It's the controversial Emmys question we can't stop asking: Why is The Bear in the comedy category?

Once again, the Emmys have confused us all.

The Bear has been nominated (and won) in the comedy category for the second time in a row.

2024 Emmys hosts Dan and Eugene Levy even made sure to address the controversial issue in their opening monologue.

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"The Bear is nominated for 23 Emmys tonight, making it the most nominated comedy in history," Eugene began as the crowd applauded.

"Now, I love the show and I know some of you might be expecting us to make a joke about whether The Bear is really a comedy.

"But, in the true spirit of The Bear, we will not be making any jokes."

As the audience laughed, the camera panned to stars of the series, including Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who both nodded in approval.

So, if even the show's stars seem to agree The Bear is in fact not a comedy, why is it continuously put in that category?

Well, the simple answer is because that's where the producers want it.

The Television Academy of Arts and Sciences doesn't have any qualifying rules to what makes a comedy, simply because it's too subjective to measure.

So, The Bear has been put in the comedy category simply because it's where the producers saw it fit.

But, since the show focuses on topics such as grief, addiction, toxic workplaces, and mental illness, many seem to disagree with the decision.

One unnamed television writer even told Rolling Stone journalist, Alan Sepinwall, The Bear being classified as a comedy is "offensive."

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"I like the show a lot, but it's a whole new level of offensive that it wins awards for Best Comedy," the writer shared.

"They are not attempting, in most episodes, to even gesture at the idea of comedy."

When you consider the fact the Emmys first began in 1955, you can somewhat understand why it's so confusing.

Back then, there was a much clearer distinction of what made a comedy and what made a drama.

Just think of a show like Bewitched compared to something like Hawaii Five-O.

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But today, shows are much more nuanced when it comes to sticking to one clear genre.

The Bear is considered by most to be a stressful psychological drama with dark humour undertones. But it seems that others believe that the dark humour undertones are enough to qualify in the comedy category .

Regardless of your opinion on comedy, The Bear has swept the category for the past two years, and we can only imagine it will continue to do so in the future.

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