The 2025 Primetime Emmy nominations were officially announced Tuesday morning, and while “The Bear” has reason to celebrate its five latest nods from the Television Academy, some social media users are irate — because the apparent drama is competing as a comedy once again.
The FX series landed nominations for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Ayo Edebiri), Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Jeremy Allen White), Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).
“The Bear” centers on a chef who returns to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after the death of his brother. The show features genuinely dramatic elements, including suicide, depression and substance abuse. While it premiered to widespread acclaim in 2022, many found Season 3 sorely lacking compared to prior seasons.
It was also nominated in the Comedy Series category alongside far more obvious entries in the genre, such as “The Studio” and “What We Do in the Shadows.”
This is the third year in a row that “The Bear” is competing as a comedy — to the wrath of many.
“Re: Emmy nominations - The Bear is not a comedy, The Bear is not a comedy, The Bear is not a comedy,” wrote one X user, with another noting: “I see the #Emmy nominations are going on. A.K.A. The annual reminder that The Bear isn’t a comedy.”
“THE BEAR ISNT A COMEDY ... compared to the other comedy nominees it is a DRAMA,” wrote one user on X. “Placing shows in categories they don’t belong just so they can sweep is so unfair to the other nominees whose shows are GENUINE COMEDIES!!”
Numerous cast members from “The Bear” were recognized at the 2023 and 2024 Emmys for their performances, including White, Edebiri, Moss-Bachrach and Colón-Zayas.
Whether the show will “sweep” at this year’s upcoming ceremony remains to be seen, as “The Bear” does face some strong competition. The 77th Primetime Emmys are set to be hosted by comic Nate Bargatze and will air live on CBS on Sept. 14.