The Bear Season 4 release window, cast & plot

Orders up, chefs, because The Bear Season 4 is being prepared as we type — but does it have a release date, and what’s in store for the next chapter? Here’s everything we know so far.

The Bear Season 3 dropped earlier this year, and fans were immediately already hungry for more – and who could blame them?

After 10 episodes and a huge cliffhanger (make sure you check out our recap and ending explained), there’s still a lot at stake for Carmy, Sydney, Richie, and the rest of the crew.

It was previously reported that Seasons 3 and 4 were filmed back to back, but fans may be waiting a little longer than expected to find out what will happen next. Spoilers to follow…

Is there a The Bear Season 4 release date?

The Bear Season 4 will be released by summer 2025, but we don’t have an exact date right now.

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During an appearance on Matthew Belloni’s The Town podcast, FX chief John Landgraf confirmed: “Out of 20 episodes, they shot about sixteen and a half. So they can go back in production in February to finish.”

The first three seasons were released annually, all premiering on Hulu and Disney Plus in June each year. It seems highly likely that Season 4 will follow this schedule, but we’ll update this space as soon as that’s confirmed.

Some fans may have been expecting the fourth season to drop sooner rather than later, given the “to be continued” stinger in the newest finale and reports of the next season being green-lit in March this year, as well as it reportedly being shot alongside Season 3.

That was the goal, considering the increased demand for its lead stars (Ebon Moss-Bachrach is gearing up for the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie). Alas, according to The Playlist, the plan was “scrapped as scripts weren’t ready in time.”

Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri hinted they “did something like that… a little version of it, sort of. But not exactly.” They didn’t provide any other details, suggesting some scenes have already been shot.

Season 4 is set to resume production in February 2025, which would echo Season 3’s turnaround; it started filming in February 2024 before dropping four months later.

The Bear Season 4 cast

It’s expected that most (if not all) of The Bear cast will return for Season 4, including Jeremy Allen White (Carmy), Ayo Edebiri (Sydney), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie), Lionel Boyce (Marcus), Liza Colón-Zayas (Tina), Abby Elliott (Sugar), and Matty Matheson (Fak).

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It’s unclear if any of The Bear Season 3’s guest stars will reprise their roles, but some seem like a safe bet. We’ve yet to see Carmy reunite with Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) after the birth of Sugar’s child, and we’ll likely get further appearances from Mikey (Jon Bernthal) in flashbacks.

John Cena and Josh Hartnett debuted in Season 3 as Sammy (one of Fak’s brothers) and Frank (Tiffany’s fiancé) respectively. Cena’s Sammy felt like more of a one-and-done gag, but Tiffany and Frank’s wedding is on the horizon, so Hartnett could return.

While she could appear, it’d be a surprise to see Olivia Colman’s Chef Terry in Season 4, considering the third season ended with her closing her Chicago restaurant and looking forward to returning to London and “living” more. That said, she’s a crucial figure in Carmy’s career, so flashbacks certainly aren’t off the table.

Molly Gordon will also return as Claire, Carmy’s love interest who didn’t appear outside of flashbacks until the Season 3 finale.

What will happen in The Bear Season 4?

There’s no official plot details, but The Bear Season 4 has two big questions to answer: what did the Chicago Tribune’s review of the restaurant say, and will Sydney leave The Bear?

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Towards the end of Season 3, Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) gave Carmy an ultimatum: if the restaurant got a bad review, he’d have to “cut the string” and close it down, as the establishment is bleeding too much money.

In the finale’s last scene, we see Carmy checking his phone to read the review, scanning words like confusing, innovative, sloppy, and talent before reacting, “Motherf**ker!”

Whether or not it’s positive or negative is just one of Carmy’s problems. Sydney seems poised to leave and join Adam Shapiro’s new kitchen, where she’ll have creative freedom and authority over the restaurant’s menu.

However, if she does leave The Bear, it’ll then be a question of how Carmy reacts. Will he freak out and say a lot of things he regrets? Probably. Will he get back with Claire, his “peace”, only to realize that Sydney has been the real calming force in his life? We hope so.

Landgraf addressed the mixed reception to Season 3, which was widely criticized for its lack of plot development and ending on a cliffhanger.

“I think that the third season of the show, which is the one you referenced as not as well received, is absolutely exactly the season of television that Chris Storer wanted to make,” he explained.

“It is a very deeply personal show. That’s part of why it’s great. There are a lot of reasons it’s great, but one of them is the relationship between the creator, the author, and the characters, and he’s been stuck a lot at times in his life, and he wanted to make a season about stuckness.

“I’ve been doing this a long time. I was well aware that stuckness is not necessarily the most riveting. But I also think there are so many things in that [season] that are just absolute masterpieces. And I will say, knowing what I do know about the upcoming season, for those that have stayed with it, they’re going to be really well rewarded. Because after stuckness comes un-stuckness.”

Is The Bear ending with Season 4?

It’s “not been determined” if The Bear will end after Season 4, according to Deadline.

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In an earlier interview with Variety, co-showrunners Christopher Storer and Joanna Cal revealed they have a “roadmap” for the show. However, they haven’t disclosed exactly how long it will last.

FX’s Atlanta concluded after its third and fourth seasons were filmed back to back, leading to some fans speculating a similar fate could await The Bear, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Is there a Season 4 trailer?

No, there’s no trailer or footage from The Bear Season 4 right now.

In the meantime, check out our breakdown of The Bear Season 3 soundtrack. You can also find out the meaning behind “keep the spoon”, and check out other new TV shows streaming this month.