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MSNBC’s ‘The Sing Sing Chronicles’ Takes Top Prize on Night 2 of News and Docs Emmys

On night two of the 46th News & Documentary Emmy Awards Thursday night, MSNBC took home the night’s biggest prize, Best Documentary, for “The Sing Sing Chronicles.”

But at the ceremony focused on documentary programming, National Geographic led all winners with six award, taking home Outstanding Historical Documentary and Outstanding Nature Documentary among others. Netflix followed, with two programming wins (Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary and Outstanding Investigative Documentary) and two craft wins (Outstanding Cinematography — Documentary and Outstanding Light Direction — Documentary).

PBS historically does well on the second night of the annual ceremony, often leading the pack in documentary programming with series like “Frontline,” “POV” and “Independent Lens.” Tonight’s two documentary programming wins brought the network’s two total to 19 this decade. They also saw three Gold/Silver Circle inductees — this amid President Donald Trump’s calls to cut the network’s funding.

Jon Else received the night’s Lifetime Achievement Award for documentary, presented by ITVS President and CEO Carrie Lozano. Else is a four-time Emmy nominee for his work as a documentary director, writer and cinematographer on projects such as “Yosemite: The Fate Of Heaven” and “America’s Endangered Species: Don’t Say Good-bye”. Else follows Alex Gibney, who was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024, and Barbara Kopple, who was recognized in 2023. “Today” journalist Al Roker received a Lifetime Achievement Award for news during the ceremony’s first night.

This year’s Gold Circle inductees for documentary were filmmakers Michael Kirk (PBS Frontline and Kirk Documentary Group), Gordon Quinn (Kartemquin Films) and Marcia Smith (Firelight Media). The night’s documentary Silver Circle inductees included were producer/writer/director Gemma Cubero del Barrio (PBS) and editor Aljernon Tunsil (PBS and Firelight Films).

Below, read the complete list of winners for Night 2 of the 46th News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

Best Documentary
“The Sing Sing Chronicles”
MSNBC

Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary
“Madu”
Disney+

Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary
“We Will Dance Again”
Paramount+

Outstanding Social Issue Documentary
“Two American Families: 1991-2024”
FRONTLINE
PBS

Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary
“The Sixth”
A24

Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary
“Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy”
Netflix

Outstanding Investigative Documentary
“American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders”
Netflix

Outstanding Historical Documentary
“Tsunami: Race Against Time”
National Geographic

Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary
“Hunt for the Oldest DNA”
NOVA
PBS

Outstanding Nature Documentary
“Paul Nicklen & Cristina Mittermeier: Win or Die”
Photographer
National Geographic

Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary
“The Trust vs. Alex Jones”
HBO | Max

Outstanding Short Documentary
“The Dirty Business of Monkey Laundering”
Bloomberg Investigates
Bloomberg

Outstanding Writing — Documentary
“Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story”
National Geographic
Writer Charlie Hamilton James

Outstanding Research — Documentary
“The Grab”
Center for Investigative Reporting Studios
Researchers McKenzie Funk, Nathan Halverson, JoeBill Muñoz, Mallory Newman, Amanda Pike, David Ritsher, Emma C. Schwartz, Yinuo Shi

Outstanding Direction — Documentary
“Frida”
Prime Video
Director Carla Gutiérrez

Outstanding Cinematography — Documentary
“Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough”
Netflix
Directors of Photography Kevin Flay, Hugo Kitching
Camerapeople James Aldred, Luke Barnett, Ralph Bower, Duncan Brake, Tavish Campbell, Rod Clarke, Ben Cunningham, Filipe Deandre, Adam Horder, Deidre Leowinata, Katie Mayhew, Sam Meyrick, Roger Munns, Duncan Parker, Robin Smith, Romilly Spiers, Gavin Thurston, Darren West, Mark Yates

Outstanding Editing — Documentary
“Blink”
National Geographic
Editors Ryan Mullins, Miranda Yousef
Associate Editor Rachelle Hamilton

Outstanding Graphic Design — Documentary
“Omnivore”
Apple TV+
Designer Margherita Premuroso
Lead Designer Sky Bird
Animators Steven Do, Cindy SooHoo, Trix Taylor
Creative Lead Benjamin Woodlock
Designer/Animator Steve Biggert
Graphics Editors Rachel Fowler, Javier Gonzales

