Of All The Bear’s Cameos & Guest Stars, This Is The Only One That Didn’t Work

The Bear makes better use of its celebrity cameos and guest stars than most other TV shows — but there’s one glaring exception that sticks out like a sore thumb. A-list guest stars can be an exciting addition to a TV episode, but not if it draws too much attention to their star power, or they don’t fit in with the rest of the cast. The Simpsons used to have hilarious cameos from guest stars, but the show has since devolved into celebrity worship, with entire episodes dedicated to praising guest stars like Lady Gaga and Elon Musk.

A poorly placed celebrity cameo can actually break the audience’s immersion. Game of Thrones viewers were reminded they were watching a TV show when a smirking Ed Sheeran appeared around the campfire. Paris Hilton’s stunt casting ruined an early episode of Veronica Mars. For the most part, The Bear has been very smart in its use of guest stars — the show’s A-list cameos usually fit in with the naturalistic tone of the rest of the series — but there’s one exception to that rule.

The Bear Makes Better Use Of Famous Guest Stars Than Most TV Shows

Even The Most Recognizable Guest Stars Fit The Naturalistic World Of The Show

Throughout its three seasons, The Bear has featured a lot of A-list guest stars in cameos and supporting roles, and it’s mostly worked out. The series utilizes its guest stars better than most other TV shows on the air. Rather than drawing attention to the famous faces on-screen, it blends its guest stars into the ensemble. From Molly Ringwald as the leader of Carmy’s Al-Anon meetings to Josh Hartnett as Tiff’s new fiancé Frank, most of The Bear’s guest stars have matched the low-key naturalism of the rest of the cast.

Will Poulter and Olivia Colman both fit in perfectly with the acting style of The Bear’s cast. Even the star-studded line-up of season 2, episode 6, “Fishes,” managed to gel with the naturalistic ensemble. Jon Bernthal, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney, and Jamie Lee Curtis are a disparate mix of personalities and acting styles, but they all fit neatly into the world of The Bear. None of these guest stars have managed to break the immersion, but one season 3 guest star finally pushed it over the edge.

John Cena’s Distracting The Bear Cameo Is The Exception That Proves The Rule

Cena Didn’t Vanish Into The Ensemble Like Curtis & Odenkirk

The Bear finally had a Sheeran-level celebrity cameo in season 3 when John Cena appeared as Sammy Fak. One of the biggest complaints about season 3 was an overreliance on the Faks and their not-so-effective comic relief, and Cena’s distracting turn as Sammy is a prime example of that. Whereas Mulaney, Curtis, and Odenkirk disappeared into the ensemble, when John Cena was on-screen, it was really obvious that John Cena was on-screen, and that distracted from The Bear’s usual grounded realism. Cena works best in larger-than-life projects like Jackpot! and Ricky Stanicky, where his larger-than-life screen presence feels at home.