FX’s The Bear is easily one of the best shows of the 2020s so far. Yes, it’s a multi-award-winning TV series, and the recognition is well deserved, but that’s only part of the story.
The Bear has so many layers and deep storylines for each of its characters. And while that may seem like a lot at times, The Bear somehow doesn’t come off jumbled or confusing. All of it connects to the main focus of the series and helps make all of the characters special in their own way. Sadly, all of that is coming to an end.
During an interview with Access Hollywood, Jamie Lee Curtis revealed that The Bear would be ending after season 5. The series was renewed for a fifth season last summer, and many fans were wondering if that would be the final season. As it turns out, those fans were right.
Knowing that The Bear season 5 will end of the ride may have been a disappointing moment for fans of the show. I love this series, but to me, it’s the right thing to do.
The Bear has a chance to end things on a high note
The days of many shows running for longer than five seasons may be over, and you can thank Breaking Bad for that. The creator of The Good Place, Mike Schur, said during an interview with The Wrap, “There have been a number of shows in the recent past that have benefited from shorter orders and from a lot of narrative propulsion, like Breaking Bad.”
Also like Breaking Bad, The Bear will benefit from a shorter season.
The series not going on too long means it will be easy to binge when it ends, and viewers won’t get as annoyed with the characters as their storylines get drawn out over several seasons. The latter may not seem possible since Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White), Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) are all phenomenal actors playing intriguing characters. It also doesn’t hurt that each of the performers mentioned, along with the creative staff, have bright future ahead of them.
At some point, it’s good to know when it’s closing time. Supernatural went on for 15 seasons and produced over 300 episodes, but we know that not every show works that way, nor do we want it to. Supernatural and other long-running shows are rarities that end up with characters that not only never went stale, but also remain popular years after the series concluded.
We haven't seen official confirmation that The Bear is coming to an end. FX/Hulu has not officially confirmed this is the end of the run. Of course, Curtis is a reliable source, and Deadline confirmed the series is coming to a close, but it still feels premature for this to be the beginning of the show's final chapter.
The Bear may be closing its doors, but there is still potential for the universe to continue. The show has proven that most of the characters can survive on their own by producing solo episodes starring characters like Marcus (played by Lionel Boyce) and Tina Marrero (Liza Colón-Zayas).
Viewers have seen that not having Carmy, Richie, or Sydney star in an episode isn’t a death sentence. And since the creative team is an elite group of people, they could easily keep things going without their award-winning actors.
The Bear season 5 is expected to be released later in 2026. We'll share more updates about the new season when we find out!