Outstanding Music Composition — Documentary
“Endurance”
National Geographic
Composer Daniel Pemberton

Outstanding Sound — Documentary
“Earthsounds”
Apple TV+
Sound Recordist Marc Anderson
Sound Editors Jonny Crew, Tom Mercer, Tim Owens, Luke O’Connell, Owen Peters, Owen Shirley
Dubbing Mixer Graham Wild
Foley Artist Paul Ackerman, Rory Joseph, Myles Ackerman Smith
Foley Editor Ellie Bowler
Sound Supervisor Kate Hopkins

Outstanding Lighting Direction — Documentary
“Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial”
Netflix
Director of Photography Jeff Hutchens

Outstanding Art Direction / Set Decoration / Scenic Design — Documentary
“You’re Being Lied To About Voter Fraud. Here’s the Truth.”
The New York Times Opinion
Creative Director Neil Makhija
Art Director Jim Batt, Kim Bookbinder, Molly Crabapple

Outstanding Promotional Announcement — Documentary
“Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story”
National Geographic
Executive Producer Chris Spencer
Creative Director Nicole Strong
Producers Michael Knopf, Mihaela Muhtarova
Design Director Carla Daeninckx
Editor Martin Wrench
Executive Creative Director Andrew Snook
Project Manager Isabella Alonzo
Senior Writer/Producer David Numbers

Outstanding Regional Documentary
“The Holly”
Rocky Mountain Public Media
Director/Producer Julian Rubinstein
Producers Dia Sokol Svage, Donnie I. Betts

The post MSNBC’s ‘The Sing Sing Chronicles’ Takes Top Prize on Night 2 of News and Docs Emmys appeared first on TheWrap.

Brad Pitt’s LA Home Burglarized as Actor Tours ‘F1’ Overseas

Thieves broke into a Los Angeles house owned by Brad Pitt on Wednesday night, and police are now seeking three suspects who made off with with an unknown amount of property.

The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that the residence, located in the 300 block of N. Edgemont Street in the LA neighborhood of Los Feliz, was burglarized after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Though they have not publicly confirmed that the house belongs to the Oscar-winning actor.

According to NBC News, which first reported the break-in, thieves scaled a fence and smashed the front window, then ransacked the house before leaving with the stolen property.

Pitt was not home at the time of the break-in, as the actor is currently in Europe promoting his new film “F1,” which premieres in the United States on Friday.

Pitt bought the house in 2023 for a reported $5.5 million, according Traded, a commercial real estate website.

It’s at least the second high profile robbery of a celebrity home in Los Angeles this year. in February, a house belonging to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban was burglarized by a lone suspect who smashed the glass front door, ransacked the premises and fled the scene. The couple was not home at the time of the incident.

The post Brad Pitt’s LA Home Burglarized as Actor Tours ‘F1’ Overseas appeared first on TheWrap.

‘And Just Like That’ Star Kristin Davis, Creator Unpack Charlotte’s Shocking Health Twist

Note: This story contains spoilers from “And Just Like That” Season 3, Episode 5.

“And Just Like That” threw a wrench on Charlotte’s picture perfect family life in Season 3, with a heart-wrenching health twist she’ll have to keep secret — for now.

In Episode 5, titled “Under the Table,” Charlotte (Kristin Davis) learned that her husband Harry (Evan Handler) was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He quickly reassures her that he has a good prognosis, as the doctors caught it early and his form of the disease has a 98% survival rate. But that does little to soothe her fears, especially after he makes her promise not to tell anyone, including her friends and their kids.

“People get all kinds of unexpected health news. This is true to life,” Davis told TheWrap of the twist. “She holds Harry in such a sacred place, and this family that she’s created, it would be very scary for her to feel like she might lose that.”

The news hit the Goldenblatt household as they prepared for a joint glamping trip with Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) and her family. With the diagnosis secret on her mind, Charlotte found herself lashing out at her kids when they shared their hesitation to go on the trip. In fact, even Harry ended up not being enthusiastic about the trip after being attacked by mosquitoes, leading Charlotte to take a walk on her own. Lisa, who was also having a disagreement with her husband over the new editor of her docuseries, ended up commiserating with her friend. Though Charlotte did not share the reason for being more distant than usual, Lisa still gave her support.

