Even though the most recent season of The Bear received the lowest reception so far in the Emmy Award-winning series' short history, fans still can wait to hear about when they can watch season 5. As star Jeremy Allen White promotes his major big-screen turn as Bruce Springsteen in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, he also provided some new updates about The Bear season 5.
While chatting with Vogue about his new movie, White revealed that fliming for The Bear season 5 hasn't still hasn't started. "We haven’t shot the next season yet. It’s interesting because we shot this last finale back in 2024, but then filmed a lot of earlier season 4 episodes in 2025, so it’s a weird thing. It feels like a very long time ago," White said about the forthcoming new season.
It's no surprise that production hasn't yet begun since White's been busy with Springsteen, Ayo Edebiri has been promoting After the Hunt, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach spent the summer tied up with The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday. Still, by this time last year, part of season 4 had already started filming and production was set to continue in early 2025.
What does this mean for The Bear season 5? Could fans be in for a later release than usual for the first time in the show's run? Here's what White's comments could mean for the show.
The Bear season 5 reportedly begins filming in December
Obviously, since White shared that The Bear season 5 hasn't begun filming and didn't divulge when the cast and crew would begin work on the new episodes, it's admittedly pretty concerning. Since premiering in June 2022, the dramedy has been released annually in June without missing a single beat. Unless production's confirmed to begin soon, season 5 could miss a June 2026 release.
According to a production listing on the Film & Television Industry Alliance website, The Bear season 5 has been tentatively slated to begin filming on December 15, 2025 in Chicago. Of course, things can change and that's also cutting it incredibly close to the Christmas and New Year's Eve holidays. But it's still promising that filming could kick off before the end of the year.
Before 2025 even arrived, The Bear season 4 already had a head start because filming began at the tail end of production for season 3. The cast later reunited to continue filming in the spring and wrap by May, allowing for the fourth season to drop its 10 episodes on June 25, 2025 like clockwork. Clearly, this show's team isn't concerned with working under pressure.
The Bear season 5 could release later than usual in 2026
More than anything, you shouldn't expect to see a new season of the Emmy-winning show this year, and that's no secret since the show has never released two seasons in the same calendar year. We might be seeing a lot of Jeremy Allen White if Springsteen rocks the award season circuit, and that could also potentially pose some scheduling conflicts for production.
While there's a chance that The Bear season 5's release could delayed beyond June 2026, possibly into later in the summer or even fall 2026, all hope isn't lost yet. Apparently, if production is able to wrap by May 2026, a release date on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 or Thursday, June 25, 2026 is still on the table. Fingers crossed filming begins sooner rather than later.
Honestly, it wouldn't be the end of the world if the show needed more time to prepare before rushing into production before the end of the year. Sure, Hulu seems to have put the show on a steady pace for release and Emmys eligibility, but based on the reception of season 4, more time to get season 5 just right probably wouldn't ruffle fans' feathers. It's not like they're pushing it to 2027, after all.
Stay tuned for more news and updates on The Bear season 5!