By now, it’s almost a yearly tradition: binge-watching a new season of The Bear in one breathless sitting, then sitting with the emotional hangover for days. And thankfully, FX isn’t pulling the plug just yet – the wildly acclaimed series has officially been renewed for a fifth and final season (thank god).
Yep, Carmy, Sydney, Richie and the rest of the crew at The Bear will be back for another round of beautiful chaos in the kitchen. Season four dropped on Disney+ last June, and stirred up praise – both from fans and critics – for its layered storytelling and those perfectly timed emotional gut punches. But get excited, because while we wait for the next season, FX has also dropped a one-off episode of the series.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming season and the one-off episode, Gary.
When will The Bear season five be released?
It’s official. Season five of The Bear is set to be released on June 25, 2026 on Disney+.
Gary, a one-off episode ahead of season five, just dropped
Surprise indeed. FX has dropped a one-off episode titled Gary to keep us satisfied while we eagerly await the fifth season. The episode runs for an hour and follows Cousin (Richie) and Mikey on a work trip to Indiana. It appears to be a prequel, offering insight into Mikey’s mental state and his relationship with Richie, which is portrayed as tense in season one as Richie mourns Mikey’s passing. Since we’ve never truly known too much about Mikey towards the end of his life – despite his presence being felt throughout the show – this could be the episode we’ve been waiting for.
Who is returning?
As always, Jeremy Allen White returns as the high-strung culinary genius Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, while Ayo Edebiri’s Sydney will continue to ground The Bear season five. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is still on his redemption arc for season five The rest of the cast are apparently locked and loaded too. So we won’t see any beloved characters pulling an Irish goodbye just yet.
There had been some concern about the cast’s packed schedules – White’s playing Bruce Springsteen, Edebiri is everywhere (and deserves to be), and Moss-Bachrach is officially entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But clearly, the gang is finding time to come back to the kitchen.
Why is the show so good?
FX chairman John Landgraf summed it up best: “Year-in and year-out, The Bear continues to be one of the best shows on television.” And he’s not wrong – two years ago it swept the Emmys with 11 wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
Not bad for a half-hour show about a Chicago-sandwich-shop-turned-fine-dining-battleground.
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