“Charlotte has been the grounded support for everyone for the last two years, so we knew from the writing point of view it was time for her to need support,” showrunner Michael Patrick King added.

Kristin Davis and Evan Handler in “And Just Like That.” (Craig Blankenhorn/Max)

King said that the initial shock of the Harry news stunted Charlotte, and sets off a very “Sex and the City” version of the health scare storyline as the marriage is tested when their intimate connection is challenged. Davis also teased that as a known and loving caretaker, having the love of her life dealing with cancer will push her like never before.

But King assured the story won’t get too tragic, adding, “Do you think I’m going to kill Harry?”

“And Just Like That” releases new episodes Thursdays on Max.

The post ‘And Just Like That’ Star Kristin Davis, Creator Unpack Charlotte’s Shocking Health Twist appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Golden Bachelor’ Mel Owens Says Any Women Over 60 Will Get Cut From His Season

Mel Owens, the incoming leading man of senior-focused dating show “The Golden Bachelor,” said he will cut any women over 60 from his dating pool.

The 66-year-old, whose season of “The Golden Bachelor” is set to premiere this fall on ABC, revealed he disclosed his preference for the women he will date to be between the ages of 45-60 to the show’s producers, and if a woman is any older than that, she won’t make it to the end of the show.

“They asked me what your preference is, so I just said, 45 to 60, just being honest,” Owens said on sports podcast “In the Trenches.” “The process went and I was selected and then we had lunch with the executive producer [and] I said, ‘if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.'”

Owens said the unnamed executive producer pushed back on his statement — saying “this is not the ‘Silver Bachelor,’ this is the ‘Golden Bachelor'” — while assuring him the women will be “hot.” The EP also resisted Owens using the term “cut,” which Owens said was a term used by the NFL, which he played in during his time on the LA Rams.

The NFL veteran-turned-lawyer added that the women must be fit as he stays in shape, and asked the producers to stay away from women with artificial hips and wigs.

“[I’m looking for] someone who’s a lifetime learner … love[s] life and workout and stay fit and eat and have fun and be energetic and live life,” Owens said on the podcast.

Owens follows in the footsteps of Gerry Turner, the inaugural “Golden Bachelor,” who got engaged to Theresa Nist on the show and eventually tied the knot to her on a telecasted “Golden Wedding,” though the pair divorced just months later. During that season, Turner, who was 71 at the time of the show, dated a group of 22 women in their 60s and 70s.

This fall, “The Golden Bachelor” will air its next season on Wednesdays from 9-10 p.m. on ABC, after new episodes of “Abbott Elementary” and before new episodes of “Shark Tank.”

The post ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Mel Owens Says Any Women Over 60 Will Get Cut From His Season appeared first on TheWrap.

Diddy Closing Arguments: Prosecutor Says Mogul Used ‘Power, Violence and Fear’ to Execute ‘Brutal Crimes’

It was the beginning of the end for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial on Thursday, as prosecutors began their closing arguments, spotlighting how Combs used violence and influence to execute a series of “brutal crimes.”

“The defendant used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted,” assistant U.S. attorney Christy Slavik told the jury in the prosecution’s closing arguments, according to the Associated Press. “He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law.”

She added that there is evidence of his alleged criminal conspiracies that trace back over 20 years, noting the alleged kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura and his former assistant Capricorn Clark, as detailed over the previous weeks of the trial. Another example mentioned was the alleged bombing of musician Kid Cudi’s car, among other crimes — all of which she said Combs was able to orchestrate through his platform and his loyal staff.

During her remarks, the jury was shown images of the individuals Combs allegedly conspired with, images of evidence — including alleged drug distribution of cocaine, ketamine and MDMA — and excerpts from testimonies, per the AP.

“Over the last several weeks, you’ve learned a lot about Sean Combs,” Slavik said at the beginning of her statements. “He’s the leader of a criminal enterprise. He doesn’t take no for an answer. And now you know about many crimes he committed with members of his enterprise.”

Slavik also brought up Combs’ alleged mistreatment of Ventura, whom he was in a relationship with for 11 years and is the woman seen in the Intercontinental Hotel footage from 2016 that CNN released in March 2024. Slavik stated that Combs continuously “threatened and manipulated” Ventura and another unnamed ex-girlfriend into having “sex with escorts for his own entertainment,” and leaned on “silence and shame” to keep his abuse covered up. With the help of his team of employees, including bodyguards and assistants, Combs was able to facilitate and continue on with his abusive acts, the prosecutor said.

