What we know about The Bear season 4 (so far) from renewal status to plot

The Bear season 3 was an emotional roller-coaster that had its highlights and its low points. But, what was most jarring was that it didn't have a satisfying conclusion. For the first time in the show's run, we were left with a 'To Be Continued' ending card and it yanked the carpet out from under us. Of course, this has led to a scramble for any information that can possibly be gleaned about what's set to happen next. As such, you've come to the right place.

There's much to discuss about what the cooking dramedy, which was light on the comedy this go around, has to wrap up or bring to a head in the next installment of its story. Few plots were resolved in season 3 including the lone "romance" which hasn't been well-received since it made its debut in season 2. Yes, I'm referring to Carmy and Claire. If you were hoping for closer, this season didn't provide it. Let's dive into what's known about The Bear season 4 and the plots that it needs to resolve.

Filming on The Bear season 4 has happened...kind of

An official renewal for a fourth season hasn't actually been announced but it was reported back in March that the series had been greenlit for another run and that it would be filmed back-to-back with season 3. At the press conference, the cast somewhat touched on this when they were directly asked by The Playlist's Rodrigo Perez whether they did indeed film the seasons consecutively. The following exchange happened:

Jeremy Allen White: We did something like that.
Ayo Edebiri: Yeah, a little version of it, sort of. But not exactly.
Jeremy Allen White: Not exactly.
Ayo Edebiri: Is that helpful for journalism?
Abby Elliott: You'll have to find out.

Clearly, they're not quite allowed to talk about what that production situation was like. It gives the impression that we may be getting some kind of interim footage ahead of season 4 to tie up at least the unresolved bits of "Forever" regarding the review a la the two episode arcs for Euphoria's Rue and Jules that released before season 2. But, at this point, that's simply my own speculation.

What is certain is that they did film scenes we've yet to see and hopefully we won't have to wait until June 2025 to get more of this story.

Storylines that still need to be resolved

Will Sydney leave The Bear?

On a macro level, the biggest plot that's been left dangling by The Bear season 3 is Sydney's decision on whether she's going to sign the partnership agreement and go all in on the restaurant or decide to accept Adam Shapiro's offer to be the CDC of the eatery that he's putting together. All season she avoided making a decision which largely stemmed from her wanting things to work at the Bear but also feeling caught in Carmy's shadow.

They're supposed to be partners but he hasn't treated her as such since he got out of the fridge. Despite his apologies, Carmy spent much of the season undermining Sydney's creative choices and creating a toxic work environment that's concentrated on excellence at any cost even the staff's sanity and emotional well-being. But, to be fair, Sydney hasn't really communicated what's been bothering her and every time she started to, she chose to redirect the conversation.

Considering her panic attack in "Forever" as she thought about leaving the restaurant and, by extension, the family she's found at the Bear, something is going to have to give. Carmy doesn't seem to know it but he's perpetuating the same toxic behavior he suffered under the leaderhship of Chef Fields, and if he doesn't course correct, he could find himself without Sydney, his partner and friend.

What did the Chicago Tribune review say?

Though we got a mixed bag of descriptive words when the Tribune review came in, we don't actually know whether it was good or bad. With this show, it likely does fall somewhere in the middle which will complicate things. The Bear is in a tenuous place because Cicero already warned Carmy that if they get a bad review he's pulling his funding.

Now, his nephew doesn't know that he's actually doing this because he's suddenly found himself in dire financial straits and can't afford to be financing a restaurant let alone one that's bleeding money like crazy because of the expensive choices Carmy has been making. Cicero might be forced to admit that if the review is mixed.

We're also waiting to see if Sydney will be mentioned at all. The spotlight has been on Carmy in the restaurant's infancy. That's part of the reason she's considering going to work with Shapiro since she wants recognition for her work and that's not likely to happen the way things are going right now.

Carmy and Claire need to get out of limbo ASAP

Here's the thing about these two. There's not enough story there to warrant dragging out their romance and whether it's going to go somewhere. Perhaps the point in season 3 was to establish just how very apart Claire is from the central plot of this show but it had the unfortunate affect of her feeling tacked on. Why? Because at every turn, with exception to the Faks, Claire was established as not being a part of this family at the Bear.

Carmy didn't apologize to her after he thought Sydney was saying he should because, when she clarified her point, he correctly interpreted that she thought he should say sorry to Richie. Everyone knew about their bad break-up and gossiped about it but no one but the Faks (at the end of the season!) reached out to her. Sugar tried calling Claire for help when she was in labor but her car kept trying to call the restaurant i.e. where her actual family is until finally she had to call her mom. And, while Carmy refers to her as "the peace" it's very clear that he is not calm around Claire. He's gets anxious and nervous, and she doesn't actually settle his panicking, Sydney does.

It's about time The Bear writers wrap this romance up or go somewhere with it because it's doing very little for the narrative, particulary since we don't know Claire and there seems to be no interest in giving her a modicum of backstory that doesn't serve Carmy's arc.

Marcus' dessert

The lightest plot on this list is the dessert Marcus is making in honor of his mother, Angela. This is a story beat I don't think anyone minds waiting on. His grief arc, and Lionel Boyce's acting, has been a highlight of season 3 because it's so different from what we've seen before. Marcus is processing his grief and he's focused on working through his mother's loss day by day. His desire to create a dish based on a white violet because his mom loves flowers, and violets were her favorite, is touching and I'm sure what he lands on will be worth the build toward its reveal.

We'll keep you posted as news comes in about The Bear season 4. The main cast--Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott and Matty Matheson--is expected to return. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote.