The Bear season 4

The fourth season of the American comedy-drama television series The Bear premiered with all 10 episodes on June 25, 2025, on FX on Hulu. Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo return as showrunners for the season. Jeremy Allen White reprises his role as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother's sandwich shop.

The Bear
Season 4
Promotional poster
Showrunners	Christopher Storer Joanna Calo
Starring	Jeremy Allen White Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ayo Edebiri Lionel Boyce Liza Colón-Zayas Abby Elliott Matty Matheson Edwin Lee Gibson
No. of episodes	10
Release
Original network	FX on Hulu
Original release	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Season chronology
List of episodes

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, and Edwin Lee Gibson return from the previous season as the supporting cast. In March 2024, FX renewed The Bear for a fourth season, which began filming with the third season in February 2024, and was completed in early 2025. The season premiered to positive reviews from critics, though reception was more muted than prior seasons.

Cast and characters

Main

• Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard "Richie" Jerimovich
• Ayo Edebiri as Sydney "Syd" Adamu
• Lionel Boyce as Marcus Brooks
• Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina Marrero
• Abby Elliott as Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto
• Matty Matheson as Neil Fak
• Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim

Recurring

• Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna Berzatto^[1]
• Molly Gordon as Claire Dunlap^[2]
• Gillian Jacobs as Tiffany "Tiff" Jerimovich
• Will Poulter as Luca^[3]
• Rob Reiner as Albert Schnur
• Corey Hendrix as Gary "Sweeps" Woods^[1]
• Oliver Platt as Jimmy "Cicero" Kalinowski^[2]
• Sarah Ramos as Jessica^[4]
• Andrew Lopez as Garrett^[4]
• Rene Gube as Rene^[4]
• Ricky Staffieri as Theodore Fak
• Christopher Zucchero as "Chi-Chi"
• Paulie James as Chuckie
• Chris Witaske as Pete Katinsky
• Robert Townsend as Emmanuel Adamu
• Carmen Christopher as Chester

Guest

• Jon Bernthal as Michael Berzatto
• Brian Koppelman as Nicholas "The Computer" Marshall
• Mitra Jouhari as Kelly
• Alpana Singh as herself
• Gary Janetti as Mr. Clark
• Danielle Deadwyler as Chantel
• Arion King as TJ
• Kate Berlant as Georgie
• David Zayas as David^[1]
• Josh Hartnett as Frank
• Brie Larson as Francie Fak
• John Mulaney as Stevie
• Sarah Paulson as Michelle Berzatto
• Bob Odenkirk as "Uncle" Lee Lane
• Annabelle Toomey as Eva Jerimovich

