Why is 'The Bear' a comedy? FX show breaks record with Emmy nominations

The stressful, frenetic life behind the scenes at a gourmet restaurant. So funny, right?

Congratulations to FX's "The Bear" for its many Emmy nominations this year in the comedy categories, including outstanding comedy series. It got so many nominations, in fact, it broke the record for most nominations by a comedy series in one year, with 23 nods. That's one more than the previous record holder: NBC's "30 Rock," which nabbed 22 nominations in 2009.

But while the producers of "The Bear" are probably popping the Champagne corks, many viewers of the infamously stress-inducing, tense series might be wondering about the whole "comedy" part of those nominations.

The series, about a family-owned Italian-beef sandwich joint in Chicago that is transformed into a fine dining establishment by chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, nominated for lead actor), isn't often laugh-out-loud funny. I prefer to call it a "half-hour drama" or "dramedy." Sometimes the antics of "cousin" Richie (Ebon Moss-Bacharach, nominated for supporting actor) are so outlandish as to cause a chortle. But those laughs are somewhat incidental to the heavily dramatic plot, where the protagonist's brother died by suicide, inherited family trauma is a major plot point and the profanity is frequent and derogatory.

So why is it up against the likes of happy-go-lucky sitcoms like "Abbott Elementary"?

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

The short answer is, because it can! It's not the Television Academy that picks which categories TV shows compete in, but rather the networks and streamers behind them. So FX decided to submit "The Bear" as a comedy, and that's where it will stay. The reason is also pretty simple: Comedy categories are traditionally less competitive than drama, meaning all the Emmys the series won at the last Emmys are partially due to the shrewd decision by network honchos to go for the comedy gold. Plus, if it had competed in drama this year, it would have been up against FX's other heavyweight contender: "Shogun," which scored 25 nominations, the most for any series.

"The Bear" is far from the only dramatic TV series ever to compete as a comedy for a better shot at glory. There have been many cases of what awards-watchers like to call "category fraud." Dark shows like HBO's "Barry," Netflix's "Russian Doll," Amazon's "Fleabag" all have competed (and won) as comedies in recent years. But you might be hard-pressed to laugh at the finale of "Barry."

It's the age-old story of the Hollywood awards race. Whether it's actors competing in supporting categories instead of lead roles, dramas competing as comedies or returning series sneaking into the limited series category, there is always a little bit of campaign trickery and finagling. Whatever it takes to win, right?

Back when Season 1 premiered, before all the hype and nominations, White had his own thoughts about whether the series could be labeled a comedy.

"I guess if you had to, I would describe it as a dramedy," he told USA TODAY in 2022. "It's certainly funny at times. I don't think Carmy’s necessarily funny, but I think the situations that he finds himself in can be. I think it's interesting and funny to watch this young man who’s not a wonderful communicator trying to communicate what he wants and his feelings to a group of people who are also not excellent at hearing him. So I think there is comedy that comes out of that. I don't know if it's like knee-slapping funny. I think it can be at times. It's real, or we're trying to make it real, like real life. Sad things can be funny. Funny things can make you sad."

"The Bear" is definitely skilled at making you sad and being sad, that's for sure. There are some laughs. And considering how many Emmys "The Bear" won in the comedy categories for its first season, it's pretty safe to say it might be breaking more records as a "comedy" at this year's awards, and for years to come.

Contributing: Erin Jensen