The Bear has continued its three-season span with more wins at the 2024 Emmys. The award show honored Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach with more acting accolades for the alleged comedy.
While there has been some confusion about whether The Bear should really be awarded for the comedy category, it has undoubtedly connected with audiences. Following young Carmy (White) following the suicide of his brother, Michael (Jon Bernthal), Carmy takes over his brother’s Chicago sandwich shop and plans to turn it into a fine dining experience. With the help of cousin, Richie (Moss-Bachrach) and sous-chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Carmy implements a new system and trains his workers to work at a higher caliber.
There are humorous elements, but by in large, the series deals with themes such as trauma and grief. This along with high-concept storytelling and directing has made the series worth its acclaim, with the season 3 episode “Forks” at the forefront of everyone’s mind. This year, acting and directing awards were awarded to a song familiar to viewers of the series, but may have been confusion for everyone else watching.
What song did the winners walk up to?
Every time The Bear won an award in 2024, the same song played as the winners graced the podium. The song wasn’t grabbed from any contemporary needle drop, but from the Swedish hardcore band, The Refused. The Bear is known for its many popular songs, but The Refused’s song became a well-known set piece in the series. In seasons 1 and 2, the song “New Noise” would drop during particularly stress-inducing moments in the series. And as anyone who watches The Bear knows, those moments are quite frequent. According to Esquire, the music of the show is put together by showrunner Christopher Sorer and executive producer Josh Senior, who have cultivated a mid-aughts aesthetic.
For some reason, the Academy decided that this would be the best song choice to pair with the series. Unlike Shōgun, which had a moving orchestral piece that served as its theme song, The Bear has no such luxury. The Refused may be an odd choice for actors accepting acclaim for their performances, but makes perfect sense for what the series is about. Leaning further and further away from its comedy roots, the FX series lives in the realm of pure anxiety from one episode to the next. Whether it is the 18-minute, one-take episode “Review” that takes place in the back of the kitchen in season 1, or the infamous family gathering in the episode “Fishes,” audiences have to steel themselves for the onslaught of emotional trauma. It may be a hard watch, but that’s showbiz. And evidently, it got results from the Academy.