With love comes strange currencies, and with every new season of The Bear comes new additions to the Berzatto clan. Season 4 of the acclaimed series is finally out, and, by now, it feels like we are all part of Chicago’s most chaotic family. Throughout Seasons 2 and 3, we have learned a lot more about them, and the excellent Season 2 Christmas episode “Fishes” gives us a great look into the crazy Berzatto dynamics and why they are the way they are. But life always goes on, and, by the end of Season 4, the family — “the bears,” as they are affectionately called — has grown by a lot.
It’s easy to get lost among who is in the Berzatto line-up, really, because it doesn’t include only blood relatives. There is the main Berzatto dynasty, but then come the multiple unofficial cousins from other bloodlines, like the Jerimoviches, the Faks, the Kalinowskis, and so on. Between blood relatives, extended family, and aggregates, there are over a dozen Berzattos roaming around Chicago, and most of them can often be found (or better yet, heard) screaming at one another throughout The Bear. Some of them we know, while others are introduced to us as part of the series’ ever-expanding star-studded cast. So, who’s who in The Bear‘s Berzatto family tree?
The Main Berzatto Family: Carmy, Sugar, Mikey, and Donna
These are perhaps the most obvious people to identify. When we talk about “the Berzattos,” there are four people who come to mind. First, there’s The Bear‘s main character, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), who’s a workaholic, depressed, and anxious chef, and also the youngest of three siblings. Then comes middle sister Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto (Abby Elliott), a sensitive woman who takes on an overly careful approach towards everyone in the family (including extended members) and is the manager at The Bear. Finally, Michael “Mikey” Berzatto (Jon Bernthal) was the oldest of the siblings, who, despite his charming and confident attitude, had a complicated personality, which led to a drug addiction and suicide. He was incredibly proud of his family, even if he didn’t openly show it.
The three Berzatto siblings all have their own complications, mostly because of their upbringing. They were raised by their mother, Donna Berzatto (Jamie Lee Curtis), who had to do it mostly by herself. She has a lot of self-esteem issues and, just like her youngest son, feels undeserving of the love and affection her children try to display towards her, which led her to shun herself from the family after Mikey’s death. This manifests in her unwillingness to allow people to get close to her, even though they are constantly trying to help her. She also has a hard time forgiving people for their mistakes, and that’s probably where Carmy gets the same behavior from. Donna and Sugar have an especially complicated relationship, although some of it is tenderly amended in the Season 3 episode “Ice Chips.” We also learn that Donna is known as “Aunt DD” among the kids’ friends, making for a fun and sweet touch.
Due to Donna’s mental health issues and their father’s abandonment, the Berzatto siblings grew up relying mostly on each other and their friends, which is why the three of them are so close and the Berzatto house is so full around the holidays. Eventually, Carmy had enough of his family problems and decided to move to New York to become a proper chef, also traveling to Copenhagen for his apprenticeship with Luca (Will Poulter) at Noma, and returning to Chicago only for Christmas. Contrary to what was believed, he did attend Mikey’s funeral, but couldn’t bring himself to meet his family, so he remained in his car. Around four months later, Carmy returned for good to take over Mikey’s restaurant, The Original Beef of Chicagoland, kickstarting the events of the series.
It may come as a surprise to those unaware, but no, Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) isn’t a blood relative of the Berzattos. Instead, he was Mikey’s best friend growing up and was always at the Berzatto residence, thus being admitted as part of the family — he even confesses that Donna is like a mother to him. He always tagged along with Mikey for everything, but while Mikey had a talent for cooking, Richie had none whatsoever, and his temper often prevented him from learning anything. He starts coming into his own, however Carmy sends him to stage at Ever with chef Terry (Olivia Colman), where he finally learns about his strengths working in service — and learns some discipline, too.
We meet his wife, Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs), in “Fishes” while she was pregnant with their daughter, Eva (Annabelle Toomey). They eventually get divorced, and Tiffany gets engaged to marry Frank (Josh Hartnett), but she and Richie remain close throughout Seasons 3 and 4, not only for their daughter’s sake, but because they genuinely still care for each other despite their failed relationship. Frank is a well-meaning guy who is aware of all this and tries his best to make people feel comfortable despite the weirdness of the new family dynamics, and includes Richie whenever possible. This is also the Taylor Swift-loving corner of the Berzatto extended clan — Tiffany is wearing a 1989 T-shirt when we meet her, Richie takes Eva to see The Eras Tour concert in Chicago, and, in the excellent episode “Forks,” he blasts “Love Story” in his car after his apprenticeship ends.
The Jerimovich clan is also responsible for some of the most touching moments in the series. In the Season 2 finale, Richie sends a special chocolate-covered banana to Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) during the opening of The Bear, a callback to when Jimmy tells Tiffany back in “Fishes” his story about the banana stand close to the Berzatto home, and how the only thing she could handle eating that day due to her constant throwing up because of her pregnancy is a banana. Another one is Tiffany’s confession to Uncle Jimmy during her wedding that she feared losing the Berzattos after divorcing Richie; she mentions that her blood relatives have all left already, but the Berzattos are all there with her. For better or worse, she and Frank are full-time members of the clan, too.