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
29	1	"Groundhogs"	Christopher Storer	Christopher Storer	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
A flashback depicts Carmy pitching the idea of opening a restaurant to Mikey, who is revealed to have come up with the name "the Bear". In the present, The Chicago Tribune's review of the Bear proves mixed, praising the food and the sandwich window, but criticizing the menu's inconsistency and restaurant's chaotic atmosphere. Cicero and Computer give the crew two months to turn the business around, otherwise they will be forced to shut down. Cicero places a clock in the kitchen counting down to this deadline by the hour. Carmy and Sydney focus on earning a Michelin star, committing to a more efficient and consistent operation. Richie hires Jess, Garrett, and Rene from Ever to aid in reforming the restaurant's practices.
30	2	"Soubise"	Christopher Storer and Duccio Fabbri	Catherine Schetina	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Weeks since Cicero's ultimatum, the Bear struggles with a shortage in ingredients due to budget cuts and the staff's dwindling motivation. Carmy and Sydney begin simplifying the components of the menu. Sydney reads an article about Shapiro's new restaurant. Tina urges Carmy to visit Natalie's newborn daughter Sophie, which he has continued putting off. Carmy calls Natalie to apologize; Natalie tells him it is okay if he is losing his passion for cooking.
31	3	"Scallop"	Christopher Storer	Rene Gube	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Sydney creates an updated, less costly version of the Bear's scallop dish, involving fewer ingredients; Carmy praises it and has it added to the menu that same day. Richie continues putting off the decision on whether to attend his ex-wife Tiff's wedding. Donna helps Cicero's efforts to sell his house. Ebraheim hires a business consultant named Albert Schnur to mentor him on how to expand the Beef window, which is currently the only part of the restaurant making profit. Marcus asks Carmy for more "firepower" with desserts. Richie arranges a surprise for a family dining at the restaurant for the first time with a snow-themed final course, delighting them. Carmy visits Claire at her home to apologize for his outburst in the refrigerator during the Bear's soft opening and opens up to her about his anxieties about their relationship. After leaving, Carmy calls Pete asking to update the terms of the restaurant's partnership agreement.
32	4	"Worms"	Janicza Bravo	Ayo Edebiri & Lionel Boyce	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Shapiro brings Sydney to visit his new restaurant under construction, promising her autonomy and an increased investment in the staff's learning. Sydney then visits her cousin Chantel to get her hair done. When Chantel leaves for errands, Sydney bonds with Chantel's 11-year-old daughter TJ, taking her shopping for groceries, cooking her a meal, and talking through her ongoing conflict with friends. Sydney uses the metaphor of sleepovers to discuss her indecision between staying at the Bear and moving to Shapiro's restaurant. Afterwards, Sydney calls Shapiro to discuss going over paperwork for their partnership.
33	5	"Replicants"	Christopher Storer	Karen Joseph Adcock	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Carmy attends an Al-Anon meeting and is moved by another member's vivid story of her brother's addiction. Sydney receives an updated partnership agreement from Carmy. Marcus sells his late mother's house with his roommate Chester's help. Carmy hires Luca as a stage to help Marcus. Tina talks to Carmy about his current struggle with reducing ingredients and advises him to slow down the pace of the menu. Carmy reveals to Sydney that he has decided on a set menu, admitting that his insistence on changing the menu every day was selfish and detrimental to the restaurant. Natalie brings baby Sophie to the restaurant. Sydney receives a call from the hospital saying her father has suffered a heart attack.
34	6	"Sophie"	Christopher Storer	Christopher Storer	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Sydney arrives at the hospital in a panic, but Claire tells her that her father is recovering. Sydney breaks down in tears over her guilt about making her father worry about her, but Claire comforts her, assuring her that it is a good thing to worry about loved ones. Richie opens up to Jess about his insecurities over co-parenting his daughter with Tiff's fiancé Frank, and his anxiety about attending her wedding. Albert suggests to Ebraheim that he turn the Beef window into a franchise. Neil angers Natalie when he says he invited his sister Francie – whom Natalie despises – to Tiff's wedding. Carmy, who is also hesitating going to Tiff's wedding out of fear of seeing Donna, agrees to go after talking to Natalie.
35	7	"Bears"	Christopher Storer	Joanna Calo	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
The Berzattos arrive at Tiff's wedding, with Richie bringing Sydney along for emotional support. Carmy panics upon seeing Donna again and finds a moment to himself; he runs into Lee, who reveals to Carmy that he and Mikey became friends before the latter's death, and insists that Donna is working on improving herself. Sydney meets Donna and speaks positively about working with Carmy; Donna leaves the wedding soon after. Frank begs Richie's help in consoling his daughter Eva, who is hiding under a table to avoid performing a planned dance with Frank. Richie, Frank, and Claire get under the table to talk to her, and are gradually joined by most of the Berzattos as well as Tiff and the Faks; the group takes turns opening up about their fears. Claire and Carmy reconnect afterwards, while Natalie and Francie, revealed to be former best friends and who were once romantically involved, reconcile. Richie returns home alone but overjoyed.
36	8	"Green"	Christopher Storer	Joanna Calo & Christopher Storer	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Sydney calls Shapiro to decline his job offer; he reacts negatively, telling Sydney she is doing herself a disservice by staying at the Bear. Richie tells Jess about Mikey. Tina, who has been struggling to meet the goal of preparing pasta within three minutes, goes to Luca for help; he tells her to harness rather than fear the pressure she feels. Natalie and Computer go over the Bear's finances, which are still in jeopardy despite the cost cuts; Computer asks whether the restaurant is worth saving. Carmy reluctantly goes to Donna's to drop off their family photo album.
37	9	"Tonnato"	Christopher Storer	Joanna Calo & Christopher Storer	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Carmy drops the photo book off at Donna's, and spends time with her at her insistence. Donna tearfully apologizes for the way she treated her family, and tells Carmy she has been sober for nearly a year and wants to be a part of his life again. Carmy makes her the roast chicken he learned at the French Laundry. Ebraheim agrees to partner with Albert in franchising the Beef window. Albert meets Computer, who agrees that franchising is a good idea. Luca casually asks Tina to make a "test" version of the pasta dish, which she unwittingly completes in just under three minutes. After receiving a call from Food & Wine, Natalie announces that the magazine has named Marcus in their class of Best New Chefs. Pete calls Sydney to tell her that Carmy has written himself out of the updated partnership agreement, leaving the restaurant's ownership to her, Natalie, and Cicero.
38	10	"Goodbye"	Christopher Storer	Christopher Storer	June 25, 2025 (2025-06-25)
Sydney confronts Carmy over his decision to quit. Carmy insists he is making the best decision for the restaurant, arguing that he became a chef to avoid facing his familial trauma, and that Sydney is pursuing the field for the right reasons. He tells Sydney she is the reason the restaurant is surviving, and that he believes in her more than he believes in himself. Richie interrupts them; he is initially flippant about the news until Carmy reveals he came to Mikey's funeral, but could not bring himself to attend. The two have an honest and heartfelt conversation in front of Sydney, where they admit the resentments they held towards one another in the wake of Mikey's death. Carmy tells Richie that he is retiring in part to learn who he is outside of the kitchen. Sydney ultimately agrees to take over if Richie is also given a partnership stake, which he accepts. Natalie arrives and tearfully embraces Carmy upon learning the news while Cicero's clock eventually reaches zero.

