Since its 2022 debut, FX’s The Bear has swept award shows, earning 49 Emmy nominations across multiple categories. Beloved for its raw, chaotic portrayal of a high-stakes Chicago kitchen, the show features a standout ensemble led by Jeremy Allen White as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto. Co-lead Sydney Adamu is played by fan-favorite (and certified Irish princess, if you know you know) Ayo Edebiri. Carmy tries to transform his late brother’s humble sandwich shop into a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Comedy vs. drama
The Bear stirred controversy when the Television Academy nominated it as a Comedy, a choice heavily debated four seasons later. Many speculate that the decision helped it avoid the stiff competition in the Outstanding Drama Series category. Series creator Christopher Storer defended the move, pointing out how the show’s “roughly half-hour” episodes align with Emmy guidelines. At the 2024 Emmys, the cast weighed in with their take on the controversy.
Season 2 (A.K.A THE BEST SEASON)
In it’s sophmore season, The Bear builds on everything that made season one special. It adds heart, backstories, context, inside jokes, and whole slew of special guest stars in minor, yet meaningful roles. Guest stars like Olivia Colman, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Mulaney, Will Poulter, and Sarah Paulson add depth and delight in brief but memorable roles. But none of them outshine the brilliant growth experienced by the show’s main cast.
While Carmy attempts to tackle his love life head-on, Sydney confidently soars into her new role as Chef de Cuisine. Her plan to train key staff at The Original Beef allows viewers to see new sides to our favorite characters. Marcus, for example, bravely leaves his terminally ill mother’s side to train under Will Poulter’s Luca in Copenhagen. Meanwhile, Tina and Ebra, as the oldest two members of staff, embark on culinary school journeys to refine their skills.
“Forks,” the standout seventh episode, is arguably the series’ most powerful to date, transforming Cousin Richie from an aggressively insecure screw-up into a capable, thoughtful man. After Carmy sends him to stage at a Michelin-starred restaurant, Richie’s empathy and ability to connect with people finally shine. Ebon Moss-Bachrach delivers a quietly moving performance, as Richie’s brash exterior is gradually worn down by the professional, tight-knit staff around him. His growth in confidence and leadership is, truly, chef’s kiss. His performance was so good, Bachrach took home his first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2023.
Season 3: When The Bear stopped cookin’
The third season of The Bear was released on Hulu on June 26th, 2024, to a lackluster reception. Granted, production was heavily impacted by the Hollywood Writers’ Strike. Beyond that, season 3 remained stuck in the past for far too long. Surprisingly, it managed to turn the enormous depth season 2 added to the plot context-wise, into a negative. While Season 2’s flashbacks introduced us to the Bearzatto family’s inner dynamics and added meaningful layers to the story, Season 3 felt like an afterthought. Instead of deepening the narrative, they recycled information viewers already knew—or could easily infer—without adding much emotional or thematic weight.
A large part of The Bear’s struggles was pacing. Multiple major plotlines received little to no follow-through from episode one to episode ten (yikes!). Certain arcs and character journeys were dragged on far, far longer than necessary. Take Carmy’s lingering obsession with Claire, for instance. More specifically, Sydney’s big decision between choosing to stay with Carmy and their work family at the barely-surviving restaurant or leaving it all for a promotion at Adam Shapiro’s upcoming competitor restaurant.
Ultimately, the seasonal arcs felt repetitive and occasionally boring. Sometimes, entirely incomplete. The subsequent fall in viewership led many viewers to feel the show would have worked best as a limited series; as a result of having no clear path forward, directionally speaking. However, there were some exceptions to the underwhelming season. The opening episode is a supercut of Carmy’s years of culinary training. It’s spearheaded by elegant, carefully composed shots, soothing music, and minimal dialogue. Additionally, Ayo Edebiri’s directorial debut on the show, “Napkins” starring Liza Colón Zayas as Tina Marrero.
How Season 4 revived the Hulu hit series
Season 4, for better or worse, plays like a Greatest Hits album. Aside from a deeper look into Sydney’s life outside the kitchen, the show didn’t break much new ground—and yet, it still hit the right notes. Sometimes, familiarity just works. Chef Terry’s (Olivia Colman) staff at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Ever, are hired to help fix the restaurant. Better yet, the Bearzattos come back in full swing for Richie’s ex-wife’s wedding.
The wedding also gives us Francie Fak, played by none other than Brie Larson, who lives up to the hype Sugar, Ted, and Neil have created over three seasons with their cryptic, heated exchanges. It turns out Sugar isn’t always calm, cool, and collected like we presumed. Watching her and Francie turn into ‘one of the boys’ with their bickering and insults was priceless. The reveal that they hooked up years ago was wild—had me wishing Pete would vanish in a puff of smoke.
In true Richie fashion, every personal milestone is marked by a Taylor Swift song. He staged a ‘Love Story,’ overcame his jealousy of Frank through ‘Long Live’, and even helped Frank co-parent his daughter during ‘Style.’ My favorite Richie storyline was his budding romance with Jess (did anyone else see sparks fly? I called it back in season 2!)
Pacing & Plot
The latest season of The Bear picked up right where season 3 left off and carried on its incomplete narratives to the finish line. First and foremost, the stakes for this season were much higher after ‘Uncle Lee’ and the ‘Computer’ installed a countdown clock for how long The Bear could stay open with the money that it had. By the end of the season, the Michelin star is looming over the horizon as the clock strikes zero. The Bear’s future is thrown up in the air.
Over the season, we watch Sydney mull over her decision (for a few too many episodes, if you ask me) with the help of her extended family before finally choosing her home at The Bear. The kicker? Just as she chooses to stay, Carmy chooses to retire…
His decision is teased early on in a conversation with his sister, Sugar — one of the only family members he is on good terms with. Thus, his need to reconnect. His apology tour was long (and a little too repetitive), culminating in a tense season finale primarily focused on explaining his decision to Sydney and Richie. Carmy and Richie’s long-overdue heart-to-heart delivers a rare moment of quiet catharsis—no profanities, no yelling, no ultimatums. Just love, acceptance, and understanding.
FX’s The Bear renewed for Season 5 at Hulu
With such a massive cliffhanger and an uptick in viewers, Hulu renewed The Bear for a fifth season. There’s no official confirmation that this will be the final season, but all signs point to the story—already seen by many as stretched—finally coming to a close.