Jimmy “Cicero” Kalinowski Is an Unofficial Uncle to the Berzatto Kids
Another Berzatto non-blood relative of the Berzattos is Jimmy “Cicero” Kalinowski. Regardless, everyone in the Berzatto kids’ generation calls him “uncle” because of how close he is to the family. It’s never been made clear, though, how this closeness began — apparently, he once owned a business with the kids’ father, KBL Electric. With the Berzatto patriarch absent, Jimmy became closer friends with Donna and feels responsible for helping out the kids, even taking an unofficial paternal role in their lives. He still thinks he should have helped them more during their upbringing. Before Carmy returned to Chicago, Jimmy used to help Mikey financially, loaning him money to keep The Beef afloat.
Besides the Berzattos, Jimmy does have an actual familly too, being married and having a son. In Season 1, Carmy and Richie service the boy’s birthday party and inadvertently serve every kid there a Xanax-infused beverage, making all of them sleep, much to Jimmy’s delight. In Seasons 2 and 3, he helps Carmy and Sugar by investing in The Bear, bringing in his own consigliere, the Computer (Brian Koppelman), to try and cut costs on the restaurant to make up for Carmy’s rampant expenses as head chef. In Season 4, it seems that Jimmy is in some financial trouble, because he hires Donna to sell that same house. He tries to talk to his son through his bedroom door, to no avail. By the end of the season, though, even Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) is calling him uncle.
“Uncle” Lee Lane Is an Unofficial Part of the Berzatto Family
Lee Lane (Bob Odenkirk) is also not a blood relative of the Berzattos, but he is seen as part of the family, as an on-again, off-again boyfriend of Donna’s. He’s the kind of person who likes to feel superior by talking down to people and stealing their thunder when they’re having fun, which makes the kids avoid him at all costs. His attitude leads to an epic fight with Mikey at the Christmas table in “Fishes,” repeatedly saying he’s “nothing” and talking about his substance abuse. It seems that he also worked with Jimmy and the kids’ father, as Jimmy explains in the Season 2 premiere: “Kalinowski, me. Berzatto, you. Lane, Lee.”
Uncle Lee doesn’t show up in Season 3, but he does in Season 4, and even manages to salvage a little of his reputation. He meets Carmy at Tiffany’s wedding and reveals that, after that catastrophic Christmas dinner, he actually made up with Mikey, who would speak of Carmy’s achievements all the time. He also mentions that he saw Carmy at Mikey’s funeral, but thought it best not to tell anyone and that he and Donna are aware of their many faults, but are trying to be better.
The Berzattos’ Extended Family Includes Sarah Paulson’s Michelle and John Mulaney’s Stevie, Who Are Actual Cousins
An actual cousin to the Berzattos, Michelle Berzatto (Sarah Paulson) lives in New York. She’s in a relationship with Stevie (John Mulaney), who the family thinks is gay because of his appeasing personality. He often also acts as the voice of reason in the family, despite the fact that no one takes him seriously, which actually amuses him. Michelle, on the other hand, is sharp-tongued and quick-witted — a typical Berzatto. When Carmy was working in New York, he lived at Michelle and Stevie’s apartment, crashing on their couch; they never saw each other, though, because of Carmy’s crazy work hours.
At a crucial moment at the Christmas party in “Fishes,” Michelle approaches Carmy to offer him a move to New York in order to work as a chef and to “get away from these people.” Her intentions are certainly good, and she does hold a special place for Carmy in her heart because she sees he is actually clear-headed, but their conversation serves to further sink Carmy into his workaholic mindset, telling him to “keep his eyes on the motherf***ing prize.” In Season 4, Michelle attends Tiffany’s wedding and even talks to Donna (albeit awkwardly), even though she has to leave early to catch a flight. Stevie, on the other hand, stays until the end, even giving Frank a pep talk about marrying into the Berzatto clan.
The Faks, Including Brie Larson’s Francie, Are Incredibly Close to the Berzattos
Another clan of non-blood relatives, the Faks are usually the comic relief amid all the chaos of the Berzatto clan. There are two recurring Faks in the series, brothers Neil (Matty Matheson) and Teddy (Ricky Staffieri), both of them childish and downright silly, but jolly and always ready to help. Neil loves the Berzattos as an extension of his own family, and is often treated by everyone as a child, but not in a bad way (and he certainly doesn’t complain, either). He considers himself Carmy’s best friend, and encourages him to go after Claire “Bear” (Molly Gordon) in Season 2. He started out as the handyman at The Beef and is now a host at The Bear, with Teddy taking up the role of handyman.
