It is official. The Bear will close its kitchen next month after the hit restaurant dramedy releases its fifth and final season.
Created by Christopher Storer, the FX series stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to Chicago to take over his late brother’s failing sandwich shop.
On May 6, reports confirmed that the fifth season would mark the end of the series, despite Storer previously considering a different conclusion.
Highlights
- The Bear sets Season 5 release date, confirming that the new installment will also be its last.
- Series star Jeremy Allen White hinted that creator Christopher Storer originally had a different plan for the ending.
- A shocking Richie twist in the new flashback episode sets up major stakes for the final season.
Here’s when The Bear returns for its final season and how Storer originally planned to end the series.
When does The Bear Season 5 release?
Image credits: FX/Hulu
The Bear Season 5 is scheduled to premiere on June 25, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on FX and Hulu.
The series has followed a strict annual release schedule, with new episodes dropping during the last week of June. That trend will continue in the final season, which consists of eight episodes, all releasing on the same day.
Image credits: FX/Hulu
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The Bear was originally supposed to end with Season 4
Image credits: FX/Hulu
Earlier in March, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays Carmy’s mother on the show, hinted that the show could end with Season 5 in an Instagram post.
“I think everybody understood that it was the last season of the show. If it isn’t, then I’ve completely blown it.”
However, in November 2025, Jeremy Allen White revealed that the show was originally intended to end with Season 4.
“The fourth season was going to be the last,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
Image credits: FX/Hulu
However, creator Christopher Storer later changed his mind and informed White of his plans to continue the story.
He stated, “Chris called me on Christmas Eve last year and was like, ‘We’re gonna do some more.’”
White admitted that Season 5 wasn’t necessarily intended to serve as the ending, but added that there were also no immediate plans for a sixth season.
How the new flashback episode of The Bear sets up Season 5
Image credits: FX/Hulu
Ahead of its final season, the series surprised viewers with a flashback episode released on May 5.
Set before the events of Season 1, the episode follows Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Jon Bernthal) on a road trip to Gary, Indiana. It ends with a shocking twist as Richie reflects on the trip with his cousin while driving home.
Spoilers ahead!
Just as Richie crosses an intersection, his car is T-boned by another vehicle, leaving his fate uncertain.
Since Richie never experienced such an accident during Season 4, the final scene likely takes place between the Season 4 finale and the Season 5 premiere. As a result, it appears to directly set up Richie’s storyline in the final season.
An official trailer for the fifth season has yet to be released, so it remains unclear how Richie’s injuries will factor into the story. However, because the prequel episode ends with the crash, it will likely play a major role in the new season.
The Bear is streaming on Hulu.