A new season of The Bear dropped on June 25 — and fans are already hungry for more. After that wild bombshell in the Season 4 finale, I know I’m not the only one wondering if there will be a The Bear Season 5. Spoiler alert: Spoilers for Season 4 of The Bear follow.
ICYMI, Season 4 of The Bear ends in a way that none of us expected. In the final episode of the season, it’s revealed that Carmy is planning to leave The Bear (the restaurant, not the show) to find himself outside of the culinary industry. In doing so, he intends to leave the restaurant to Sydney, Natalie, and (later in the episode) Richie, after being confronted by Sydney.
There’s no doubt that, if The Bear were to have a fifth season, Carmy’s absence would change the entire dynamic of the show. And, to that same point, the lead actors of the Hulu original — including Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Liza Colón-Zayas — have been booked and busy outside of the show.
So, was this cliffhanger ending intentional, or was it a set-up for yet another season of the beloved show? Here’s what we know about The Bear Season 5 — including what the head of FX, the network behind The Bear, has shared about where the show is headed.
Will There be a Season 5 of The Bear?
Honestly? It’s a toss-up. At the time of publication, there has been no confirmation about whether there will be another season of The Bear. The fate of the show gets even murkier considering that when John Landgraf, head of FX, was asked if Season 4 would be the last season of The Bear, he told Variety in 2024, “These decisions are really creative decisions. It was Sterlin Harjo who made a decision that Rez Dogs was a three-season series. And so it’s really Chris [Storer’s] decision on The Bear.”
Landgraf added, “It’s about, how much more story does he have to tell? I mean, obviously, I’m hoping he has more than one more season of story to tell. But not to the extent that if there was one great season or three mediocre ones, I’d rather have one great one. You just have to follow the creative.”
Is Jeremy Allen White leaving The Bear?
Considering the end of the season, it’s looking pretty likely. Plus, White has been booked with major products outside of The Bear. He’s leading the Bruce Springsteen biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, and he also recently joined the Star Wars universe. He’s expected to voice Rotta the Hutt in The Mandalorian & Grogu.
I can’t deny that Carmy is the most iconic role that White has played since Lip in Shameless — and that The Bear wouldn’t be the same without him. Maybe I’m an optimist who’s holding on to hope for dear life, but I’m choosing to believe that Season 5 will feature Carmy’s journey outside of The Bear. TBH, I think it’d be a pretty interesting switch-up, anyway.