1Ramy
Ramy follows the life of Ramy Hassan (played by Ramy Youssef), a young American Muslim man navigating life in two worlds. The Bear's creator, Christopher Storer, directed a few episodes of the Hulu series. Later on, Youssef returned the favor, directing the Copenhagen-set episode of The Bear Season Two.
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2Kitchen Nightmares
Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is a masterclass in kitchen renovations. It's a reality TV classic for a reason: in each episode, the celebrity chef runs around a failing kitchen (for a full week!) and repeatedly insults them... in an attempt to fix their failing business. Is it worth the abuse? It is for me.
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3BEEF
BEEF may not actually be about Italian beef, but the intensity of the series definitely hits the same fever pitch as The Bear. The series follows two strangers (played by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong) who—after getting in a road rage incident— continue to drive each other crazy.
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4Whiplash
OK, so Whiplash may be a movie and not a TV show, but nothing else matches the intensity of The Bear's wildest kitchen nightmares. A jazz drummer hitting the cymbals so hard that his hands bleed? That's a kind of dangerous dedication that the world's craziest chefs would support.
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5Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a 2011 documentary that follows Jiro Ono, a sushi master and the owner of a Michelin-Starred restaurant. This man has dedicated his entire life to preparing sushi—and trains apprentices for 10 years before sending them off into the world. If you think a week of cleaning forks in The Bear was rough, you're not ready for Jiro.
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6Gentefied
Though this dramedy may not carry the same tension at The Bear, Gentefied is still a great add to your list. The show follows three Mexican-American cousins all working in their family's taco shop in Los Angeles. Following the same themes of family and food as The Bear, this show follows its characters as they try to move their taco shop into a new age—all while dealing with the challenges of gentrification. Gentefied ran for a wonderful two seasons before its cancellation in 2022.
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7Chef's Table
In this Emmy-nominated series, some of the world's best chefs let you in on their secrets. In each episode, these chefs share their personal stories, inspirations, and unique approaches to cooking. Chef's Table spotlights highly renowned chefs from all over the world in order to create a truly inspiring and mouthwatering experience for us all. Amen to that.
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8Itaewon Class
In this K-Drama, Park Saeroyi faces a series of tragedies just as he is set to finish high school. Years later, in an effort to change the story of his life and to get revenge on those who wronged him, he sets out to create his own pub. Along the way, he's joined by a group of misfits that soon become a family bonded by their commitment to turning their street bar into something great.
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9Shameless
if The Bear was your first-ever introduction to Jeremy Allen White and you simply cannot get enough, let me introduce you to Shameless. The show is a dramedy (also set in Chicago!) that follows a dysfunctional family of six kids and their alcoholic father, who is played by William H. Macy.
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10Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Any fervent food fan is familiar with Anthony Bourdain and the impact he had on the culinary world before his tragic death in 2018. In this Emmy Award-winning show, you can follow along with Bourdain as he takes you through a journey of culture and food across parts of the world rarely covered by American media. Parts Unknown does an extraordinary job of plucking you out of everything you know and dropping you into the lap of some of the most amazing places and food imaginable.
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Ammal Hassan is a writer and Esquire's Snapchat Editor. She covers all things culture with a focus on music and pop culture. She is from Nairobi, Kenya and lives in New York City.

As an assistant editor at Esquire, Rosenberg covers film, TV, sports, anime, music, and video games. When he’s not trying to remember character names from House of the Dragon, you can find him theorizing about the future of Yellowstone, or putting another hundred hours into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Rosenberg's standout stories include an interview with Olympic breakdancing athlete Victor Montalvo, a pitch to the Oscars to add a Best Animal Actor category, and a plea for Hollywood to fix bad movie titles. His past work can be found at Spin, Insider, and his personal blog at Roseandblog.com. What’s one piece of life advice that Josh can give? A movie a day keeps the doctor away.
Follow Rosenberg on Twitter/X @Roseandblog and check out his “Good Movie List” on Letterboxd: @Movies4MePlease
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