The Bear • Season 4
The Bear
TV-MA
84%69%
Season four finds Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Sydney Adamu and Richard "Richie" Jerimovich pushing forward, determined not only to survive, but also to take The Bear to the next level. With new challenges around every corner, the team must adapt, adjust and overcome. This season, the pursuit of excellence isn't just about getting better - it's about deciding what's worth holding on to.
Alex | Pop Culture Brain reviewedJune 26, 2025
What happens when one of TV’s most exciting and dynamic series
Settles into a comfortable groove?
The Bear s4 dropped Wednesday _ I’ve seen every episode
So here’s the good and the bad without spoilers
Another brilliant mosaic of small moments that add up into something beautiful
The Bear is once again full of relatable humanity
But season 4 is more introspective, sweeter, and gentler than ever before
Showing us that growth, change, and connection are a march of inches and seconds
And if you’re patient, you will be rewarded with a fully realized journey
This season thankfully pays off some of the things that have been building for a while
But with that the show has almost fully evolved into a drama
A lot of this season reminded me of Mad Men actually
And don’t get me wrong, there are still occasional funny moments
and I found some big laughs throughout
But they feel secondary to the emotional journey and earnest relationship work
What else? Ayo Edibiri is astounding this season. Maybe the best she's ever been on the show
There were great guest performances as always - Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent again
The music remains obscure but spot on
We got a semi sequel to one of the show’s best episodes
There were a few surreal surprises that I appreciated
And the finale is an absolute knockout of catharsis and acting
As for the flaws, if you didn’t like the slower more stretched out pace of season 3
I have bad news for you, because season 4 is more of the same
It remains stretched and a winding, especially the first half of the season
Which is a far cry from what this show was in the first 2 seasons
But I will say that the slower pace felt a little bit more purposeful and deliberate this season
Also while the show is telling us there’s a ticking clock hanging over the characters’ heads
I didn’t feel the pressure as acutely as I have in years past
And sadly, I didn’t feel the exhilarating highs of previous seasons
Instead the show has settled into a comfortable groove, for better and worse
Look We've reached a point where The Bear is The Bear
Often emotional, sometimes funny, always heartfelt
At this point, you're either on its wavelength or you're not