Yes, ‘The Bear’ is a comedy. Get over it.

Well, it is that time of year again. I am talking about people watching the Emmys and complaining because they don’t think The Bear is a comedy. Sorry that dark humor isn’t your idea of a good time! But it is actually the right category for the show.

There are different types of comedies. There are sitcoms, the network shows that we find comfort in, but there are also more serious comedy shows. They use subtlety to bring comedy to serious subject matter, but the serious tones do not necessarily mean the show needs to be considered a drama. That’s why shows like The Bear are in the “comedy” category at award shows.

I will admit that the show is not a laugh-out-loud kind of comedy, but when you unpack each episode, they are comedic despite whatever emotional arc the show as a whole is exploring. At the Emmys last night, the cast and creative team were being awarded for their work in season 2—you know, the season where Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) scream-sang a Taylor Swift song after learning how restaurants run?

While that season had more serious moments, it still was The Bear. You cannot tell me that Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) is not a comedic character. In season 3, he walked out, poured a broth into a cup in front of a guest, and brought it back to the kitchen. It was only after Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) yelled at him that they were a restaurant that Fak realized he was supposed to leave it at the table. Peak comedy!

This need to label things a certain way is missing the point entirely. These shows are nuanced, and so no, a comedy isn’t always going to be a laugh riot.

Dramas can be comedic and comedies can be dramatic

There are many out there who claim a show like The Sopranos is a comedy. During its time at the Emmys, it competed in drama categories. Since the show’s release, many have argued it is a comedy. So … where was the complaint, then, for dramas? Should they have yelled every award circuit that the show was a comedy?

To be honest, I think the real issue is that we have changed how we view shows. Even a sitcom like Parks and Recreation or—for a show currently competing against The Bear—Abbott Elementary both have their emotional moments. I have sobbed over both of these “comedies” as many times as I have laughed with them.

Those emotional beats do not negate the impact of the show in a comedic category. I think The Bear is just a modern comedy and that is okay. This need to label it a drama because it has its darker moments kind of shuts down the category’s room for growth. The way we view a genre changes over time, and I think that a show like The Bear is in the right category with comedy—especially since shows like Hacks have the same kind of beats.

Look, if you’re that mad that The Bear competes as a comedy, then maybe the problem is how you look at comedy as a genre. Personally, I laugh at a lot of the situations in the series. If The Sopranos were made today, maybe it’d even be considered a comedy given characters like Paulie (Tony Sirico).

But I do think that everyone trashing the wins of The Bear because they don’t agree with its category placement is getting a little obnoxious. We get it. People wanted another show to win. That’s fine. But I don’t think The Bear is a drama, and until we stop doing just two categories for everything, this is what we have to work with.