Reel Rundown: ‘The Bear’ claws back in Season 4

If you’ve been following the travails of the Berzatto clan, you know that life for them isn’t easy. And “clan” is the right word to use because the Berzattos are the dictionary definition of an extended family.

Or, to be specific, an extended dysfunctional family.

Their story is told in the FX series “The Bear,” which is streaming on Hulu. Now in its fourth – and maybe final – season, the series revolves around Carmen “Carm” Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White). He’s an award-winning chef whose ambition is to run a Michelin Star restaurant in his home town of Chicago.

Around him are his sister Natalie “Sug” (Abby Elliott), longtime family friend Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), associate chef Sydney “Syd” (Ayo Edibiri) and several other characters, all of whom have been drawn into the Berzatto orbit.

Paramount among them is another family friend “Uncle” Jimmy (Oliver Platt). Add to him the troubled Berzatto matriarch Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) and, seen in occasional flashbacks, Carm’s older brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal).

The first three seasons of the series garnered no less than 21 Primetime Emmy Awards – including one in 2023 for Outstanding Comedy Series. And they set the scene for Season 4, with all the Berzattos still suffering from trauma arising from two main causes.

One is Donna’s alcoholic rantings, which were portrayed most notably in the sixth episode of Season 2 when she terrorized the clan during a Thanksgiving dinner. The other is the suicide of Mikey, the loss of which burdens everyone – but especially Carm and Richie – with a sense of guilt.

Season 4 adds to the drama with ongoing issues specific to each character. Carm still struggles with the split that he caused with Claire (Molly Gordon) in Season 2. Richie is torn because his ex-wife (Gillian Jacobs), and the mother of his daughter, is getting married to the hunky, if insecure, Frank (Josh Hartnett). And Syd is concerned about the health of her father (Robert Townsend) and the job offer that she is weighing from another restauranteur.

Other worries plague members of the restaurant staff as well. Pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) feels estranged from his father and unsure about his abilities, while chef Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) can’t quite make a pasta dish in the requisite three minutes. Season 4 even adds a couple of new characters, business consultant Albert (Rob Reiner) and Natalie’s former BFF and now enemy Francie (Brie Larson), while bringing back family acquaintance Lee (Bob Odenkirk).

Hovering over everyone is the clock that Jimmy and another “uncle,” referred to only as the Computer (Brian Koppelman), have set up. It marks how much time the staff has left to make the restaurant into a profitable business before the two men decide to shut everything down.

Despite how the Emmy experts categorize “The Bear,” it’s hard to classify the show as a mere comedy. It often is funny, yet it falls into a similar kind of psychological drama/comedy format reminiscent of other popular shows, such as the corporate-media-themed series “Succession.”

What sets it apart, aside from the acting and the perpetual F-bombs, is the care that show creator Christopher Storer takes to capture the Berzatto family’s turbulent-if-touching life. That sense of care extends not just to the often lengthy and volatile conversations that take place, but it also shows up in the artistic way some scenes unfold. Many pair extreme closeups with scenes featuring no dialogue but are underscored by songs performed by dozens of artists such as Tom Petty, Taylor Swift and Sonny and Cher.

FX has yet to announce whether there will be a Season 5 of “The Bear.” If it does happen, it might look different from the previous four – particularly in how much White will be involved. He, Moss-Bachrach and Edibiri are all busy with feature-film and other series projects.

But even if “The Bear” ends as is, that feels OK. After all, real life itself doesn’t go on forever.