The Bear season three is finally here, and fans hoping for some big cameos will not be disappointed!
The FX dramedy hit — which debuted its first season in June 2022 and has won 10 Emmy Awards thus far — trails the chefs and crew of The Bear restaurant in Chicago. While the first two seasons focused on transitioning the eatery from a run-down, casual dining spot into an upscale establishment, season 3 follows The Bear staff members “as they do what it takes to elevate The Bear, their beef stand turned fine dining establishment, to the highest level, all while doing their best just to stay in business,” according to a description of the season released by FX.
“It’s a losing battle every single day in the restaurant business. Carmy pushes himself harder than ever, and demands excellence from his crew, who do their best to match his intensity,” the synopsis continues. The show stars Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Abby Elliott, Liza Colón-Zayas, L-Boy, Matty Matheson and more.
More than a year after season 2 brought on John Mulaney, Sarah Paulson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Jon Bernthal, Gillian Jacobs and many more actors — and that was just in the episode “Fishes” alone — the show has decided to outdo itself once again with even more exciting cameos.
Warning: we will be serving up some major spoilers for season three below.
At its core, The Bear is a show about family. Given that, it’s only right that we start with the returning members of the chaotic but lovable Berzatto family. This is your last chance, avert your eyes if you don’t want anything about season 3 ruined!
Jamie Lee Curtis
The Oscar-winning actress returns in episode 8 as Donna Berzatto, the mother of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto and Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto. While the Berzatto matriarch was struggling with alcohol addiction the last time we saw her, she lends a surprising hand to Sugar as she goes into labor.
Episode: 8, “Ice Chips”
Jon Bernthal
The Punisher star is back as Michael “Mikey” Berzatto, the son of Donna (Curtis) and brother of Carmy (White) and Sugar (Elliott). Bernthal’s character’s suicide is the catalyst for the entire series as Carmy moves home after Mikey’s death.
Episodes: 1 and 6, “Tomorrow” and “Napkins”
John Mulaney
Back by popular demand, Mulaney returns to play Steven, the boyfriend of Michelle (Paulson). He was last seen in season 2, episode 6, and explained the meaning of the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Sadly, Paulson does not return this time around — unless you count flashbacks.
Episode: 1, “Tomorrow”
Joel McHale
The Community alum reprises his role as the uber-critical head chef that Carmy worked with in New York before moving home to take over the family restaurant in Chicago.
Episodes: 1 and 10, “Tomorrow” and “Forever”
Gillian Jacobs
Another Community alum! Jacobs — who first appeared as the ex-wife of Richie (Moss-Bachrach) in season 2 — reprises her role as Tiffany Jerimovich in not one, but two episodes of season 3.
Episodes: 1 and 9, “Tomorrow” and “Apologies”
David Zayas
David Zayas — best known for his role on Dexter — was bound to make an appearance at some point. After all, he is married to Colón-Zayas, the actress who plays Tina in the show. And art imitates life here as he plays Tina’s husband on the show, as well!
Episodes: 1 and 6, “Tomorrow” and “Napkins”
Keith Kupferer
Fresh off the release of his new film, Ghostlight, the actor — who previously appeared in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight — pops up in one episode as Sugar’s doctor who helps to deliver her baby.
Episode: 8, “Ice Chips”
Thomas Keller
The acclaimed chef kicks off episode 10 as himself, teaching Carmy how to cook in his first week at culinary school.
Episode: 10, “Forever”
Will Poulter
After making a fan-favorite appearance as Luca in the second season — in which he taught Marcus (L-Boy) how to bake — the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and We’re the Millers star returns in several episodes of season 2. He once again plays Carmy’s friend from culinary school.
Episodes: 1 and 10, “Tomorrow” and “Forever”
Robert Townsend
The actor once again plays the dad of Sydney (Edebiri) in season 3 after first appearing in season 2. While his first appearance saw Syd feeling pressured to impress him, things have changed ever so slightly between the father-daughter pair.
Episodes: 2 and 4, “Next” and “Violet”
Josh Hartnett
A newcomer has entered the chat! After back-to-back wins in the latest season of Netflix’s Black Mirror and the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, Hartnett appears as the love interest of Tiffany Jerimovich, Richie’s ex-wife, played by Jacobs — who they refer to as “Waldo.”
Episode: 4, “Violet”
Olivia Colman
The British actress is back to reprise her role as Chef Terry in season 3 after first appearing in season 2, episode 7. Who could forget how she took Richie to class the first time around and taught him how to properly work in a restaurant? Well, she came back to do it again!
Episodes: 1 and 10, “Tomorrow” and “Forever”
John Cena
The wrestler, actor and philanthropist joins the cast as “Sammy,” a friend of the Berzattos who steps in buff the floors of The Bear restaurant, but not without getting into an antagonistic back-and-forth with several members of the staff. Between this and his cameo in 2023’s Barbie, Cena is proving he has an eye for a project.
Episode: 5, “Children”
Brian Koppelman
You may not know his face but you definitely know his work. Koppelman — who plays a friend of Uncle Jimmy named Nicholas “Computer” Marshall — is the writer of Ocean’s Thirteen and the creator and showrunner of Showtime’s Billions.
Episode: 5, “Children
Sarah Ramos
The Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty actress returns to play Jessica, a role she first played in the first season. Jessica works with Richie and is back to help him in a few different ways in season 3.
Episodes: 5, 9 and 10, “Children” and “Apologies,” and “Forever”
Other returning guest stars include Never Have I Ever‘s Adam Shapiro as Ever CDC, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rene Gube as Ever GM, as well as actors Andrew Lopez and Ricky Staffieri as Garrett and Theodore, respectively. Also returning are Richard Esteras as Manny, Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim, Corey Hendrix as Gary, Jose Cervantes as Angel and Chris Witaske as Sugar’s husband Pete.
Earlier this week, ET spoke with Elliott who did everything in her power to sidestep and obfuscate when asked which celebrities fans could expect in the third season of the hit FX dramedy.
“I mean, Oliver Platt as ‘Unc’ and Molly Gordon,” Elliott said. “Who knows? You have to [wait and] see.”
Platt — who plays Uncle Jimmy — first appeared in season 1, while Gordon made her debut as Carmy’s love interest Claire in season 2. Both actors were already previously confirmed to be returning for season 3. Outside of Platt and Gordon, guest stars were kept up the network’s sleeve just like they did with season 2.
Elliott — who previously showed off her acting chops as a cast member on Saturday Night Live — did, however, disclose that there was one person who approached her about a cameo in a future season.
“I talked to Alicia Silverstone and I loved her, and she was like, ‘I want to be [on The Bear],'” Elliott shared, adding that as a self-proclaimed “diehard Clueless fan,” she responded to the Batman & Robin actress, 47, “You’d be great on it.”
The Bear seasons 1-3 are now streaming on Hulu.
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