As the phrase goes: if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
But which character in Season Four of Disney+ and Hulu's acclaimed comedy drama 'The Bear' will do exactly that?
Could it be Jeremy Allen White's talented but tormented head chef Carmy Berzatto, whose strict adherence to a menu that changes every day in his fine dining restaurant is destroying it?
Will it be Ayo Edebiri's up and coming chef Sydney Adamu who is fielding an offer from Adam Shapiro's Chef Adam to join a new venture that she's not really sure she wants to be a part of?
Or is there a chance that the Berzattos' honorary family member Ebon Moss-Bachrach's combustible Richie Jerimovich will lose it after finally mastering the role of front of house manager?
These are the possible scenarios that emerge during a tightly plotted season of the Chicago show, where the fate of Carmy's troubled restaurant The Bear hangs in the balance.
At the start of Season Four, Oliver Platt's backer Jimmy 'Cicero' Kalinowski and his numbers man Brian Koppelman's Computer deliver a harsh piece of news after a withering Chicago Tribune review of the restaurant that criticised the inconsistency of Carmy's ever changing menu but praised The Bear's sideline beef sandwich takeaway business.
Warning the team they have two months to turn the business around into a profitable venture, they place a countdown clock in the kitchen.
Over the course of the season's ten episodes as the clock runs down, Carmy does a lot of soul searching about how he has sabotaged his restaurant and also his relationships with his childhood sweetheart, Molly Gordon's Claire Dunlap and his colleagues.
Meanwhile Richie struggles with the impending marriage of his ex-wife, Gillian Jacobs' Tiff with Josh Hartnett's nice guy Frank and what that could mean for his relationship with his young daughter, Annabelle Twomey's Eva.
Sydney struggles with potentially letting down her colleagues by defecting to Chef Adam's new restaurant but also has to deal with a family crisis involving her father, Robert Townsend's Emmanuel.
Liza Colon-Zayas' Tina Marrero becomes obsessed with making a particular pasta dish in three minutes while Lionel Boyce's pastry chef Marcus Brooks continues to strive for excellence while going through the loss of a parent and selling her home.
As she revels in becoming a mum, Carmy's sister, Abby Elliott's Natalie 'Sugar' Berzatto tried to figure out how to keep The Bear afloat.
With Jamie Lee Curtis' bipolar recovering alcoholic Donna Berzatto tries to get her life back on track and make amends for the pain inflicted on her family, flitting in and out of episodes.
There are also return appearances by Sarah Paulson as Michelle Berzarro, Bob Odenkirk as Lee Lane, John Mulaney as Stevie, Will Poulter as Luca and Jon Bernthal as Carmy and Sugar's late brother Michael.
Season Four boasts appearances too by Danielle Deadwyler as Sydney's cousin Chantel, Brie Larson as Francie Fak a former friend who has a feud with Sugar and Rob Reiner as Albert Schnur, a businessman who encourages Edwin Lee Gibson's Ebraheim to take the beef sandwich business and create a small franchise.
Rounding out the cast are Matty Matheson as Neil Fak and Ricky Staffieri as Theodore Fak.
All of these performances are top notch but with the core group of White, Edebiri, Moss-Bachrach and Elliott in thundering form.
But all of this works because of the quality of the writing by the show's creator Christopher Storer, Catherine Schetina, Rene Gube, Ayo Edibiri, Lionel Boyce, Karen Joseph Adcock and Joanna Calo.
Every script is so sharp, hitting all the right comic and dramatic notes.
Storer, Duccio Fabbri and Janicza Bravo also do a superb job directing episodes with cinematographer Andrew Wehde providing some of the most beautifully lit shots the show has ever seen.
The show's film editors Joanna Naugle, Adam Epstein and Megan Mancini impressively stitch it all together.
'The Bear' continues to boast intelligently chosen needle drops from the likes of Sonny and Cher, REM, Eddie Vedder, Oasis, The Who, St Vincent, Talk Talk, Bryan Ferry, Tangerine Dream, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Curtis Mayfield, Otis Redding, Wilco, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Weezer, Maria McKee, Bruce Hornsby and the Range, The Beat, Jackson Browne and Lou Reed.
Those who detected a slight dip in form in Season Three will be relieved that 'The Bear' isn't just back on track.
Storer and his writers have arguably delivered the best season yet, as all roads lead to an explosive final episode.
With a fifth season commissioned, it will fascinating to see how his cast and crew navigate a major plot development with profound implications for all the main characters.
Strap yourself in when it returns again because it looks like it's going to be a dramatic ride.
(Season Four of 'The Bear' was released on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK and Ireland on June 25, 2025)
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