- Race four abandoned after New Zealand breeze into 3-0 lead in America's Cup
- West Indies win toss, put Sri Lanka in to bat in first T20
- Sudan rescuers say air strike killed 23 in Khartoum market
- Netanyahu tells UN to move Lebanon peacekeepers out of 'harm's way'
- Bangladeshi Hindus defy attack worries to celebrate festival
- Kiwis three up in America's Cup as Ineos pay for time penalty
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Dominant England crush Scotland at Women's T20 World Cup
- Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Israel fights Hezbollah on the ground, pounds Lebanon from the air
- Sabalenka outlasts local hero Zheng to win third Wuhan Open title
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Former Pakistan captain Azam dropped for second England Test
- 'Opportunist' Dupont dazzles on Toulouse return
- Australia replace injured Vlaeminck with Graham at Women's T20 World Cup
- Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Israel hits Lebanon from the air and fights Hezbollah on the ground
- China's Yin has 'goosebumps' as she romps to LPGA win in Shanghai
- Pakistan to re-use Multan pitch for second England Test
- Blair and King Charles hail Salmond's 'devotion' to Scotland
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- Israel widens Lebanon strikes as troops fight Hezbollah along border
- Bowlers' graveyards: Pakistan's placid pitches under fresh fire
- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Vietnam, China to expand rail links, cross-border payments
- Americans get their belief back as Pochettino makes his mark
- Vietnam, China to boost economic, defence cooperation
- Winning start for Pochettino's American adventure
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
- US firms brace for more tariffs as election approaches
- Winning start for Poch's American adventure
- Morocco's tribeswomen see facial tattoo tradition fade
- Centre-left set to win as pro-Ukraine Lithuania votes
- Colombia guerilla group urges delegations not to attend COP16 in Cali
- Pakistan frets over security ahead of SCO summit
- Ronaldo scores 133rd Portugal goal in Nations League win over Poland
- 40 nations contributing to UN Lebanon peacekeeping force condemn 'attacks'
- Eight dead as heavy rain thrashes Brazil after long drought
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- Morocco crush Central African Republic, Guirassy scores hat-trick
- Dupont scores quickfire hat-trick on Toulouse Top 14 return
- Ronaldo scores in Portugal's Nations League win as Spain sink Denmark
- Interim boss Carsley has not applied for England job
- Mets hurler Senga ready to take on Dodgers in game one of NL Championship Series
Grief and gourmands: 'The Bear' cooks up Emmys comedy record
Set in the chaotic world of a top restaurant kitchen, where each chef has their own unique skill set and emotional baggage, "The Bear" on Wednesday broke the Emmys record with the most nominations for a comedy in a single year.
What makes the show's latest haul of 23 nods even more remarkable is that, for many critics, "The Bear" is barely a comedy at all, dealing with hard-hitting issues from death and mourning to betrayal and emotional abuse.
"You find laughter in grief," said Ebon Moss-Bachrach, the actor who won an Emmy at the last gala playing restaurant manager Richie, and is nominated again this time around.
"One of the strengths of the show -- and one of the reasons that it's connected with so many people -- is I think grief is the river that runs through all of us," he told a press conference before Wednesday's announcement.
The show's latest, historic nominations count was for season two of "The Bear," which aired last summer.
Nominally, it charted the race to open a daring, experimental new fine-dining restaurant, from the ashes of a disheveled family-run sandwich joint.
But characters dealt with a loved one's suicide, attended addiction counselling, cared for terminally ill relatives, experienced panic attacks and generally tore each other apart.
"The show does have its moments, but it also has very light moments, too, very beautiful moments, too," insisted Ayo Edebiri, who has also won an Emmy, and is nominated again, as Sydney.
- 'Chuckle fests' -
The question of whether "The Bear" is a comedy has been endlessly debated in entertainment industry circles.
The designation is important because the Emmys -- the small-screen version of the Oscars -- splits contenders into drama, comedy and limited series.
Some have claimed entering "The Bear" as a comedy was a strategic move by producers, allowing it to bypass big hitters in drama like recent Emmys juggernaut "Succession," and therefore amass more awards.
But the comedy category more generally, "has taken a more serious turn," noted Variety's Clayton Davis.
Gone are the days of "clear-cut, humor-filled chuckle fests" like "Frasier" and "Seinfeld."
Shows like "Fleabag" and "Barry" have straddled the line with drama, and taken viewers to dark places, with enormous success, he wrote recently.
Still, according to The Daily Beast, "The Bear" is a true comedy, as it "consistently finds humor in horrible events."
Writer Sarah John pointed to scenes in which a character deadpans that she doesn't know her late mom very well because "of the whole dead thing," and another in which a character is accidentally stabbed in a fast-paced "comedy of errors."
"More comedies should embrace the fact that humor can still be found in times of real strife," she wrote.
- 'Awards season' -
Regardless, the debate has not hurt "The Bear" in awards terms.
Its third season, shot early this year, launched in the United States last month.
Reports that a fourth season had been filmed back-to-back with the third were "not exactly" confirmed by the cast, who admitted: "We did something like that."
"We'd just kind of come off the success of awards season and stuff, and so yeah, I was very anxious," the show's star, Jeremy Allen White, said of returning to the set in February.
White took home the lead actor prize at the last Emmys, and is the firm favorite to repeat in September.
"The pressure is very real. But then after a couple weeks of getting back around these guys and our beautiful crew... it feels fun again and it all feels possible again."
Y.Nakamura--AMWN