'The Bear' Season 4 Finally Dropped. Is It Still the Best Show on TV?

The Bear season 4 premiered on Hulu on June 11th, and I did what any self-respecting TV fan would do: I took the next day off work and binged all 10 episodes in one sitting. I went in with high expectations. The first three seasons were, in my opinion, some of the best television of the decade. The question was: could they keep it up? The short answer is yes, mostly. But there are some things that bugged me.

Where We Left Off

Spoiler alert for season 3, obviously. The show ended with Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) finally opening the Bear, the fine-dining restaurant he'd been dreaming about. But the season was a mess emotionally—Carmy was still dealing with his trauma, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) was unsure about her future, and the kitchen was a pressure cooker of anxiety. Season 4 picks up three months later. The restaurant has a Michelin star—which I won't spoil how—and the team is trying to maintain that level of excellence.

What Works: The Characters

The cast is still phenomenal. Jeremy Allen White gives the performance of his career as Carmy. There's a scene in episode 4 where he's alone in the walk-in refrigerator, just staring at the wall, and you can see the weight of everything on his face. It's devastating. Ayo Edebiri continues to be the heart of the show. Sydney has more agency this season—she's not just a supporting character anymore. She's making decisions for the restaurant and dealing with the consequences.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie is also fantastic. His character arc from hothead to competent manager has been one of the best in TV history. This season, he's dealing with his ex-wife getting remarried, and it's handled with surprising subtlety. The scene where he talks to his daughter about why he's not at the wedding is heartbreaking.

What Doesn't Work: The Pacing

Here's my honest criticism: the season is too slow in the middle. Episodes 5, 6, and 7 feel like they're spinning their wheels. There's a lot of restaurant minutiae—ordering supplies, negotiating with vendors, dealing with a difficult health inspector. It's realistic, sure, but it's not compelling television. The show has always been stressful, but this season's stress feels more like boredom than tension.

There's also a subplot about a food critic that I found unnecessary. It takes up too much screen time and doesn't go anywhere interesting. I get that they wanted to show the pressure of maintaining a star, but it felt like filler.

The Big Moment: The Kitchen Meltdown

Every season of The Bear has a signature meltdown scene. Season 1 had the infamous "cousin" rant. Season 2 had the fork incident. Season 3 had the walk-in breakdown. This season's big moment happens in episode 8, and it's... good, but not great. Carmy has a public fight with a sous chef that results in a pan being thrown across the kitchen. It's tense, but it doesn't have the same emotional weight as the previous seasons. Maybe I'm becoming desensitized to the chaos. Or maybe the show is repeating itself.

I do have to say: the final episode is excellent. It ends on a hopeful note that feels earned. Without spoiling it, I'll just say that Carmy finally gets a moment of peace, and it's beautiful. Sydney makes a decision about her future that surprised me. And Richie gets the last laugh in a way that's both funny and touching.

So, Is It Still the Best Show on TV?

I think it depends on what you want. If you're here for the high-stress kitchen drama, you'll get it, but it's not as intense as before. If you're here for the character development, this is the best season yet. The actors have settled into their roles and the show trusts them to carry the emotional weight.

But compared to other shows right now—Succession is over, Better Call Saul is done—The Bear is still at the top of the pile. Season 4 isn't perfect, but it's still better than 90% of what's out there. I'd give it an A-. Watch it. You won't regret it.