“The defendant was a powerful man, but he became more powerful and dangerous because of his inner circle, his businesses — the enterprise,” Slavik said, adding that Combs and his entourage “committed hundreds of racketeering acts.”

While Combs’ legal team shut down the racketeering charge, claiming his staff didn’t agree to take part in any plot, Slavik noted their involvement in the alleged kidnappings and drug deliveries support the prosecution’s arguments.

The jury is set to hear Combs’ closing arguments on Friday and prosecution’s rebuttal before deliberation, which could happen as early as that afternoon, begins.

Combs’ trial has lasted over six weeks, and 34 witnesses have testified for the jury. Combs’ team maintains that the music mogul did participate in domestic violence but denies he’s broken any federal laws.

On Wednesday, prosecutors tightened its racketeering conspiracy charges against the mogul, removing claims of arson and kidnapping one day before closing arguments were set to begin, according to The Independent. In a letter to the judge, prosecution stated it would be dropping three claims related to the racketeering conspiracy in an effort to “streamline” jury instructions. While the racketeering conspiracy charge is still part of the listed accused crimes, prosecution removed jury instructions connected to the attempted kidnapping, attempted arson and the facilitation of sex trafficking.

Combs was hit with five federal counts of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, which he’s pleaded not guilty to.

The post Diddy Closing Arguments: Prosecutor Says Mogul Used ‘Power, Violence and Fear’ to Execute ‘Brutal Crimes’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Brad Pitt Had Yet Another Unforgettable Fan Run-In While Filming ‘F1’: ‘We Had to Be Quick’

Brad Pitt and the cast of “F1” could not escape his stardom when shooting his Formula One summer blockbuster.

While shooting at Silverstone Circuit in England, home to the British Grand Prix, the “Fight Club” actor had a fan encounter that could have led to a serious on-set collision. Pitt’s co-star Damson Idris reminded the movie star of the run-in in an interview with Entertainment Weekly published Thursday, saying the eager fan ran “right in the shot to get a picture with Brad.”

“This is when we’re on the grid. It’s at Silverstone, day two, we’re going to get our two takes to do our scene, it was approaching [Javier Bardem]. It’s packed. The real drivers are there,” Pitt said. “Cars are getting ready to start the race. We’re going to get two takes at this, and some fan comes up in the middle and goes, ‘Brad, can I get a picture? Can I get a picture?'”

Pitt stars in the Formula One film as Sonny Hayes, a once-promising driver who is brought back to the game to help his friend and former driver, Ruben Cervantes (Bardem), who is in danger of being ousted by the board of his racing team. With Hayes and British rookie Joshua Pearce (Idris), Ruben hopes to turn his failures into a winning season.

Fan run-ins became a special concern on the set of “F1.” Kerry Condon, who plays the technical director of the APX Grand Prix in the film, remembered another time when the cast and crew braced for more fan encounters for Pitt.

“We did the scene where you come back after our first race,” Condon said. “When you went to take your helmet off, we knew we had only a certain amount of takes before people would do the double-take and go, ‘Hey, hang on a minute. Do I know that person?’ We had to be quick because then people started to recognize you.”

The “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” star turned the focus back on the film’s premise like a true pro, though, saying that being on the race track with real F1 drivers was “humbling.” He said he even felt a little embarrassed wearing the full gear in front of them.

“We have the real drivers there and we are telling a story about these drivers,” Pitt said. “It’s our respect and love for them and why we wanted to be there. At the same time, that respect and love, it’s just humbling. It was a bit embarrassing for me when we started to be in their suits and their shoes and their helmets.”

“But after a year and a half of that, they were so kind — I just felt like it was our own backyard.”

“F1” is playing in theaters now.

The post Brad Pitt Had Yet Another Unforgettable Fan Run-In While Filming ‘F1’: ‘We Had to Be Quick’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Fox News Host Rolls Her Eyes on Air Over Sen. Tom Cotton’s Iran Raid Assessment: ‘Is No One Concerned?’

Jessica Tarlov could not help but roll her eyes over Senator Tom Cotton’s assessment of the mission success of the past weekend’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites.

