Abby Elliott makes the sensible person worth watching. We rate the steadiness she brings to The Bear, where keeping a restaurant and a family functioning gives her as much to play as anyone raising their voice.
Fi1m perspective
In The Bear (2022), Abby Elliott plays Natalie ‘Sugar’ Berzatto, a restaurant manager dealing with family as well as workplace strain. Being level-headed gives Natalie plenty to do, and Elliott resists making good sense seem dull. We found her steadiness a relief amid the kitchen friction, because it made the prospect of getting through the working day seem possible. She is an important part of an ensemble that keeps us interested in people who can be exhausting to spend time with.
Elliott's four seasons of celebrity impressions on Saturday Night Live (2008–2012) established a rather different expectation of her. The comedy work continued with Brooke Von-Weber in Odd Mom Out (2015) and a regular role in Indebted (2020). There is no need to dismiss that stretch to recognise how much the move towards family drama has given her to do. The Bear lets her sustain a character under pressure, with practical responsibilities that matter as much as the next emotional confrontation.
Her preparation for Natalie included shadowing a restaurant manager, which is the right kind of homework for this part. We need to believe that someone here understands the work, and Elliott's grounded performance helps make that possible. Alongside Jeremy Allen White and Jamie Lee Curtis, she contributes to the family drama without abandoning the sense of a person accustomed to being responsible. The limitation is partly the programme's: when the friction becomes relentless, even this persuasive ensemble cannot stop the drama from being tiring.
All Her Fault (2025), in which she plays Lia Irvine, extends the move into family drama, but it is a less convincing reason to follow her. Sarah Snook's frightened mother carries that kidnap mystery further than its plot deserves. There is only so much an actor can do when a series has begun explaining away its own coincidences. For Elliott, start with The Bear, provided an evening among strained colleagues still sounds like time off.
Biography
Abby Elliott is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2012. She is the daughter of actor and comedian Chris Elliott and the granddaughter of radio comedian Bob Elliott.
Elliott has appeared in films including No Strings Attached (2011) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). On television she has had roles in How I Met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls and Odd Mom Out. She plays Natalie 'Sugar' Berzatto in the FX series The Bear (2022–2026) and Lia Irvine in the Peacock series All Her Fault (2025).
