The Bear‘s Fak family tree is one of the more convoluted clans in the series — partly because the show seems to introduce a new Fak every few episodes. Prior to The Bear season 3, only Neil Fak (Matty Matheson), the bumbling mechanic-turned-server, and Ted Fak (Ricky Staffieri), the even more bumbling handyman, had appeared onscreen. The third’s ever-stressful third outing introduces a few more Fak siblings, but it still leaves viewers wondering how many Faks there are in The Bear‘s canon, especially as the family’s role grows more and more prominent — for better or worse.

By and large, the Emmy-winning Hulu series centers on The Bear’s Berzatto family tree. Although the Berzatto siblings, including protagonist Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), dub folks “cousin” and “uncle” even though they aren’t related by blood, the Berzatto clan is much more straightforward than the Fak family tree. Aside from wondering how, exactly, Uncle Jimmy is connected to Carmy, viewers probably don’t have a hard time understanding the core family’s relationships. As the ever-chatty Fak brothers nab more screentime, it’s hard to ignore the expansive family and their incredibly unique dynamic.

Neil Fak

Played By Matty Matheson

One of the most memorable members of The Bear season 3’s cast of characters, Neil Fak worked with Mikey (Jon B) and Richie at The Original Beef of Chicagoland. While the character helped sling sandwiches on occasion, he more often served as the restaurant’s go-to mechanic. By the end of season 2, The Bear‘s Neil Fak has handed off (almost) all maintenance duties to his younger brother, Ted, and became a full-time server on Richie’s front-of-house crew. Always a chatterbox, Neil has stumbled lately, from walking away with customers’ meals to dousing tables in water.

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Theodore “Ted” Fak

Played By Ricky Staffieri

Despite appearing in The Bear season 2’s iconic Christmas episode, Ted Fak really makes his mark in The Bear‘s third outing. In the second episode of the season, he appears to help fix a light in the kitchen; almost immediately, things go awry. Still, Ted has a heart of gold. As he tries to rise in Carmy’s friendship ranks, Ted takes on more restaurant responsibilities too. Most notably, Ted also constantly talks about “haunting” in The Bear season 3. The running gag turns into a much more thematically significant story by The Bear season 3’s ending.

Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) looking very worried in the kitchen next to Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) looking down in The Bear

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Sammy Fak

Played By John Cena

Sammy Fak’s scene-stealing cameo in The Bear sees John Cena (Peacemaker) turning up out of the blue to lend a hand to his fellow Fak brothers. As the restaurant prepares for a photo shoot with The Chicago Tribune — an under-the-radar food critic stopped by The Bear and now needs some photographs for their review — Cena’s Sammy Fak bursts into the former Italian beef hot spot. While some viewers found Cena’s casting distracting, others have fully embraced the comedic actor’s appearance on the series. If anything, it’s great to see Sammy mess with Neil and Ted.

A custom image of Thomas Keller and Matty Matheson from scenes of The Bear season 3.

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“Uncle Gary” Fak

Neil, Ted & Sammy’s Uncle

“Uncle Gary” Fak speaks with Neil and Ted Fak in The Bear season 3

Although he appears very briefly in The Bear season 3, episode 7, “Legacy,” “Uncle Gary” Fak makes an impression. As Neil notes, Gary does share that “particular shape” the Faks have, and seems just as easy to derail as Ted and Neil. Like the other Faks, Uncle Gary is a handyman who shows up at the restaurant to lend a helping hand. Much like Uncle Jimmy, Gary may or may not be a Fak by blood. While there’s no reason to doubt his “uncle” moniker, The Bear tossed Uncle Gary into a scene without much additional context for the character.

Carmy-and-Richie-in-The-Bear

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“Big Neil” AKA Neil Sr.

Neil, Ted & Sammy’s Father

Fak (Matty Matheson) and Theodore (Ricky Staffieri) congratulating Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) on the birth of her granddaughter in The Bear Season 3 Episode 8

Image via FX/Hulu

Mentioned in name only, “Big Neil” Fak (aka Neil Sr.) is Neil’s father. While father Fak has yet to make an onscreen appearance, it seems more likely than not that viewers will catch a glimpse of the Fak patriarch before The Bear ends. After all, the Berzattos and the Faks are so enmeshed that it’s almost shocking that viewers have yet to meet Big Neil. Known for taking big swings with every cameo in The Bear, creator Christopher Storer needs to thoughtfully cast Neil Sr. Someone like Wayne Knight (Seinfeld) would be pitch-perfect for the role.

Sydney Natalie and Carmy in The Bear season 2

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Francie Fak

Neil, Ted & Sammy’s Sister

As of the end of season 3, viewers still don’t know what Francie Fak did to The Bear‘s Sugar (Abby Elliot), Carmy’s sister and co-owner of the fine-dining restaurant. As it stands, Francie Fak might just be the show’s greatest unseen villain. The Bear had previously hinted at an ongoing feud between Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto and Francie; some past incident pushed Sugar to fully resent the Fak sister. Although the show has been scant on details, the Berzatto family and Richie’s (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) general disapproval of Francie indicates that her transgression was legitimately not great.

Imagery-from-The-Bear

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Other Fak Family Members Mentioned In The Bear

Many Of The Faks Haven’t Been Cast Yet

Fak looking on in disbelief in The Bear Season 3

Up until The Bear season 3’s ending, viewers are introduced to more and more Faks. This prompts Cicero “Uncle Jimmy” Kalinowski (Oliver Platt) to wonder, “How many f**king Faks are there?” It’s a fair question, especially given the way new Fak Family members seem to appear out of nowhere. Other Faks mentioned during The Bear‘s three-season run include:

  • Kenny Fak
  • Susan Fak
  • Frank Fak
  • Doug Fak
  • Gary Fak
  • Avery Fak

The Bear season 3 streams exclusively on Hulu.

The Bear TV Poster

The Bear

Comedy
Drama

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

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Set in a Chicago sandwich shop, The Bear follows Carmy Berzatto, a young professionally trained chef who returns to take over his family business after the unexpected death of his brother. At odds with many of the shop’s employees due to his culinary training, Carmy struggles to maintain order and keep the shop from failing entirely. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri. 

Cast

Jeremy Allen White
, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
, Ayo Edebiri
, Lionel Boyce
, Liza Colón-Zayas
, Abby Elliott
, Oliver Platt

Release Date

June 23, 2022

Seasons

3

Network

FX

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu
, Disney+

Writers

Christopher Storer

Directors

Christopher Storer

Showrunner

Christopher Storer

Main Genre

Drama