The Faks are a clan of their own, but blend seamlessly with the Berzattos, even though the latter clan is never sure of how many Faks there really are. There are nine Fak siblings (although Neil always forgets about Avery), and all the boys have Geoffrey as their middle name, which is why Richie mockingly calls Neil “Neil Geoff.” The clan is led by Neil Sr. (aka “Big Neil”), whom we have yet to meet, but we do briefly see an Uncle Gary Fak in Season 2.
In Season 3, we meet another one, Sammy Fak (John Cena), who shows up to help Neil and Teddy polish the floor at The Bear and leads the family-owned facilities company, Matter of Fak. In Season 4, we’re introduced to the legendary Francine “Francie” Fak (Brie Larson), who was at odds with Sugar after the unclear and disastrous events of what seems to have been a house party gone awry. They later make up at Tiffany’s wedding, although Teddy mentions that Sugar’s husband, Pete (Chris Witaske), is “in denial about these two hooking up.” Neither Sugar nor Francie deny it, making everything even more confusing.
Sugar’s Husband Pete Is Trying To Find His Place in the Berzatto Family
Oh, Pete… He’s Sugar’s husband and a beacon of positivity and politeness among the Berzatto chaos. He may be a little too nice and sometimes even a little overwhelming, but he just wants to be liked by the family, and that’s exactly why they don’t take him seriously. He is an important part of it, though, and his scenes with Donna in the Season 2 finale and in Season 3’s “Ice Chips” are among the most touching parts of the whole series. He knows the Berzattos are good people and understands their tragedy, and those moments definitely earn him our respect. His sense of humor is a bit off, though, as people rarely get the jokes he’s trying to make, but that’s okay.
Pete’s conciliatory nature is slowly amending many broken relationships in the extended Berzatto clan, especially when it comes to Sugar. For example, it’s thanks to his (and Neil’s) intervention that she is able to eventually make up with Francie Fak at Tiffany’s wedding; he meets Francie at the gym and relays her message to Sugar: “Hi.” As small a gesture as it may seem, it actually sets Sugar on the path to reconcile with Francie, who may be difficult herself, but was willing to meet halfway. Pete really feels like an island of common sense in Sugar’s life, and even works as the family lawyer when it comes to The Bear.
Baby Sophie Is the Newest Addition to the Berzatto Family in Season 3 of ‘The Bear’
Another revelation in Season 4 is the name of Sugar and Pete’s daughter, Sophie. We first learned of Sugar’s pregnancy at the end of Season 2, and it’s in Season 3 that Sophie finally makes her triumphant entrance in the episode “Ice Chips.” Like her dad, Sophie seems to have a calming and conciliatory touch, because she manages to get her mom and grandmother Donna to spend time together before being born. In Season 4, she even gets her uncle Carmy to stop working for a few minutes — a feat only few have accomplished — and hold her while her mom goes to the bathroom. The half-Berzatto, half-Katinsky genes work wonders.
Baby Sophie now joins Eva (Richie and Tiffany’s daughter) as the second member of the Berzatto extended clan’s third generation in the series. She arrives at a very auspicious moment for the family, symbolizing renewal and healing for everyone around her. Carmy specifically takes the longest to meet her, first seeing his niece through a picture sent by Sugar in Season 3 with the text “Wild.” It’s only when Sugar takes her to The Bear to meet everyone that Carmy gets to hold Sophie, and they seem to have hit it off alright. She also meets her countless official and unofficial aunts and uncles, from Sydney to Luca, to everyone’s utter delight.
Claire “Bear” Is a Longtime Berzatto Family Friend
She may be even more unofficial than Richie, the Faks, and everyone else, but Claire Dunlap is also part of the extended family on The Bear — she’s even at Tiffany’s wedding in Season 4, mind you. Originally, she’s a childhood friend of Carmy’s who also comes from a big family on the south side of Chicago, and later becomes his girlfriend after decades of estrangement. It all begins when, in “Fishes,” Mikey and Richie mention to Carmy that they met her and try to set the two of them up, but Carmy refuses because he thinks it’s a prank. Five years later, they casually stumble upon each other and begin their relationship, which comes to an unfortunate end after Carmy’s meltdown in the Season 2 finale.
In Season 3, Carmy says that “Claire is peace,” as if he doesn’t deserve her, which prompts Neil to try and talk Claire into taking Carmy back, but she warmly and politely declines. She really is calm and clear-headed, qualities she makes great use of in her job as a nurse. In Season 4, for example, she calms Sydney when her father, Emmanuel (Robert Townsend), has a heart attack. Ever since Tiffany’s wedding, she and Carmy have apparently been talking regularly, so maybe there’s a chance for them after all. The extended Berzatto family loves her and is rooting for them to end up together. As Neil puts it in Season 2, she’s the best and Carmy’s the best. Hopefully, the two can work it out. She’s already one of the bears after all, right? Claire “Bear.”
All episodes of The Bear are available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
The Bear
- Release Date
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June 23, 2022
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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Christopher Storer
- Directors
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Ramy Youssef
- Writers
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Catherine Schetina, Alex Russell, Karen Joseph Adcock, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Stacy Osei-Kuffour
