'The Bear' renewed for Season 5
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Bear Season 4.
Critically acclaimed television series culinary comedy-drama The Bear has been renewed for Season 5.
Multiple American outlets, including Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, confirmed that The Bear's network FX ordered a fifth season just a week after Season 4 premiered on Hulu on June 25.
Season 5 is slated for 2026.
In a statement, FX Chairman John Landgraf noted that the series "continues to be a fan favorite worldwide, and their response to this season—as seen through incredibly high viewership—has been as spectacular as any of its previous seasons."
“Year-in and year-out, [creator] Chris Storer, the producers, cast and crew make The Bear one of the best shows on television, and we are excited that they will continue to tell this magnificent story," Landgraf added.
The Bear follows award-winning chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), who returns to his Chicago hometown to manage his late brother Michael's sandwich shop dubbed The Beef. Carmy converts it to a fine-dining restaurant called The Bear—all while dealing with Michael's unresolved debts, a chaotic kitchen, and family trauma.
In Season 4, Carmy, his sous chef Syd Adamu (Ayo Edeberi), and his maître d'hotel Richie Jerimovich are pushing forward to take The Bear to the next level. Following a bad review, they were given 12 weeks to save the restaurant and prove that it's worthy of a Michelin star, or else face closure.
In the season finale titled Goodbye, Carmy, Richie, and Sydney are in an alley behind The Bear discussing their respective troubles.
In a bombshell, Carmy said he's removing himself from the partnership agreement and transferring the restaurant's ownership to Richie, Sydney, and Sugar Berzatto (Abby Elliott), his sister and the reluctant restaurant co-owner and manager.
Carmy felt burned out over cooking, noting that he's using the restaurant as a sort of laundering scheme for his traumas and anxieties. Finally realizing it's not a healthy habit, he felt the need to leave to have a real sense of self-preservation.
Before the announcement of its renewal, many viewers felt the series had already reached its finale, especially since the final episode's title suggests it.
Moreover, White, Edebiri, and Moss-Bachrach have conflicting schedules as they landed multiple projects following the success of The Bear since its premiere in 2022.
White is portraying rock legend Bruce Springsteen in the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere; Edebiri is starring opposite Julia Roberts in After the Hunt and alongside Woody Harrelson in Ella McCay; Moss-Bachrach is appearing in Fantastic Four: The First Steps, as well as Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
But fans of The Bear, which is also available on Disney+, are in for more.
The series has received praise for its writing, direction, tension, cast performances, and authenticity, as well as its handling of themes like suicide and trauma. It has won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards.
Last September 2024, The Bear broke the record for getting 23 Emmy nominations in a single year, a feat that previously belonged to 30 Rock with 22 nominations in 2009.