“The Five” host broke down Cotton’s response that the goal of the raid was “not part of the mission to destroy the uranium.” This coming after Trump spent the last few days assuring the American people that the facilities and Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been “obliterated.” Tarvlov rolled her eyes as she read.

“Why wouldn’t it be,” she asked. “If you thought the uranium was in Fordow, why wouldn’t you want to totally obliterate it. Is no one concerned that there is 900 pounds of uranium maybe in a truck driving around the mountains there?”

She added: “Time will tell, but I thought it was a very poor showing.”

“The Five” also touched on Trump’s continued harassment of the media – something that has only grown stronger in the days since the bombing. In the wake of CNN posting that the strikes were not as successful as the president made them out to be on social media he’s only harried them more.

Jessica: Trump hates the press

Compagno: He hates the biased press

Jessica: They decide who is biased on a daily basis. He does it all the time. He goes, “oh, you’re not so bad today” and tomorrow.. he says, “I hate you again” pic.twitter.com/UfDsMGUksA

— Acyn (@Acyn) June 26, 2025

“Donald Trump hates the press,” Tarlov said. “It’s his number one witch hunt.”

“He hates the biased press,” legal analyst Emily Compagno interjected.

“But they decide who is biased on a daily basis,” Tarlov responded. “He does it all the time. He goes, ‘Oh, you’re not so bad today’ and tomorrow he says, ‘I hate you again.'”

This discussion came on the heels of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth going after former Fox News colleague Jennifer Griffin after she questioned the level of success of the raid herself in a press briefing.

“Do you have certainty that all the highly enriched uranium was inside the Fordow Mountain?” Griffin asked. “Are you certain none of that highly enriched uranium was moved?”

Hegseth responded: “Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst.”

The Secretary of Defense went on to say Griffin was perhaps the most prominent reporter “who misrepresents what the president says” about the success of the weekend’s bomb strike.

You can watch “The Five” segment in the video above.

The post Fox News Host Rolls Her Eyes on Air Over Sen. Tom Cotton’s Iran Raid Assessment: ‘Is No One Concerned?’ appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Bear’ Season 4 Ending Explained: Who’s Leaving?

Note: The following story contains spoilers from “The Bear” Season 4.

It wouldn’t be a season finale of “The Bear” if there weren’t a few tears and anxiety attacks, and Season 4 certainly delivers on that front.

Last season was a thorny one as Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) kept trying to get her partner and mentor Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) to open up to her. After endless days of changed menus, several screaming matches and oh-so-much money lost, the duo finally had a real conversation at the end of this season.

Here’s what happened in the final moments of Season 4 and what that ending may mean if there is a Season 5.

Is Carmy leaving the Bear?

Eventually. At the end of Episode 9, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) finally took a look at her new partnership agreement with the restaurant, which contained an unpleasant surprise. As part of her new contract, ownership for the place was divided evenly between Cicero (Oliver Platt) and the Bear, which included Sydney, Sugar (Abby Elliott) and no Carmy (Jeremy Allen White).

On their very last night of runway, Sydney confronted Carmy about why he changed the agreement. That’s when he confirmed his plans to leave not just the Bear but the restaurant industry as a whole. The more he argued with Sydney and later Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), the clearer it became that Carmy doesn’t plan to leave right away. Rather, he plans to retire after they figure out the Bear’s finances and the restaurant settles into a relatively stable place.

Why is Carmy leaving the Bear?

As with everything in “The Bear,” it all comes back to Mikey (Jon Bernthal), Carmy’s brother who died by suicide. After Carmy told Sydney he’s leaving, she fought him on his decision, telling Carmy he loves cooking and restaurants.

“I used to,” Carmy said. “I feel like I don’t have anything to draw on. I don’t have anything to pull from.”

He then admitted he became a chef and opened the Bear so he wouldn’t have to deal with other parts of his life.

“I think I put a lot of things in the way of dealing with very real things, and I’m aware of that. I think I was trying to put hurdles in the way,” Carmy said. When Sydney asked if that’s why he insisted on changing the menu every day and being a “maniac,” he confirmed that was probably why. During their conversation with him, both Sydney and Richie brought up the late Mikey, whose death is clearly a major source of trauma that Carmy has been avoiding. But as Episode 9 shows, Carmy has also been confronting a strained relationship with his emotionally abusive mother (Jamie Lee Curtis).

