FX’s hit series The Bear is back, and in Season 4, no one is cooking quite like Ayo Edebiri.
With an Emmy-winning cast including guest stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal, supporting stars Ebon Moss-Bachroch and Liza Colón-Zayas, and extraordinary lead Jeremy Allen White, each season of The Bear is packed with powerhouse performances that delight, resonate, and regularly move viewers to tears. But much like her character, Sydney, Edebiri emerges as The Bear‘s Season 4 MVP, delivering some of her best work in the series to date.
With numerous accolades, including a 2023 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Access in a Comedy Series, Edebiri regularly captivates as sous chef Sydney in The Bear’s first three seasons. But in Season 4, as Syd’s partner Carmy (White) finally unpacks personal and professional trauma, her dad has a major health scare, and she grapples with a high-stakes career decision, Edebiri rises to new heights in front of and behind the camera.
Back in Season 2, the talented star served as an executive producer on one of The Bear’s most acclaimed installments, “Fishes.” Then, in Season 3, she made her directorial debut with “Napkins,” a flashback episode that showed how Tina (Colón-Zayas) started working at The Beef. Exemplary work behind the camera reminds fans how skilled Edibiri is at transferring elements from script to screen, and in Season 4, she adds a remarkable writing credit to her growing list of series achievements.
Photo: FX
The Bear Season 4 spoilers ahead.
Over the years, the 29-year-old multi-hyphenate has written for Sunnyside, Dickinson, What We Do in the Shadows, and more, so it should come as no surprise that her episode of The Bear, written with co-star Lionel Boyce, is a Season 4 standout. As Syd sets out to help her cousin’s 11-year-old daughter, TJ (Arion King), navigate a sleepover dilemma, she confronts her own looming career conflict. Decider went deep on the many ways that “Worms” — which chronicles a rare day off for Sydney — radiates quiet, unassuming brilliance. The installment is one of Season 4’s brightest spots, in large part, thanks to Edebiri, who flexes humor, dramatic chops, and enthralling monologue skills throughout.
As the season progresses, however, Edebiri continually raises the bar, proving she doesn’t need a character-centric episode to stand out. Smaller scenes like Syd’s reunion with Luca (Will Poulter) ooze chemistry and inspire laughs, while Edibiri’s performance in intimate conversations with Donna (Curtis) and Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) yanks heartstrings.
Photo: FX
In one of my favorite Season 4 moments, when Carmy tells Syd her scallop dish is “better than perfect,” Edebiri’s physicality — subtle facial expressions and thoughtful eyeball acting (new Emmy category?) — palpably portray just how impactful the moment is for her character. Even her ability to maintain composure during the chaotic cooking show in her dream sequence atop Episode 8 deserves serious praise.
Fans of Edebiri’s work outside of The Bear — including Bottoms, Theater Camp, her hilarious Ireland bit, and more — know she’s a comedy queen. But the latest chapter in Christopher Storer’s acclaimed series puts her range on full display by showcasing some of her finest dramatic acting. When Episode 406 finds Sydney in the hospital facing her father’s mortality after his heart attack, I dare you to make it through Edebiri’s raw, reflective monologue without choking up alongside her. In that same vein, her finale performance — a half-hour spent cycling through Sydney’s betrayal, anger, heartbreak, and fear — deserves a standing ovation.
Photo: FX
After The Bear’s third season came under fire for slow narrative pacing, some critics felt the series literally lost the plot when Carmy revealed his plans to retire from the restaurant at the end of Season 4. With no Season 5 renewal announcement yet, and the show’s head chef leaving the kitchen, The Bear‘s future is incredibly uncertain.
Like Sydney, I can imagine the restaurant (and show) without White, I just don’t want to. But if The Bear does go on without Carmy’s chaos, his assertion that any chance of the restaurant’s success is with Sydney in charge, and Richie’s claims that The Bear will be OK because she’s still in the picture, also ring true for Edebiri.
Should The Bear return for Season 5 with a rewritten recipe for success that puts Syd in the spotlight, Edebiri’s earned it. In Ayo we trust, so I have full faith that she’d rise to the occasion.
THE BEAR – SEASON 4: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Can’t get enough of The Bear Season 4? For more insight, analysis, GIFs, and close-ups of Carmy’s arms, check out some highlights of Decider’s coverage:
The Bear Season 4 is now streaming on Hulu.