also includes Elisabeth Moss as the ambitious secretary-turned-copywriter, Peggy Olsen, Christina Hendricks as office manager-turned-firm partner, Joan Holloway, and John Slattery as senior partner, Roger Sterling.

Feed the Beast

Feed the Beast sees two friends open a restaurant together in the wake of grief and loss. This is a somewhat similar plotline to The Bear in which Carmy returns to Chicago to run The Beef before opening his own restaurant after his brother Michael’s death.

The two friends Tommy (David Schwimmer) and Dion (Jim Sturgess) open the restaurant for different reasons. Tommy opens it after his wife dies to find a sense of purpose and Dion opens it after getting out of his prison to redeem what’s left of his life and to find an outlet for his cooking skills.

The show still focuses on the restaurant business, including the debt they take on to open it, but focuses more on the personal lives and drama of its main characters. The shows also both feature numerous high-stakes episodes and scenes.

From Scratch

The Bear illustrates how food can bring people together, creating deep bonds and connections. When Art student Amy (Zoe Saldaña) moves to Florence, Italy, she meets and falls in love with Sicilian chef Lino (Eugenio Mastrandrea) in Netflix’s miniseries, From Scratch.

Like The Bear, From Scratch features an emphasis on high-end Italian cuisine and Chef Lino’s dedication to cooking. The main characters in both shows take big risks to pursue their dreams and both shows also feature family drama as Amy’s family struggles to approve of her choices, including her newfound romance and career path.

Top Chef

To hear all the culinary lingo used in The Bear in action, turn to Top Chef. The reality TV competition first premiered in 2006 and has since aired over 20 seasons. In it, aspiring chefs from across the country compete for the title of Top Chef through a series of culinary challenges.

In particular, the "Restaurant Wars" episodes — which see the chefs split into two teams to conceptualize and create a three-course restaurant menu — give viewers a real-life look into the pressures and challenges that come with starting a restaurant. A few of the chefs that Carmy worked for in The Bear have also made guest appearances on Top Chef over the years, including Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller.

Platonic

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne teamed up for the 2023 Apple TV comedy series Platonic. The two played former platonic best friends, Will and Sylvia, who reconnect after a long time apart. As their friendship grows strong again, their relationships with others change — akin to Carmy's struggle of exploring his feelings for Claire and the needs of his restaurant.

There's also a culinary element, too: Rogen's Will is the owner of a startup craft beer bar.

Next Level Chef

For more real-life chef action, check out Fox's Next Level Chef. Chefs Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blai serve as judges and mentees to a group of culinary hopefuls as they undergo many cooking challenges. The pressure is high on Next Level Chef, as the competitors are often tasked with limited ingredients and less-than-ideal kitchen appliances to create culinary masterpieces.

Plenty of "Yes, chefs" abound, too.

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