Selfishly, Carmy is leaving the Bear “to make me not like this,” he told Sydney. But there’s another selfless reason why he’s leaving the restaurant he built. After four seasons spent stewing in his own anger, resentment and chaos, Carmy realized he is the worst thing for the restaurant. He may have built the Bear from the ground up and fit it with the perfect team, but his anxiety and inability to make decisions almost led to its downfall.

“Syd, you’re everything I’m never going to be,” Carmy told his partner. “You are considerate. You allow yourself to feel things, right? You allow yourself to care. You’re a natural leader and teacher and you’re doing all this stuff for every right f–king reason.”

Carmy then insisted that Sydney stay with the restaurant even though he’s leaving because it’s finally starting to “gel.”

“Any chance of any kind of good in this building, it started when you walked in. And any possibility of it surviving, it’s with you,” Carmy said. “I believe in you more than I’ve ever believed in myself. Because you’re the bear.”

Is Sydney leaving the restaurant?

No. Throughout Season 4, Sydney was torn between staying at the chaotic Bear or starting a new venture with Adam Shapiro (playing himself). During their fight, Carmy finally revealed he knew she almost left the restaurant, and Sydney apologized for not telling him about the job offer.

Ultimately, Sydney agreed to stay at the Bear on one condition: Richie is added to the partnership agreement. The new agreement gives 50% ownership to Cicero and 50% to Sydney, Sugar and Richie.

“I appreciate the gesture, but this is my home. I’m not going anywhere,” Richie told her.

“Who the f–k has time for gestures?” Sydney shot back. It was a heartwarming olive branch between these two people who spent multiple seasons at each other’s throats. But there is one question left unanswered at the end of this season …

How will the Bear get out of debt?

Leave this one to Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson). If there was one standout of the Chicago Tribune review, it was the Beef window, led by Ebra. Trying to capitalize on his success, Ebra spent most of this season working with a business manager to make the Beef sandwich setup more efficient and cost effective. But after several meetings, Albert surprised him.

It turned out that the Beef was so well run, the best way for it to make more money wasn’t to cut down on napkins. It was to franchise the operation. Albert suggested partnering with Ebra to open two more Beef locations in the north and south suburbs with a commissary kitchen in the middle for quality control.

“You said three? But you said keep it small,” Ebra said.

“Three is small,” Albert responded.

At the end of Episode 9, Albert and Ebra presented their idea to Computer (Brian Koppelman) who tried to get Cicero’s attention. It’s too early to know if franchising the Beef window will work or if it will be enough to keep the Bear afloat. But financially, this is the best idea the team has had yet.

Is “The Bear” Season 5 happening?

FX has yet to renew the series for a fifth season. But considering its success as well as that cliffhanger of an ending, another season feels likely.

The big challenge with “The Bear” will be pulling its incredibly coveted and busy cast away from other projects to make a new installment.

“The Bear” Season 4 is now streaming on Hulu.

The post ‘The Bear’ Season 4 Ending Explained: Who’s Leaving? appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Bear’ Season 4 Review: FX’s Emmy Darling Gets Its Creative Mojo Back, but Not Fast Enough

Note: This review contains spoilers from “The Bear” Season 4.

Let’s start by answering the most important question: yes, “The Bear” Season 4 is better than Season 3.

Once FX’s restaurant dramedy moves on from the self-indulgent stuckness that made Season 3 so un-bear-able, it finds some moments that feel like the best of Seasons 1 and 2. It’s as confident and singular in its artistic vision as ever. But even though more is happening than there was in Season 3, it’s not quite enough to give the show a shape. Its overemphasis on character and vibe at the expense of narrative momentum leaves it repetitive and flabby. Like the Chicago Tribune’s mixed restaurant review says, it’s missing some Bear necessities — namely, a compelling enough plot.

Season 4 picks up in the aftermath of that review. The problematic press will make achieving success even harder for Carmen Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his ragtag-turned-highly professional team of chefs. Jimmy “Uncle Cicero” Kalinowski (Oliver Platt), the restaurant’s primary investor, gives them two months of financial runway, but after that, they’re on their own. If Carmy wants his business — and his life — to be sustainable, he’ll have to find a way to make it less chaotic. That’s where the season starts and pretty much where it ends, too.

