With all 10 episodes of The Bear season three dished out—and an intriguing “To Be Continued” label slapped on the finale’s final moments—The Bear season four is left to answer lingering questions about TV’s most chaotic kitchen. Now that Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy and Ayo Edebiri’s Sydney have finally opened Chicago’s newest fine-dining establishment, they await their first official review and face respective season-long quandaries. Carmy has yet to apologize to his ex-girlfriend Claire (Molly Gordon) or make lasting amends with Cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) after season two’s freezer meltdown, while Sydney faces an intriguing offer that would take her away from The Bear—perhaps to the benefit of her dwindling sanity.

Ahead, a look at what could be on the menu for The Bear season four, from returning cast members to a (potentially) expedited release date.

Who is in The Bear season four?

In addition to White, Edebiri, and Moss-Bachrach, expect The Bear’s core staff to return, including Liza Colón-Zayas’s sous chef Tina, Abby Elliott’s new mom Sugar, the Faks—Matty Matheson as Neil and Ricky Staffieri as Ted—and Lionel Boyce’s pastry chef Marcus. When the latter employee is floated as a potential layoff, Sugar sternly replies, “If you fuck with Marcus, I will murder you.”

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 could 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.

What will The Bear season four be about?

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 favorite 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 instill 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.

Has The Bear season four already been filmed?

In March, Deadline reported that The Bear had been renewed for a fourth season that would be filmed back-to-back with the third season in Chicago, partly to accommodate the schedules of its in-demand leads. FX has yet to confirm this report’s validity—Vanity Fair has reached out to series reps for comment.

When asked at a virtual press conference attended by VF if the show’s third and fourth seasons were shot in this manner, White teased, “We did something like that,” to which Edebiri added, “Yeah, a little version of it, sort of. But not exactly.”

When does The Bear season four come out?

While FX has yet to serve up an official release date, each of the show’s previous three installments have debuted in June, making summer 2025 a likely landing spot for season four. But Deadline’s report, coupled with the series ending on “to be continued” for the first time, suggests that there might be a follow-up to the third season sooner rather than later.