On Reddit, u/Dave_santzzz created a post asking if any other fans of Lip Gallagher, Jeremy Allen White's character on "Shameless," had watched "The Bear" yet. The post earned a wide array of responses, with some users admitting that they believe "The Bear" and "Shameless," both of which take place in Chicago, are more similar than fans of either show might initially assume.
For instance, u/aznhoopster wrote, "Just recently watched the series, I really enjoyed it and I like the other actors in it too. [It] could probably pass off as a Lip spin-off in some senses too." Elsewhere, u/enjoyt0day similarly noted, "It [definitely] feels like you're watching a Lip spin-off." In the same Reddit thread, however, u/purplenecktie wrote, "I'm on my second rewatch [of 'The Bear'] now. Lip wasn't even my absolute favorite character but Jeremy Allen White is so talented and the show is so compelling."
In other words, it seems safe to say that "The Bear" is something that TV viewers may like whether they're fans of White's performance on "Shameless" or not. That said, "Shameless" fans aren't the only ones who noticed some similarities between Lip Gallagher and Carmy Berzatto. In an interview with Vulture, White even acknowledged some of the similarities between the two characters, but he also revealed, "Where I see a really big gap between them is their confidence."
"While Lip and Carmy can both be considered fragile characters, Carmy is on the edge all the time," White added. As anyone who has watched "The Bear" will know, the actor's description of Carmy certainly isn't inaccurate either. Despite that, "Shameless" fans everywhere can still take comfort in knowing that they're not the only ones who have noticed some similarities between it and "The Bear."