Stylistically, “The Bear” remains unlike any other show on television, and four seasons in, you know if what it’s serving is for you. Every ingredient is specific to the show — the wall-to-wall music, the unique use of montage, the stylized chaos of the way characters scream over each other, etc. — and the show is totally committed to all of them. Everything that happens could only happen on “The Bear.” Creator Christopher Storer & co.’s artistic integrity is admirable. Unlike their characters, they’re not afraid to make bold choices.

Carmy and sous chef Sydney Adamu’s (Ayo Edebiri) decision paralysis — on apologizing to his ex-girlfriend Claire (Molly Gordon) and whether to leave the Bear for a less insane new job, respectively — are what made Season 3 so narratively stagnant. While they avoided taking necessary action, the plot could not move forward. Season 4 finally gets moving again, eventually, but it takes its time. The first two episodes remain in stuck mode, as the staff of the Bear make small adjustments that aren’t enough to bring about the big changes they need. The show is not subtle; Carmy watches “Groundhog Day” on TV to drive the point of being stuck home. Very little of consequence happens, and the episodes end with nearly identical kitchen montages. If you didn’t like Season 3, you will be tempted to 86 “The Bear” for good at this point. But once Carmy goes to Claire’s apartment to apologize at the end of Episode 3, the show finally gets moving — and improves just enough to make you wish it were doing more.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jeremy Allen White in “The Bear.” (FX)

The characters barely change, but they talk about how much they want to change to the point of exhaustion. Syd takes all season to make a decision — that’s 20 episodes of being stuck — but in her standalone (and standout) fourth episode, written by Edebiri and pastry chef Marcus actor Lionel Boyce and directed by Janicza Bravo, she at least takes an active role in her process. After a tour of the new restaurant’s space with chef Adam (Adam Shapiro), who means well but isn’t Carmy, Syd goes to her cousin Chantel’s (Danielle Deadwyler) house for a hair appointment and ends up spending the afternoon hanging out with Chantel’s middle school-aged daughter TJ (Arion King). As Syd gives TJ advice on how to handle a complicated friendship situation, she gets a clearer perspective on her own dilemma. Meanwhile, Deadwyler makes the most of a rare comedic role. The way she’s stunned into enraged silence when TJ mouths off to her will have you checking to see if your TV is frozen.

Deadwyler is one of several notable guest appearances, a “Bear” trademark. Comedian Kate Berlant has an impressive one-scene cameo as a woman in Carmy’s Al-Anon meeting who tells a story about her addict brother. It’s not as intense as Carmy’s legendary Season 1 monologue, but it has a better punchline. And a wedding episode serves as a way to bring back many guest stars, including most of the extended family from Season 2’s “Fishes,” plus a notable new face. No spoilers for this particular surprise guest if you haven’t watched the season yet, but an Oscar winner’s appearance as a long-referenced but previously unseen character will have you Googling if she’s from Chicago (she’s not).

The cameos got out of hand in Season 3, but they return to a more manageable level here. John Cena’s Sammy Fak, the nadir of the show’s overindulgence in celebrity guests, is mercifully absent.

The best moment of the season — the kind of scene you tolerate “The Bear’s” flaws to get to — involves one of the guest stars. Bob Odenkirk returns as Carmy’s estranged mother Donna’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) on-again, off-again boyfriend Lee, and he and Carmy have a nuanced conversation about Carmy’s late brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal) that helps Carmy understand how people can change. “Sometimes to break patterns, you gotta break patterns, man,” Lee says, which could be the thesis statement for Carmy’s story this season. Executive producer Joanna Calo’s underplayed dialogue gives White and Odenkirk the opportunity to dig into the subtext. It’s a masterful scene that lets two tremendous actors showcase their talents. And even though it doesn’t directly move the plot forward, it serves a clear narrative purpose by allowing Carmy’s mind to change.

In normal shows, most scenes serve that kind of purpose, with a handful of non-narrative scenes peppered in for flavor. “The Bear” reverses that, with mostly non-narrative scenes, and a handful of plot scenes per episode. For every scene like Carmy and Lee’s, there’s a scene where characters repeat the same phrase over and over again in a way that’s supposed to be funny, followed by an overlong, boring scene where characters speak repetitively and inarticulately about their feelings. The worst offender is the one in Episode 2 where Carmy and his sister Natalie (Abby Elliot) say nothing but earnest platitudes to each other while an entire Bob Dylan song plays. These episodes are pretty short, but they’re not tight. If the stuff that would be considered filler on a more traditional show got cut down — which wouldn’t and shouldn’t happen, to be clear — the episodes would be about 10 minutes long.

