With The Bear Season 4 recently coming out on Hulu, early reviews and the Rotten Tomatoes score for the Jeremy Allen White-led psychological comedy-drama series have now poured in. Premiering exactly one year after its predecessor, the fourth installment has mostly garnered positive reactions from critics, with many praising the “nuanced” progression of Allen White’s character showcased in the season. However, several reviewers have also pointed out a drop in quality in the latest edition of The Bear as compared to the initial seasons of the franchise.
The Bear Season 4 reviews are positive, but nowhere near perfect
The Bear Season 4, which builds upon Carmy Berzatto’s pursuit of taking his restaurant to the next level, seems to have left much to be desired, if its initial reviews are anything to go by. The show seems to have become a victim of its own greatness, with most critics lauding the fourth season’s content while also critiquing its repetitiveness.
The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager commended the handling of Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy in the fourth season, describing it as “a wonderfully nuanced and touching portrait of combatting loneliness, self-destructive rage, and bitterness and resentment through calm, trust, and compassion.”
On the other hand, Liam Mathews of TheWrap criticized the “overemphasis on character and vibe” in his review for The Bear Season 4, calling the installment “repetitive and flabby.”
Meanwhile, Daily Telegraph’s Chris Bennoin pointed out that while The Bear Season 4 does carry many of the best elements from the first two seasons, it also features ingredients “that made the third season so aimless, pompous and, quite frankly, boring.”
How The Bear Season 4’s Rotten Tomatoes score compares with past seasons
The Bear Season 4’s mixed to positive reviews also reflect on the edition’s Rotten Tomatoes rating, which is significantly lower than that of its predecessors.
At the time of writing, the fourth installment in the Hulu series has a critic score of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes from 29 reviews. While being impressive, this is the lowest in the franchise, with Season 3 recording 89% on the Tomatometer.
Similarly, the first two seasons of The Bear also secured much higher scores on the Tomatometer, with Season 2 noting a 99% rating on the scale and Season 1 boasting a perfect 100% critic score.
