A warning, this episode contains discussion of suicide.

If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you likely understand how intense it can be.

It's fast paced and you're constantly in close proximity with your colleagues.

The egos are ripe for clashing, but strong bonds can nevertheless be formed.

The new series The Bear understands this environment very well.

The dromedy star is Jeremy Allen White as carmy, a fine dining chef who takes over his families

beloved but troubled Italian beef sandwich shop following the death of his brother.

Carmy has to balance saving the restaurant with managing an eclectic staff of long-time employees

and one eager, ambitious newbie. I'm Glenn Weldon.

And I'm Aisha Harris. And today we're talking about The Bear, my pop-culture happy hour from NPR.

Joining me in Glenn today is writer Kat Chao. Her memoir Seeing Ghost is available now.

Welcome back Kat. Hey, thanks for having me on.

Yeah, I'm excited to talk about the show. So in The Bear, Jeremy Allen White plays carmy,

a James Beard award-winning chef who stepped into save his family's business,

following the suicide of his brother. The original beef of Chicago land is the small hole in the

wall restaurant in the River North neighborhood with a loyal customer base, but it hasn't exactly

been run all that smoothly behind the scenes. For one thing, carmy's inherited his late brother's

huge debt to their uncle Cicero, who's played by Oliver Platt. The kitchen is filled with a variety

of personalities and passionate foodies, including Tina, an older prickly cook, played by Liza

Colonzeis, and Marcus, a meticulous pastry chef, played by Lionel Boyce. Carmy frequently finds

himself clashing with Richie, his brother's best friend and an obnoxious hothead played by Eben

Moss-Backwreck, who also works at the restaurant. And he finds a kindred spirit in Sydney,

...