Each season, The Bear also welcomes a bunch of buzzy guest stars, many of whom could reprise their roles in the fourth season. The latest additions include John Cena’s Sammy Fak, brother to Neil and Ted, and Josh Hartnett as Frank — the soon-to-be husband of Richie’s ex-wife Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs). The couple’s upcoming wedding, to which Richie has yet to RSVP, looms over the show’s next chapter.

Other mainstays who we hope pop back into new episodes include Jamie Lee Curtis as Carmy and Sugar’s difficult mother, Donna; Will Poulter as Luca, a chef who has bonded with multiple Bear employees; Olivia Colman as fine-dining icon Andrea Terry; Sarah Ramos as one of Andrea’s staff who befriends Richie; John Mulaney as Carmy’s cousin-in-law Stevie; Joel McHale as Carmy’s most influential—and damaging—former boss; and Jon Bernthal as Michael, the oldest Berzatto brother, who left The Beef to Carmy after dying by suicide in season one.

FX

What will The Bear season 4 plot be?

The Bear season four will likely continue from the cliff-hanger established in the season three finale. After Carmy returns from the funeral for his favourite fine-dining restaurant, Ever, he gets notified that the Chicago Tribune review for The Bear is out. A jumble of words flash on the screen— both positive and negative — obscuring the critic’s final verdict. But four missed calls from Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), who warned Carmy earlier in the season that one bad review could shut the place down, may not instil a ton of confidence.

Meanwhile, Sydney is panicking over an offer from Chef Shapiro (Adam Shapiro), who earlier in the season tried to poach her for his new restaurant. If Sydney were to jump ship, she’d be making $10K more, get immediate health benefits (The Bear’s won’t kick in for another three months), and have 50-50 creative control, something Carmy has struggled to give Sydney all season. An untouched Docusign from Carmy to Sydney languishes in her inbox, suggesting that — deep down— she may already know which path she plans to take next season.