FX's The Bear is returning for at least one more batch of episodes with the eventual release of Season 4.
Streaming on Hulu, The Bear opened the door to the culinary world and turned it into an anxiety-inducing but incredibly emotionally fulfilling award-winning TV dramedy.
The series follows a cast of Chicagoans who take over the family greasy spoon lunch spot and turn it into a cutting-edge fine dining establishment.
When Will The Bear Season 4 Be Released?
In its three-season run, The Bear has been fairly consistent in its releases. And that it is likely to continue with the show's already-announced Season 4.
Following the success of Seasons 1 and 2, the hit FX series was greenlit for at least two more seasons, with the third debuting in June 2024.
Upon its announcement, it was reported Season 4 would film back-to-back with Season 3, which was shot earlier this year starting in February (per Deadline).
While the network never confirmed the Season 4 production schedule, and some have speculated it may have changed along the way, all signs point to filming on the show's fourth at least being mostly done.
Star Ebon Mass-Bachrach indicated the production process of Seasons 3 and 4 were intertwined. He told US Weekly, "I would come in at the beginning of the day and shoot a scene from late in Season 4" and then later do "a scene late in Season 3:"
"I would come in at the beginning of the day and shoot a scene from late in Season 4 and then shoot a scene from early Season 4 and then shoot a scene late in Season 3. Jeremy [Allen White], Ayo [Edebiri] and I are in a constant state of rereading through the seasons and trying to remember where your person is at."
This meant that—at least according to the Richie Jerimovich actor—they shot "about 18 episodes" all at once before the show was cut and edited into two separate seasons.
If Season 4 is, in fact, finished filming, then its release may not be far off.
Thus far, the series has debuted one new season a year, with new episodes coming sometime in June. Going forward, one can assume The Bear will continue this trend. This would mean Season 4 will likely be released in June 2025, following in the footsteps of its predecessors.
Who's Cast in The Bear Season 4?
If The Bear Season 4 was filmed back-to-back with Season 3, the seasons probably share a similar core cast (read more about the Season 3 cast).
Of course, this will be led by Jeremy Allen White's Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto. Allen White's obsessive chef has been the center of the series since the beginning, as he was bequeathed his family's Italian beef sandwich shop after working in some of the world's most prestigious restaurants.
Carmy has come a long way since Season 1 but also still has a lot to work out. He has turned The Beef from a failing Chicago hole-in-the-wall into The Bear, one of the hottest up-and-coming purveyors of haute cuisine in the Windy City.
Alongside Carmy will be his emotional anchors in the restaurant industry (aka the staff of the restaurant he now manages). Leading the kitchen in Season 4 will likely once again be Ayo Edebiri's Sydney, along with Carmy's loud-mouth front-of-house cousin, Richie (played by Ebon Mass-Bachrach).
Other names expected to return include Liza Colon-Zayas' Tina, Lionel Boyce's Marcus, and Abbey Elliott's Natalie 'Sugar' Berzatto.
Below is a full expected cast list for The Bear Season 4:
- Jeremy Allen White - Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach - Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich
- Ayo Edebiri - Sydney Adamu
- Liza Colon-Zayas - Tina
- Lionel Boyce - Marcus
- Abbey Elliott - Natalie 'Sugar' Berzatto
- Matty Matheson - Neil Fak
- Oliver Platt - Uncle Jimmy
- Edwin Lee Gibson - Ebraheim
- Corey Hendrix - Gary 'Sweeps' Woods
- Richard Esteras - Manny
- Jose M. Cervantes - Angel
- Chris Witaske - Pete
- Molly Gordon - Claire
- Ricky Staffieri - Theodore Fak
- Jon Bernthal - Michael
What Will Happen in The Bear Season 4?
When The Bear Season 4 eventually releases, it will have its hands full following the shocking events that brought Season 3 to a close.
Much of the focus of Season 3 was put on the staff of The Bear as they slogged through their first month of operating the new restaurant.
This included the new Chicago establishment being visited by their first food critic unbeknownst to its staff and Carmy's partner in culinary crime, Syndey, dealing with the idea that maybe working for her hero in Jeremy Allen White's TV chef was not all it was made out to be.
Then came the big finale. Season 3 ended with a shocking cliffhanger. Sydney sat outside her apartment crying over whether to leave The Bear for new opportunities, and Carmy opened the Chicago Tribune review of the restaurant he had been waiting for.
These two plot points will loom large heading into Season 4. Sydney is visibly conflicted about potentially closing the door on her Bear family and taking the new executive chef job she was offered in Season 3.
Pair that with the results of this potentially back-breaking review that was hidden from audiences at the end of last season, and this could make for another anxiety-riddled season of television - something the show has become known for.
This will also likely play into The Bear's continued pursuit of earning a vaunted Michelin star, something the show seems to be heading toward in some sort of grand finale.
Stars like Ebon Mass-Bachrach have said they feel the show is "getting near to the end" (via The Telegraph):
"I feel like we’re getting near to the end of 'The Bear.' It seems like that story is wrapping up to me."
This could mean an emotional boiling point is on the way in Season 4, as The Bear creative team potentially tries to send its cast and story off by either reaching the goals they have been aiming for since Season 1 or watching them crash and burn.
The Bear is streaming on Hulu.
Read more about The Bear on The Direct:
Why Did Mikey Kill Himself In The Bear?
What Are C Folds In The Bear? Kitchen Meaning Explained
Full Cast of The Bear Season 2 Episode 6: Guest Stars, Characters & Actors (Photos)
The Bear Actress Shares Frustrations Over Fans' Romance Demands