Production

Development

In March 2024, preceding the release of the third season, it was announced that FX had secretly renewed The Bear for a fourth season. The season was announced to be filming back-to-back with the third season.^[5]

Writing

Cast members Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce co-wrote an episode in the fourth season, marking both their writing debuts on the series. Edebiri previously directed the third season's "Napkins".^[6]

Filming

Parts of the fourth season were filmed with the third season, beginning in February 2024, with production set to restart in 2025.^[7][8] John Landgraf, chairman of FX Networks, commented about the filming after the 2024 Emmys, saying "We finished most of it. We haven't finished all of it, but we finished most of it, and it will be ready same time next year."^[9] Landgraf had stated that the combined filming schedule had resulted in around sixteen and a half episodes completed between the two seasons.^[10] Main star Jeremy Allen White stated in an interview with Esquire UK that filming was expected to take place in February or March 2025.^[11] Filming took place in Chicago,^[12][13] and wrapped in early 2025.^[14]

Release

The fourth season of The Bear premiered on June 25, 2025, on Hulu and Disney+.^[15]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 78 critics gave the fourth season a positive review. The website's critics consensus reads, "After simmering for too long, The Bear's fourth season finally turns the heat back up with a renewed sense of urgency, serving a rich meal despite tiresome wait times between courses."^[16] Metacritic assigned it a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 38 reviews.^[17] It is the lowest-rated season of the series on either site.^[18]

Allison Herman of Variety called the season a "marked improvement" over the third, but added that "'better' isn't quite the same as 'enough to make the payoff worth the slog'." She praised the season's renewed focus on supporting characters neglected in the previous season, but wrote, "Season 4 can feel less like a cohesive statement in its own right than a sort of do-over, circling back to fill in gaps and pick up pieces that should've been addressed by now."^[19] Judy Berman of Time, meanwhile, found the season "just as inert" as the third, calling it "formless" and criticizing its emphasis on "quiet solo scenes" and "earnest two-handers" that feel "remarkably similar to one another". She lamented the series' overall shift from "humor and wonder and angst" to "relentless solemnity" in the third and fourth seasons.^[20] Liam Matthews of TheWrap praised season 4's performances and named the fourth and seventh episodes as standouts, but similarly criticized the story as shapeless and lacking in payoff, writing, "its overemphasis on character and vibe at the expense of narrative momentum leaves it repetitive and flabby."^[21] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair praised the season's few moments of "effective growth" but also criticized its repetitive storyline and lack of character development, adding that the show's "stillness"..."makes for fatally inert television".^[22] Angie Hahn of The Hollywood Reporter described the season as "muted" and felt the show "retreat[ing] into familiar territory", writing that the season "has the feel of a show burnt out from the effort of trying to outdo itself."^[23]

Ben Travers of IndieWire wrote, "season 4 is still pretty fun; an emotionally rich restaurant drama with great food, a few laughs, and lots of heart. Seen another way, though, and it's our second straight disappointment; a prolonged story propped up by its talented cast and dragged out for reasons that remain unclear."^[24] Jack Seale of The Guardian was more positive, writing that the show has "outgrown the 'Yes, chef!' rages and screaming matches in the pantry and morphed into something more tender, beautiful – and endlessly moving."^[25] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone agreed, describing the season as "tense" and "heartwarmingly chaotic" and that it returns to "satisfying form".^[26] Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic also positively reviewed the season, feeling it represented "progress, and forward momentum, and the impossible optimism of people changing for the better." She praised the season's emphasis on personal growth, writing, "after the slow-drip, languorous suffering of Season 3, it's thrilling to see the characters and the action move so purposefully and gratifyingly forward."^[27] Tara Bennett of IGN also described the season as a return to form, similarly praising its more "interior" stakes and intimate tone. She felt the season worked as a conclusion to the series, writing, "whether or not it's the series finale, it attains that special alchemy of satisfying closure while leaving plenty leftover for audiences to ponder about where these characters go next."^[28]