Working in a fast-paced kitchen is not for the faint-hearted, just ask the team of The Bear – Chicago’s newest fine-dining experience.

Tasked with turning a hole-in-the-wall eatery into a luxury restaurant, Carmy Berzatto has a lot on his plate after taking the business over from his late brother, Mikey.

But while he becomes a melting pot of nerves and anxiety, striving to an almost impossible level of perfection, he thankfully has his family, friends and co-workers to try and keep his feet on the ground.

Before you head into the kitchen, here’s everything you need to know about the characters, and who plays them.

Jeremy Allen White (Shameless, The Iron Claw)

A man tortured by his own demons, Carmy fought for years to get out of his big brother Mikey’s shadow. Leaving Chicago to become an award-winning chef in his own right, he’s dealt with the pressures of fine dining restaurants and impossible to impress bosses. But when Mikey dies, he returns to take over his beloved sandwich shop, The Original Beef of Chicagoland.

Now he finds himself in over his head, torn between wanting to make the restaurant a success but also fractured by a desire to live a life of peace. Is this industry really what he needs, even if it’s what he thinks he wants?

Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Girls, Fantastic Four: First Steps)

Richie, known to most of the Berzatto family as ‘Cousin’, was Mikey’s best friend before his death. He is incredibly stuck in his ways and doesn’t take too kindly to Carmy coming into the business and trying to change it. However, he is incredibly loyal and is willing to do what it takes to be a success. Over time, he finds himself getting a new lease of life for the business, learning new skills as Front of House Manager.

Played by: Ayo Edebiri (Bottoms, Ella McCay)

Sydney is the newest member of the team, joining The Original Beef of Chicagoland after being impressed by Carmy’s accomplishments in fine dining. Professionally trained herself, she has big dreams for her career and hopes to achieve it.

She represents a new era for The Beef and becomes Carmy’s right hand person as he transforms the business into The Bear. She is far more of a natural-born leader than he is, willing to teach and learn from those around her with a kind hand rather than being too demanding and is soon one of the key reasons the kitchen begins to thrive.

Played by: Liza Colón-Zayas (Law & Order, In Treatment)

Tina has been working in the kitchen at The Beef for what seems like forever, and she is not pleased when the new guard comes in throwing their weight around. Queen of passive-aggression, she nicknames Syd and Carmy ‘Jeff’ so she doesn’t need to call them Chef. She refuses to wear a team apron and will even ruin other people’s days when she wants. But this all comes from a misplaced loyalty to Mikey – she doesn’t want his memory to be gone. And when she’s given the opportunity to grow, she truly begins to shine on her own terms.

Played by: Lionel Boyce (Loiter Squad, Hap and Leonard)

Marcus is just a big old teddy bear, and since being in the kitchen, he has developed a passion for baking that Carmy and Syd can’t ignore. He likes to make people happy, and is hard-working, so has the potential to become a great pâtissier under the right tutelage. His primary goal in life is to create the perfect donut.

Played by: Abby Elliott (All Her Fault, Saturday Night Live)

Sugar is Carmy’s sister and is one of the few people that seems to remain level-headed in the family (though she knows how to throw down when she needs to). She sees how much Carmy is drowning in his grief, but doesn’t know quite how to help him.

Over time, she gets more involved in the family business, helping Carmy with back-of-house paperwork in a bid to lighten his load. But she has a family of her own she needs to care for now, and so can’t always have her eye on him.

Played by: Matty Matheson (Workin’ Moms, Toy Story 5)

Neil is The Beef’s handyman who seems to be on hand whenever something is broken and needs fixing – and there’s nearly always something that needs fixing. He treats the staff at the restaurant like his own family and would do anything for them. Though it would help if Richie wasn’t always picking fights with him, he handles everything with a smile and is often there to provide comic relief when the team needs it.

Played by: Edwin Lee Gibson (Fallout, Unprisoned)

Ebra is a Somalian chef who always seems to remain calm under pressure. After all, if you survive the horrors that he witnessed in the Battle of Mogadishu, an under pressure kitchen in Chicago is pretty much a cake walk. He takes everything in his stride and is just there to get the job done as efficiently as possible.

Played by: Oliver Platt (Chicago Med, Fargo)

Uncle Jimmy, nicknamed Cicero, is a very wealthy man – but don’t ask how he earned it. He is a businessman and entrepreneur who had faith in The Beef, even loaning Mikey $300,000 to keep it above water when it began to struggle.

However, he’s also no pushover, and even though he loves Carmy, Mikey and the family, he also wants his money back, so keeps applying pressure to make sure the debt is repaid.

Played by: Jon Bernthal (The Punisher, We Own This City)

Mikey Berzatto may have died before the start of the series, but his presence is constantly felt by everyone in his family and in the kitchen. None more so than Carmy, who feels like he’s living in the vast shadow Mikey has left behind. He was well-loved, had charm and charisma, but was also battling severe mental health issues he tried to hide through narcotics. It’s discovered he died by suicide – something that took everyone off-guard because he hid his struggles so well.

Played by: Jamie Lee Curtis (Freaky Friday, Halloween)

Donna Berzatto is the matriarch of the family – and just one minute of her presence makes you realise why the Berzatto siblings are so tightly wound.

She means well, but she’s erratic and volatile, so as a result unreliable as you never know what mood you’ll find her in. It’s implied she has a mental health condition that she either isn’t medicating, or even been diagnosed with, so she can be paranoid and guilt trips her children, adding pressure that is often unfair.

Played by: Molly Gordon (Theater Camp, Booksmart)

Claire once went to high school with Carmy and reconnected with him after a run-in at a convenience store. Claire has no connection to the restaurant or the culinary world, and as their connection grows, it becomes clear she represents a freedom that Carmy may be missing in his world after dedicating so much of his life to being a chef.

Played by: Will Poulter (Dopesick, Black Mirror)

Luca is a pastry chef who we first meet while Marcus is in Copenhagen, who takes the budding chef under his wing.

Born in London, he came from a rough background before chance led him to working in a kitchen, where he found his calling.

Since then, he has been focused on trying to be the best chef he can be and is happy to help elevate others too in their efforts to improve as well. He has a massive respect for Carmy and wants to achieve his level of skill.