The Bear has been renewed for season 3, and the newest episodes can’t come soon enough.
The series, which debuted in June 2022, explores the food industry through the lens of a talented chef named Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), who returns to Chicago to run his older brother Mikey’s (Jon Bernthal) restaurant following his death.
Viewers were in for a surprise when season 1, which was focused on Carmy’s attempts to revive his brother’s sandwich shop, was actually revealed to be a jumping off point. The Bear‘s long term plot focuses on Carmy and the other employees at The Beef as they open up a new restaurant.
During season 2, the staff attempted to build the eatery from the ground up in only 12 weeks. They were able to rise to the occasion with the first dinner at The Bear, which was set up for family and friends. In the kitchen, however, the employees faced major challenges that threatened to unravel their personal and professional lives.
It didn’t take long for FX and Hulu to renew The Bear for a third season in response to the resounding praise from critics and fans alike.
“The Bear, which wowed audiences in its first season only to achieve even greater heights in season two, has become a cultural phenomenon,” the president of FX Entertainment Nick Grad announced in a November 2023 press release. “We and our partners at Hulu join fans in looking forward to the next chapter in the story of The Bear.”
Before the exciting news, creator Christopher Storer praised the hardworking cast and crew.
“Our crew is amazing. Like, very amazing,” Storer told Esquire in August 2023. “Our actors know how fast we drill and are able to make this thing feel incredibly alive and incredibly nerve-wracking, which isn’t easy. I’m in awe of them every day.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about season 3 of The Bear:
When Will Season 3 Start Filming?
After The Bear was renewed in November 2023, Deadline reported that season 3 will start production in late February 2024. Due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, there may be a delay with the show‘s release date.
Which Stars Will Come Back?
The season 3 press release mentioned White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Cast members including Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Edwin Lee Gibson and Matty Matheson are also expected to return. The Bear has also found ways to incorporate Bernthal’s character despite Mikey’s death, so the actor might make future appearances in flashbacks.
Where Did Every Character End Up?
In the season 2 finale, which premiered in June 2023, Carmy got locked in the walk-in fridge during the biggest night of his career. He took out his frustration on his loved ones, including “cousin” Richie (Moss-Bachrach) and girlfriend Claire (Molly Gordon).
Meanwhile, Sydney was able to successfully lead her first dinner service as chef but ended the night vomiting in the back alley. Marcus (Lionel Boyce), for his part, found his stride in the kitchen but received a text message that he didn’t see about his mother’s health taking a turn for the worse.
Carmy’s sister, Natalie (Elliott), decided to keep working at The Bear despite her past concerns. Her husband, Pete (Chris Witaske), for his part, conveniently didn’t tell her about her mom, Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis), arriving at the restaurant but bailing before she could show Carmy or Natalie her support.
Is There Hope for a Sydney and Carmy Romance?
Many fans have been rooting for Carmy and Sydney to explore the unresolved chemistry between them since season 1. White and Edebiri, however, aren’t as on board when it comes to the fictional romance.
“They’re trying to create this thing that’s very difficult to create. Of course there is love and respect in this relationship. There’s admiration and I hope that even in platonic relationships, you are able to say things like, ‘I need you,'” White told Variety in June 2023 about the emotional moments between the pair. “When they speak to each other under the table in episode 9, it’s such a beautiful scene. It is a scene about partnership, but not a romantic partner.”
He added: “Syd and Carmy do things for one another. She is a source of peace and focus for him and, at times, he can be a source of inspiration and dependability. Sometimes he can’t.”
Edebiri also weighed in on the “frustrating” fan theories, telling The Hollywood Reporter two months later, “It’s really not our thought process when we’re making the show, and I understand it can be part of a show’s culture — but I don’t think they’re going to get what they want. I think it’s incredibly cool to have this dynamic onscreen that isn’t romantic, but that feels charged and sexy.”
How Will Carmy Deal With the Fallout?
According to White, Carmy has a long way to go after his anxiety caught up with him. “The way that Carmy is talking at the end of season 2 — if we get to do a season 3 — I have to assume he’ll be operating from this sort of loss,” he told Variety in June 2023. “He extended himself, he f—ked everything up by extending himself, and he can’t do it again. That’s where he’s at.”
Expect Carmy to focus on his first love: cooking. “For the second season, so much of it was about putting the restaurant together, so there wasn’t that much cooking,” White told Variety in December 2023. “But now, in the third season, I think we’re going to go back to that functioning kitchen atmosphere that we had in the first.”
Will There Be More Guest Stars?
In the middle of season 2, The Bear pivoted to a flashback Christmas episode that introduced various Berzatto family members in the star-studded special. Actors including Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney and Gillian Jacobs appeared in the episode.
White told Deadline in November 2023 that he would love to see Olivia Colman’s Chef Terry come back in season 3. He also pitched some dream guest stars such as Sam Rockwell and John Turturro.
When Will Season 3 Premiere?
FX chairman John Landgraf announced at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour that the third season would return in June 2024. He also confirmed that Hulu would release all episodes at once instead of week-to-week.
Will Carmy Get a Happy Ending?
In February 2024, White shared the road he would like to see Carmy take in the future.
“I was flying to Chicago and I got dropped a little note on a napkin while I was on the plane. All it said on it was, ‘I hope Carmy gets a happy ending.’ I think that’s all I really hoped for,” he told reporters after winning three SAG Award trophies. “That he learns how to understand himself a little bit better and appreciates what he has and then finds some peace.”
