All season 2 of Emmy Records FX’s ‘The Bear’ could break

With the appetite of a hungry grizzly, “The Bear” could gobble up a few Emmys for its second season. Fresh off a stellar first season that set a new benchmark for comedy series wins with 10 trophies, FX’s awards-gobbling show shows no signs of letting up. The second season, which aired in June 2023, aims to own three more records: most acting nominations for a series in one year, most nods for a comedy and the most nominated episode in history with the sixth part, ‘Fishes’.

“Fishes” presents a heated Christmas dinner flashback of the Berzatto family and positions itself as the pièce de résistance of the series so far – imagine the “Succession/Connor’s Wedding” version of family dinners, only with more food waste. Directed by Christopher Storer, who also co-wrote the episode with Joanna Calo, “Fishes” seems like the obvious choice for Emmy nods in both the directing and writing categories.

Under Emmy rules, Storer, who also directed seven episodes this season, must choose only one for his potential directing nomination (and really, how could he not choose “Fishes”?). Meanwhile, Calo is torn between ‘Sundae’, which explores the rifts in Carmy and Sydney’s partnership, and ‘Pop’, which shows a blossoming romance with Claire. Ramy Youssef’s “Honeydew,” which takes viewers on a culinary journey to Copenhagen with Marcus, is Youssef’s only directing bet, but has a strong chance of recognition (he also has his stand-up special in other categories).

Read: All Primetime Emmy predictions in every category at Variety Awards circuit.

As for the writing stakes, Storer single-handedly created the season opener “Beef” and will be able to submit accordingly. Moreover, he collaborated with Calo on ‘Fishes’ and ‘Omelette’, giving them the (easy?) decision to choose their strongest competitor. With a team of brilliant writers including Karen Joseph Adcock and Catherine Schetina for ‘Sundae’ and several others throughout the season, ‘The Bear’ could tie or eclipse the ’30 Rock’ record for most writing nominations in a year with four in 2009, also shared with “The Wonder Years” in 1989.

Speaking of NBC’s “30 Rock,” its record 22 nominations in 2009 are a high for comedies. But hold on to your chef hats – current Variety Emmy projections, which don’t yet include craft categories, suggest that “The Bear” could land 23 nods, potentially closing in on the all-time series record of 32 set by “Game of Thrones.” Can it overcome both? The latter will be more difficult, but it could have a chance to tie or break another “GOT” record for most nominations for a single episode. It was in 2016 when the penultimate episode titled ‘Battle of the Bastards’ won six out of seven Emmy nominations, tying the record with the pilot episode of ‘Boardwalk Empire’. Could ‘Fishes’ top HBO’s all-time bloodiest episode?

On the acting front, “Fishes” could be a gold mine for nominations, with talent like John Mulaney, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Gillian Jacobs, Chris Witaske, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal. Regular cast members in the episode such as Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Oliver Platt and Abby Elliott are also in the mix, aiming for recognition as a lead actor.

Two years after her Oscar win for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Curtis is the undisputed frontrunner in the race of guest comedy actresses, eyeing what could be her second career Emmy nod that puts her halfway to EGOT status could bring (I can’t wait for a possible spoken word album).

Also in the Emmy race are recurring characters like Robert Townsend, who lights up the screen as Sydney’s supportive father, Emmanuel. After five decades in Hollywood, his sentimental four-episode turn could earn him the first Emmy nod of his career, especially if members of the TV Academy go all-in on “Bear.” Meanwhile, Emmy nominee Will Poulter (“The White Lotus”) also makes a strong impression in “Honeydew” as Luca, a dessert chef who mentors Marcus, who could find himself in the fray.

Reigning Supporting Actor Champion Moss-Bachrach returns as the gruff yet endearing Richie, as seen in the incredibly focused “Forks.” He will be ready to defend his title. He could land co-stars like Lionel Boyce, Matty Matheson and last year’s nominated guest comedy actor Oliver Platt, who is in line for a supporting bid this time around. Meanwhile, last year’s supporting comedy actress winner Ayo Edebiri has moved into the lead role, leaving the field open for her acting colleagues, including Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott and Molly Gordon, all worthy of nominations, who pray not to vote. split. However, the stiff competition in the supporting comedy actress race, especially with double and repeat nominees like “Abbott Elementary” and “Hacks,” leaves them all vulnerable. Additionally, we expect seven nominees, based on submission tracking, which shows fewer than 240 entries submitted in total, adding another hurdle.

If you add up all those potential acting mentions, we appear to be heading towards the back-to-back records set by “Succession” from 2022 and 2023, when it nabbed the most acting nominations with 14, surpassing the limited series “Roots.” Could this be an overwhelming love-fest for the very serious comedy?

In this culinary-themed TV world, it’s clear that the stakes are as high as the show’s flavors are bold, and that there will be an undoubtedly delicious third season on the ballot. Whether “The Bear” will devour the competition at the Emmys doesn’t seem to be in question, but one question remains: Will the portion size of the nominations be turned into an Emmy statue buffet?

Emmy entries are due Tuesday, May 7, with the entry deadline for all series ending on May 31. Voting in the nomination round runs from June 13 to June 24.