In the end, “The Bear” has to be “The Bear.” The show has always put character and atmosphere ahead of plot. This is not an inherently bad thing, and it makes “The Bear” what it is. Sometimes it results in enjoyably vibey non-narrative scenes like Carmy visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright museum. However, there is dissonance in how precise “The Bear” is with its character dynamics and aesthetic details but how indifferent it is to plot. The characters are on slow-moving emotional journeys, and most scenes serve those stories, rather than the overarching question of “will the restaurant stay open?” And the things that do happen in a cause-and-effect sense don’t seem to matter much. The premiere introduces a literal ticking clock that means the restaurant will run out of money and have to close when the countdown reaches the end. But then all season long, the show keeps downplaying how important the clock is until manager Natalie and accountant Uncle Computer (Brian Koppelman) realize that they’re actually running efficiently enough to keep going. The clock still runs out, but after “The Bear” creates the tension, there’s no payoff. It’s a violation of commonly accepted and effective storytelling rules without a clear purpose for doing so.

Ayo Edebiri and Liza Colón-Zayas in “The Bear.” (FX)

It’s simply unusual for a show as well-made as “The Bear” to so deemphasize one of the essential components of television. It’s “The Bear’s” boldest take-it-or-leave it choice, and it’s the least successful. But hey, at least this season has a plot at all.

“The Bear” Season 4 is now streaming on Hulu.

The post ‘The Bear’ Season 4 Review: FX’s Emmy Darling Gets Its Creative Mojo Back, but Not Fast Enough appeared first on TheWrap.

Brie Larson Joins ‘The Bear’ Season 4 Cast to Answer One of the Show’s Biggest Mysteries

Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Bear” Season 4, Episodes 4 and 7.

“The Bear” welcomed an Oscar-winning performer into its cast in Season 4, solving one of the FX comedy’s longest mysteries in the process.

Episode 6 of the Jeremy Allen White-led series, the longest of Season 4 with a 69-minute runtime, follows as friends and family gather for the wedding of Tiff (Gillian Jacobs) and Frank (Josh Hartnett). Unbeknownst to the groom, the event marked a family reunion of sorts of the Berzatto family, since Tiff considers ex-husband Richie’s (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) family her own.

Among the special day’s chaotic guests was the elusive Francine Fak (Brie Larson), sister to Neil (Matty Matheson) and Teddy (Ricky Staffieri) — other sibling Sammy (John Cena) was not in attendance. Larson is the latest in a sea of A-list talent to have joined the cast of “The Bear,” but her casting is even more significant as it provides significant context to a lingering question since the show’s first season: What happened between Francine and Sugar (Abby Elliott) to fuel their heated, years-long feud?

The episode did not provide much in the way of answers, but Larson and Elliott thrived in showcasing each others’ talents with plenty of screaming matches during the big day.

But it did provide one key piece of context to the feud that left Pete (Chris Witaske) nervous. One of the cousins revealed that the feud might have been sparked after Francinie and Sugar hooked up — information that was delivered in a sort-of joking matter that neither of them confirmed.

The reveal left enough uncertainty for Peter to ask his wife if she was in love with Francine. Her response? A long pause before blowing raspberries and denying the claim.

Danielle Deadwyler attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City. (Mike Coppola/MG25/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)

Larson was not the only new face in “The Bear” Season 4. “Till” star Danielle Deadwyler also made her debut in Episode 4 as Syd’s cousin Chantel, who helps Syd with her hair and also shares a funny parenting moment with her middle-school aged daughter TJ (Arion King). The standout installment was written by Edebiri and Lionel Boyce, who plays chef Marcus, and directed by Janicza Bravo.

The season also featured the return of many familiar faces from past seasons, including Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna, Sarah Ramos as Jessica, Bob Odenkirk as Uncle Lee, Sarah Paulson as Michelle, Will Poulter as Luca, John Mulaney as Stevie and more.

“The Bear” Season 4 is now streaming on Hulu.

The post Brie Larson Joins ‘The Bear’ Season 4 Cast to Answer One of the Show’s Biggest Mysteries appeared first on TheWrap.