It's easy to try to compare this with FX's The Bear, but they're two completely different series, and I appreciate them both for different reasons. I loved the 2021 movie, and while I do think it's not as tightly put together, it's still a great transition from feature-length into television. It's much darker and somber, the characters are so fuckin sad that you know these brief moments of exhales won't last long. I'm still not completely sure WHY this series had to exist, but it's such a delightful, stressful time so I think this gets a pass.