This article discusses scenes from FX’s “The Bear” Season 4, now available in full on Hulu.

A single seared scallop crowned with foam. A dessert of dehydrated pear, violet caramel and shiso in an edible cup. All served in an unmarked building that once housed the Original Beef of Chicagoland sandwich shop, by a chef who worked at Noma, Daniel and the French Laundry. No restaurant seems more poised to earn a Michelin star than the one at the center of the hit show “The Bear.”

In Season 4, accolades are on the mind at the Bear, the ever-evolving, ever-struggling restaurant. The staff is reeling from a mixed review from The Chicago Tribune, and money is running out, illustrated by a countdown clock in the kitchen that ticks out the remaining two months of their financial parachute. Amid a discussion of this bleak picture, the chef and owner, Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), asks, “What about when we get the star?”

The star is a Michelin star, a mark of distinction for fine-dining restaurants awarded by anonymous inspectors. Once confined to France, Michelin Guides, owned by the French tire manufacturer, have become a global phenomenon, and the organization has awarded stars to restaurants in Chicago since 2010.

How realistic is it that a star could save a struggling fine-dining restaurant? For one in its first year of operation, chasing Michelin requires investing even more money, effort and stress.

“You’re trying to create a balance between what’s good for business and for your vision,” said Miguel Guerra, a chef at Mita, a plant-based Latin American restaurant in Washington, D.C., with one Michelin star.