FX sure seems to have taken Chef Carmy Berzatto’s mantra, “Every second counts,” to heart. Not only did the network move up the season 3 premiere of The Bear—by a few hours, anyway—to land on June 26 earlier this summer, but the popular FX on Hulu comedy-drama already has a fourth season on the front burner.
According to reporting from Deadline, the cast and crew was originally set to film seasons 3 and 4 of The Bear back to back in Chicago, despite the fact that FX had yet to announce a season renewal at the time. But further reporting has indicated that filming for season 4 was not finalized during this period. Instead, season 4 will finish production in early 2024. Actor Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmy, told Esquire UK that he was “not sure exactly when” filming for season 4 would launch. “I know it’s not going to be until [2025],” he continued. “I imagine sometime early next year, a similar start date to the last couple of years: February/March time.”
FX still hasn’t made that timeline official—though that’s no indication to fret. Carmy will certainly don his famous white T-shirts again.
One thing we do know for certain is that The Bear continues to be a fan-favorite series, reflected in the 2024 Emmy nominations. The show earned an impressive 23 nominations, breaking the previous record for a comedy series. (Before that, the achievement was held by the sitcom 30 Rock, with 22 nominations in 2009.)
Of their 23 nominations (which were for season 2, by the way), The Bear earned nods for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Casting, and Outstanding Director. As for the cast members, White and Ayo Edebiri (Sydney) are once again in the running for Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series, which they both won at last year’s ceremony.
Lionel Boyce (Marcus), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie), and Liza Colón-Zayas (Tina) were nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress, and John Bernthal (Michael), Bob Odenkirk (Uncle Lee), Will Poulter (Luca), Olivia Colman (Chef Terry), and Jamie Lee Curtis (Donna) all received nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor and Actress.
Here’s what we know about The Bear season 4 so far.
Will there be a season 4 of The Bear?
All signs point to “yes, chef.” Multiple sources have confirmed to both Variety and Deadline that The Bear will continue into season 4 (and possibly beyond). Now it’s simply a matter of when FX will deliver an official release date.
Who will be in the cast?
Thanks to the rising star power of the cast, we can anticipate many of our favorite characters will stick with the series into season 4. The expected talent would include Emmy winners Jeremy Allen White (Carmy), Ayo Edebiri (Sydney), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie), as well as Liza Colón-Zayas (Tina), Abby Elliott (Natalie/Sugar), Lionel Boyce (Marcus), and Matty Matheson (Neil Fak), among others. FX, however, has yet to confirm the cast list—nor have any guest stars been made public. We’re praying, as always, for more Jamie Lee Curtis.
Wait, so were seasons 3 and 4 actually filmed back to back?
Sort of. The conflicting reports around The Bear’s production schedule has created some confusion. In a recent press conference, the cast made some clarifying remarks, and it seems that some of season 4 was filmed alongside season 3. When asked if seasons 3 and 4 were indeed shot back to back, Allen White replied, “We did something like that,” with Edebiri adding, “Yeah, a little version of it, sort of. But not exactly.” FX later confirmed to The Playlist that seasons 3 and 4 weren’t shot back to back, but “some elements were shot in advance.” In other words, parts of season 4 were shot, but the full run of episodes is far from finished.
Per Deadline, the original filming schedule was owing, at least in part, to cast schedules. Since The Bear’s series premiere in 2022, White and Edebiri in particular have become bona fide stars, and “are said to be getting a ton of feature opportunities.” Filming seasons 3 and 4 together was one method to ensure their conflicting schedules wouldn’t prevent them from returning to set in the future. If you can’t force people to come back, just prevent them from leaving in the first place!
But what all these shifting schedules mean for the season 4 storyline remains to be seen. The one thing we do know for certain? The Bear won’t be leaving Chicago any time soon.
What will season 4 be about?
Warning: spoilers below.
The season 3 finale ends with an ominous “to be continued” screen, meaning the loose ends from that chapter should get tied up in the next. That would have to include Sydney deciding whether she’ll stay at The Bear (and sign that partnership agreement) or take up former Ever chef Adam Shapiro’s offer to be his new chef de cuisine. The crew at The Bear restaurant will also have to endure the aftermath of The Chicago Tribune’s review. Though we don’t know the entirety of what was published, we do know that if it’s bad, Cicero will quit funding the place. The restaurant needs to start making profits soon, too, but is that possible with Carmy’s high standards and list of non-negotiables? And what about their dreams of getting a Michelin star?
We’ve also yet to see whether Richie will attend his ex’s wedding (we’re hoping he RSVPs “yes,” to allow for more Josh Hartnett cameos), and what magical, slight-of-hand dessert Marcus is working on. And, of course, there’s Carmy’s personal growth. Here’s to hoping the next season shows him finally apologizing and taking accountability.
This story will be updated.
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