The much-awaited fourth series of The Bear has dropped on Disney+. Jeremy Allen White reprises his role as tortured chef Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto in season four, alongside his team – Richard ‘Richie’ Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), Marcus Brooks (Lionel Boyce) and Tina Marrero (Liza Colon-Zayas).
Reviews of the new episodes of the US comedy-drama emerged shortly after its premiere, and the latest series has left critics divided. Many are excited to see what’s in store for Carmy in the rest of the season, while others appeared less than impressed. Most critics agree that the latest run is an improvement on the third series last year.
Here’s what people think about the new series…
What happens in season 4 of The Bear?
After all the drama and chaos from the past three series, the fourth run starts with a flashback of Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), who has installed a countdown clock after investing in the fledgling Chicago restaurant The Bear, and trying to get the business to turn its fortunes around in 1,440 hours. Season four is less about the restaurant and more about the ‘family’, not just the blood relatives but friends and colleagues.
How has The Bear season 4 scored on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB?
The fans have spoken – and they are rating season 4 of The Bear. It’s had an impressive 83% popcornmeter and 74% tomatometer. The episodes are rating on IMDB too, with episodes four and eight receiving the lowest score of 8.3/10 while episodes three and six are the highest rated with scores of 9/10.
Is The Bear season 4 worth watching? The reviews are in…
Entertainment Weekly’s Kristen Baldwin gave a B+. ‘Though not quite at the level of the sublime second season, the new episodes put Carmen and company back on track by allowing them to confront, at long last, “the f***ing elephant in the f***ing restaurant”.’
The Guardian’s Jack Seale awarded it 4/5. ‘The Bear is finally becoming the show it was always destined to be,’ he wrote. ‘It’s outgrown the ‘Yes, chef!’ rages and screaming matches in the pantry and morphed into something more tender, beautiful – and endlessly moving. Where once The Bear made pulses pound, now it lets the happy tears flow; the second half of the season is like one long therapy session. Indulge it – and you will have to indulge it, in a few ways – and you will find this experience just as rich.’
Rolling Stone rated it highly too, saying the series ‘is at its best far more often this year than it was the last time we saw it’, with TV Line calling it ‘an absolute triumph’.
But not everyone was impressed. Vanity Fair called it ‘slow’, which was mirrored by Daily Telegraph, who said it is ‘so aimless, pompous and, quite frankly, boring’.
Watch The Bear Season 4 trailer…
With mixed reviews for the fourth series, it’s best for viewers to decide for themselves as to whether they should tuck into a fourth helping – or refrain from this course. So here’s the trailer if you need some persuasion…
All four seasons of The Bear are now streaming on Disney+
Shereen Low is a senior news and entertainment writer for Grazia UK, who has covered some of the biggest showbiz news from the past decade.