FX/Hulu Renew “The Bear,” Starring Liza Colón-Zayas, for Third Season

Liza Colón-Zayas is grin and bear-ing it!

FX/Hulu have ordered a third season of their acclaimed restaurant drama series The Bear, starring the 51-year-old Puerto Rican actress and playwright.

Liza Colón-Zayas,The series, which was created by Christopher Storer, stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto.

The first season of The Bear follows Carmy, a young chef from the fine-dining world who comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after his brother’s suicide. Carmy must balance the realities of small-business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother’s death.

Season two follows the gang as they transform their grimy sandwich joint into a next-level spot. As they stripped the restaurant down to its bones, the crew undertook transformational journeys of their own, each forced to confront the past and reckon with who they want to be in the future.

Unsurprisingly, it turned out the only thing harder than running a restaurant was opening a new one, and the team had to juggle the insane bureaucracy of permits and contractors with the beauty and creative agony of menu planning. The transition brought a newfound focus on hospitality as well. As the entire staff was forced to come together in new ways, pushing the boundaries of their abilities and relationships, they also learned what it means to be in service, both to diners and each other.

In addition to Storer and Colon-Zayas, who portrays Tina, the series also stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott and Lionel Boyce.

Matty Matheson was also upped for season 2, while Edwin Lee Gibson, Corey Hendrix, Oliver Platt, Jon Bernthal, José Cervantes, Richard Esteras, Carmen Christopher, Chris Witaske, Joel McHale, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Jacobs, Robert Townsend, Molly Gordon, Alex Moffat, Ricky Staffieri, Mitra Jouhari and Maura Kidwell recur.

Storer executive produces alongside Joanna Calo, Hiro Murai, Josh Senior and Matheson. It is produced by FX Productions.

Season one, which premiered in June 2022, is currently nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series at the awards planned for January. The second season, which aired from June 2023, consisted of ten episodes, up from eight in season one. The episode order for season three has not been revealed.

The Bear, which wowed audiences in its first season only to achieve even greater heights in season two, has become a cultural phenomenon,” said Nick Grad, President, FX Entertainment. “We’re so proud to partner with Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo, Josh Senior, and the rest of the creative team, as well as the brilliant cast led by Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. What they and the crew have done is truly remarkable, and we and our partners at Hulu join fans in looking forward to the next chapter in the story of The Bear.

Lilah Richcreek Estrada to Appear on NBC’s “Chicago Med”

Lilah Richcreek Estrada is hospital-bound…

The half-Latina American actress has joined the cast of NBC’s Chicago Med as a recurring guest star.

Lilah Richcreek EstradaSeason 8 premieres on September 21 at 8 p.m. followed by Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire.

Richcreek Estrada will portray Nellie Cuevas, a psych fellow working alongside Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt).

Chicago Med follows the lives of an elite team of medical professionals working in the emergency room at the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.

Chicago Med is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.

Richcreek Estrada most recently starred in the Disney+ series Four Dads and the Untitled Leslie Odom and Kerry Washington Project for NBC.

Her other credits include ABC’s The Wonder Years, FX’s Dave, and Netflix’s Grace and Frankie.

Sean Carvajal Wins Obie Award for “Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train”

Sean Carvajal has a new award on his mantel…

The American Theatre Wing and The Village Voice revealed the winners of the 63rd Annual Obie Awards on Monday night, with the Latino actor picking up a trophy.

Sean Carvajal

Carvajal won his award for his acclaimed performance in Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, a darkly comic meditation on redemption and faith.

Hosted by Emmy and Obie-winning actor John Leguizamo, the ceremony was held at Terminal 5 in New York and was live streamed on the official Obie Awards Twitter account. Presenters included Matthew Broderick, Lucy Liu, Oliver Platt, and many others.

The ceremony also included a special performance by Stephen Trask who performed “Wig in a Box” honoring the 20th Anniversary of Hedwig and the Angry InchLaura Osnes also performed “What Matters Most” as part of the In Memoriam segment.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Best New American Play ($1,000 prize)
Rajiv Joseph, Describe the Night (Atlantic Theater Company)

Playwriting
Aleshea Harris, Is God Is (Soho Rep)
Amy Herzog, Mary Jane (New York Theatre Workshop)
Abe Koogler, Fulfillment Center (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Dominique Morisseau, Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theater)Directing
Jesse Berger, The Government Inspector (Red Bull Theater)
Anne Kauffman, Mary Jane (New York Theatre Workshop)
Taibi Magar, Is God Is (Soho Rep)

Performance
Sean Carvajal & Edi Gathegi, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Signature Theatre
Company)
Carrie Coon, Mary Jane (New York Theatre Workshop)
Alfie Fuller & Dame-Jasmine Hughes, Is God Is (Soho Rep)
Denise Gough, People, Places & Things (National Theatre/Headlong/St. Ann’s
Warehouse)
Will Swenson, Jerry Springer – The Opera (The New Group)
Chukwudi Iwuji, The Low Road (The Public Theater)
Robert Sean Leonard, At Home at the Zoo (Signature Theatre Company)
Jessica Hecht, Admissions (Lincoln Center Theater)
Ben Edelman, Admissions (Lincoln Center Theater)
Billy Crudup, Harry Clarke (Vineyard Theatre/Audible)

Design
Lap Chi Chu, Sustained Excellence of Lighting Design
Sarah Laux, Costume Design, Jerry Springer – The Opera (The New Group)
The Design Team, He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box (Theatre for a New Audience) Christopher Barreca (Set Design), Justin Ellington (Sound Design), Donald Holder (Lighting Design), Montana Levi Blanco (Costume Design), Austin Switser (Video Design)

Special Citations
Ariane Mnouchkine & Theatre du Soleil, A Room in India (Park Avenue Armory)
The Cast and Creative Team, Yerma (Park Avenue Armory) Simon Stone (Director), Lizzie Clachan (Set Design), Alice Babidge (Costume Design), James Farncombe (Lighting Design), Stefan Gregory (Sound Design); Maureen Beattie, Brendan Cowell, John MacMillan, Billie Piper, Charlotte Randle, Thalissa Teixeira (Cast)
David Greenspan, Jack Cummings III, & Transport Group, Strange Interlude(Transport Group)

The Ross Wetzsteon Award ($3,000 prize)
Ma-Yi Theater Company
Obie Grants ($6,000 prize each)
Pan-Asian Repertory Theatre
York Theatre Company, for its Musicals in Mufti Series

Lifetime Achievement Award
Kathleen Chalfant

NBC Moves Up Dacosta’s “Chicago Med” Premiere to Fall

Yaya Dacosta’s new series is headed to television sooner than expected…

NBC is tweaking its fall schedule, replacing the new medical drama Heartbreaker with the 32-year-old part-Brazilian American actress’ new series Chicago Med.

Yaya Dacosta in Chicago Med

The network had announced a fall 2015 Tuesday lineup consisting of The Voice leading to Heartbreaker and new variety show Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, to be succeeded by NBC Tuesday 10 PM anchor Chicago Fire in November, when Best Time Ever’s run ends.

Chicago Med, which originated as a planted spinoff episode of Chicago Fire this past season, was previously slated for a midseason launch but will now debut in September behind The Voice. Starting in November, it will form a Chicago 9-11 PM block, paired with the franchise’s mothership series.

The scheduling change stems from the pregnancy of Heartbreaker star Melissa George, who is expecting her second child.

Both Heartbreaker and Chicago Med will start production in mid-summer, but Heartbreaker will then go on hiatus to accommodate George’s pregnancy.

Dick Wolf’s Chicago Med is described as an emotional thrill ride through the day-to-day chaos of the city’s most explosive hospital.

Chicago Med also stars Oliver Platt, S. Epatha Merkerson, Laurie Holden and Nick Gehlfuss.

Trailer Released for Jon Favreau’s “Chef,” Co-Starring Vergara

Sofia Vergara’s is cookin’ up something special in her next film project…

The 41-year-old Colombian actress is starring in Jon Favreau’s soon-to-be released comedy Chef, which just saw its theatrical trailer released.

Sofia Vergara in Chef

The film centers on Favreau’s character, Miami-born chef Carl Casper, who tries and fails to open a restaurant in Los Angeles. He returns to Miami to fix up a food truck he names El Jefe Cubanos and reacquaints with his ex-wife (portrayed by Vergara). He plans to drive across the country to reclaim his success in L.A.

In addition to Favreau and Vergara, the film also stars John Leguizamo, Robert Downey Jr., Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Scarlett Johansson, Bobby Cannavale and Amy Sedaris.

Open Road, which acquired the distribution rights to Chef in June, and will release the film stateside on May 9.

Vega Begins Filming Michael Cuesta’s “Kill the Messenger”

Paz Vega is killing the messenger in Atlanta…

Production has gotten underway in Georgia on the true-life dramatic thriller Kill the Messenger, which stars the 37-year-old Spanish actress.

Paz Vega

Directed by Michael Cuesta, the film stars Jeremy Renner as Gary Webb, the real-life reporter for The San Jose Mercury-News. In the 1990s, Webb uncovered the Central Intelligence Agency’s role in importing cocaine into California that was sold to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras rebel army. Supported by his wife and children, Webb pursued the story and went public with his evidence. When targeted for a vicious smear campaign by the CIA and rival journalists, Webb found himself fighting for his reputation and his family.

In addition to Renner and Vega, the film’s cast includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Andy Garcia, Oliver Platt, Michael Sheen and Yul Vazquez.

The film was inspired by the books Kill the Messenger by Nick Schou and Dark Alliance by Gary Webb.