Logo text
Goodbye, chef.
The fifth and final season of the FX series Bear Debuting Thursday on Hulu and ahead of the season’s release, Hollywood Reporter Talk to the cast about saying goodbye to the hit series and the characters they played over five seasons.
“It was hard to say goodbye,” Jeremy Allen White said. THR. But he found comfort in knowing the series’ ending in advance.
“We’re really lucky that we had the backlog,” he said. “I knew for about two years when it was going to end and how it was going to end, so there was a lot of time to prepare.”
He added: “I will miss these people so much, I will miss the group. Bear The collection is very specific – it’s detail-oriented and incredibly meticulous, but also flexible and free-spirited. It’s hard to say goodbye to anything you love.”
Premiering in 2022, Bearcreated by Christopher Storer, follows White Carmy, an award-winning fine dining chef who returns to Chicago to transform his family’s sandwich shop into a fine dining restaurant after the tragic death of his brother, Mickey (Jon Bernthal).
Over the course of five seasons, the series became a cultural phenomenon. The catchphrase “Yes, Chef” entered the everyday lexicon, while the show, its cast and creative team received acclaim and numerous awards. White won two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards for his performance as Carmi, with BearHis success catapulted his career after appearing as Lip Gallagher on Showtime shameless.
Reflecting on the show’s run, White couldn’t pick just one specific moment.
“Filming the first season was really special. There were no expectations for the show, and it was great,” White said. “We felt like we were really in our own world, and we felt like it was special, but we felt like it was still our world. Then, I went to the Emmys and was there with everyone a year and a half later for the first season, that night the show won, IU and I won [Edebiri] beat. It was really unreal. We made this show and no one knew it was coming.
For Edebiri, there is one memory with White that stands out above the rest.
“When we got renewed for season two, that’s when we felt like people were starting to click in this way that it seemed bigger than any of us, and Jeremy and I were doing a photo shoot in New York on the street,” she said. THR. “I remember we were intermittently checking our phones and saying, ‘There’s something going on. What’s going on?’ It was like people were saying, ‘Wait, no, this is really cool.’ This thing we shot in Chicago, and no one came to visit us, and we said, ‘Maybe it’s going to be on FX, now it’s going to be on Hulu.’ They might hate it. And it was just the opposite.”
[Therestofthisstorycontainsspoilersfortheseriesfinale[TheremainderofthisstorycontainsspoilersfromtheseriesfinaleofBear.]
The ending brings closure to each of the show’s central characters. Sydney (Edibiri) becomes the head chef of the restaurant and earns two Michelin stars after Carmi decides to leave the restaurant industry behind and interviews for an internship at an architecture firm.
“In some ways, it’s been difficult,” Edebiri admitted, saying goodbye, before jokingly adding: “Maybe I’m in a little denial, but somehow I’m not that sad.”
Overall, she said she was “happy” and “satisfied” with how Sydney’s story turned out.
“I felt good when it happened. I haven’t watched any episodes. So maybe I’m in denial, because I’m like, ‘I can’t watch it!’ I don’t want that! I don’t want to see it end!’ But yes, I’m very happy.”
Meanwhile, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Carmi’s “cousin” Richie, believes it’s the right time to end the series.
“That family is staying, but I think it’s time for the show to end. I really like the way the show is ending. I feel good,” he said of his cast mates.
Richie eventually accepts an invitation to attend an international hospitality symposium in Japan, and overcomes his fear of flying.
“People are never satisfied with anything, but I am,” Moss Bachrach said.
***
All episodes Bear It’s streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Episodes of the show will be released weekly on FX Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT until its conclusion on August 9. Read all of the following Hollywood Reporter Coverage here.
