Photo composite by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/FX/Getty
There may be no bigger pain in the ass on television than Richard “Richie” Jerimovich, Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s sandwich shop manager/hanger-on in FX on Hulu’s The Bear, whose anxieties, resentments, and insecurities manifest themselves via one profanely petulant outburst and self-sabotaging tantrum after another.
As conceived by showrunner Christopher Storer, Richie is a man-child with a non-stop mouth and an inability to back down from the many arguments and conflicts he instigates. Thus, it comes as a monumental surprise that in a stellar second season (out now) full of unexpected turns, he proves to be the series’ undisputed—and dare I say, most endearing?—standout.
When Richie was first introduced to audiences, he was the de facto adversary of his “cousin” Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), the world-renowned chef who’d returned home to Chicago to take control of The Beef following the passing of his brother—and Richie’s beloved best friend—Michael (Jon Bernthal).