The Bear season 5’s cameos are nothing like seasons 3 and 4

So, 'The Bear' has wrapped up its final season, and if you blinked, you might've missed that it's quietly tossed out the celebrity parade that had more or less hijacked the last couple of years. If you'd tuned in for the blink-and-you-miss-it cameos from A-listers in seasons 3 and 4—think John Cena, Brie Larson, Rob Reiner, Josh Hartnett and all that lot—season 5 has dialled it right down. Absolutely no disrespect to those folks, but at some point, guest stars started muscling in on the turf that belonged to Carmy and the rest of the core gang. About time the show remembered who we're actually watching for.

No More Cameo Overload

Now, that's not to say they've banished all ring-ins altogether. Earlier outings of 'The Bear' did build up a fair tradition for attention-grabbing guest roles—Jon Bernthal, Bob Odenkirk, Jamie Lee Curtis (still not over her turn, to be honest), Sarah Paulson, Gillian Jacobs and John Mulaney in that bonkers family dinner episode 'Fishes'. But by the fourth season, the guest list looked more like a BAFTA afterparty than a gritty kitchen drama. Sure, it was a laugh spotting them, but it did start to distract from what actually makes this show tick: the state of Carmy's mental health and whether anyone's left in his kitchen by the time the credits roll.

Season 5: Back to Basics (Sort Of)

The final season's still got new faces—so don't worry, the credits haven't turned into a closed shop. But this time round, anyone who does turn up has an actual reason for being there, story-wise. For example, Elsie Fisher turns up as Cheese (Terry Cheddario to her mates), who's the niece of 'The Computer'. There's also Deirdre O'Connell as one of the Berzatto family, who, more importantly, has her hands firmly on the building's air rights. That matters, and not just as an excuse to squeeze someone famous onto the set.

One gag appearance worth flagging: Paul Rudd shows up in cardboard form in episode 1—literally, just a cutout of his smiling face lurking in the corner. Bit odd? Yes. Apparently, Matty Matheson (your mate Neil in the kitchen) let slip that Rudd was the voice behind the Ballbreaker video game in season 1 too. As Matheson puts it:

'Chris Storer just loves throwing those things in there, and he loves paying tribute.'

Make of that what you will.

The Home Stretch

• This entire last season unfolds over just one ultra-stressed day in the life of The Bear. You're not mistaken: it's a tighter run, two episodes shorter than previous years.
• The celebrity cameo count is so far down, you might actually focus on Carmy, Syd and Richie for once, rather than trying to spot who's next from the Marvel Universe.
• With less time spent on famous faces breezing through, the writers have made sure every minute counts for the people the show's actually built around.