Series Order for FX Comedy ‘The Bear’ Led By ‘Shameless’ Star Jeremy Allen White

FX is keeping Shameless vet Jeremy Allen White in Chicago with a series order for the Windy City-set restaurant comedy The Bear. The pilot filmed in town this past July and marks yet another win for the already-bustling Chicago television industry. With news breaking today of IATSE and AMPTP averting a strike, this green light for The Bear is icing on the cake of a hearty serving of good news over the weekend.

White — who is coming off an 11-season run on Showtime’s Chi-Town Emmy winner Shameless, where he played eldest brother Lip Gallagher — will star as a young chef who returns to Chicago to run the family restaurant. The cast also includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach (NOS4A2), Ayo Edebiri (Dickinson), Lionel Boyce (Hap & Leonard), Abby Elliott (Saturday Night Live) and Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment); Edwin Gibson and chef Matty Matheson (Workin’ Moms) will recur.

If you’re new to Jeremy Allen White, it’s the perfect time to get to know him better. Here’s an entertaining segment from BuzzFeed featuring White and his rabid fan base from his Shameless days, enjoy:

The pilot for The Bear was written and directed by Christopher Storer (Ramy, Dickinson), who will executive-produce the half-hour series alongside Hiro Murai (Atlanta, Station Eleven) and Nate Matteson (Station Eleven) of Super Frog, Emmy Nominee Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman, Undone) and Josh Senior.

“The Bear delivers, thanks to the ferocious performances of Jeremy Allen White and fellow cast members Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Liza Colón-Zayas, Edwin Gibson and Matty Matheson,” Nick Grad, FX’s President of Original Programming, said in a statement. “The series gets off to a fantastic start in the pilot and we know this creative team including Hiro, Nate and Joanna has the comedy chops and producing experience to deliver the latest in a storied line of FX comedies.”

Said Executive Producer Calo, “We are so grateful to FX and overjoyed we get to tell more stories from this world. And while this cast is talented enough to make standing silently in an empty space riveting, we can’t wait to get to work in the writers room.”

The Bear is slated for a 2022 premiere. Check back here at Screen Magazine for the latest on specific premiere dates, shooting locations, additional supporting cast, local production team, and much more as this series heads into production.