Hulu release date, cast changes, and what’s coming next

“Yes, Chef!”
Are you ready to say that one last time? For four years, The Bear has premiered new seasons for food enthusiasts everywhere who also happen to love being stressed all the time, because let’s be honest, that’s what The Bear does.
The series, however, has earned critical acclaim and numerous awards and is now returning for its fifth and final season. Here is everything that we know about The Bear season 5 so far.
The story so far
So much drama, so little time
If you’re like me, you’ve been watching The Bear since the first season. The series basically starts with Carmen, otherwise known as Carmy, returning to his hometown of Chicago to take over his brother’s sandwich shop after his brother tragically dies.
His goal is to redo the place and turn it into a fine-dining establishment, which he eventually does. But as they start to operate, costs begin to mount, along with the pressure. Towards the end of season 4, Carmy is quitting the business due to stress and wanting to figure out who he is outside the kitchen. He gives ownership of the restaurant to his cousin, Richie, and to his partner, Sydney, but there’s still the threat of the business shutting down due to high costs.
I’m not entirely sure what it means for season 5. I’m sure there’s going to be some major changes for Carmy and the gang, because Carmy seemed very set on quitting and leaving it all behind. And of course, the big issue with Season 4 was that they were running low on money, so that will surely be a big part of season 5 and how they’re going to stay open.
The Bear
- Release Date
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2022 – 2026-00-00
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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Christopher Storer
Who is coming back for Season 5?
Expect some familiar faces
Since it’s the show’s final season, several names have been confirmed to return. Of course, it wouldn’t really be The Bear without Jeremy Allen White playing Carmy, so we will be seeing him again. Honestly, the show got better after its first season because of his awesome performance.
As for the rest of the cast, we can expect to see Ebon Mass-Bachrach as Richie, Ayo Edebiri as Sydney, Lionel Boyce as Marcus Brooks, Liza Colon-Zayes as Tina Marrero, Abby Elliott as Natalie Berzatto, Matty Matheson as Neil Fak, and Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim.

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The Bear has also had a pretty long history of bringing in guest stars for its special episodes, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, and more, so who knows who might show up in season 5.
We might also see Jon Bernthal as Mikey again, as he tends to pop up in flashback scenes pretty consistently throughout the show. The series just released a surprise prequel episode on Hulu, detailing a story between him and Richie, so if you haven’t checked it out, be sure to before season 5 comes along.
Is Season 5 really the end?
Time to break out the tissues
You might be wondering whether season 5 of the show will actually be its last or if it’s just a rumor. But FX confirmed in May 2026 that season 5 would be its final bow.
- Connective Technology
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Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical, Wi-Fi
- Storage
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4GB
To be honest, this isn’t that much of a shocker. The series itself was rumored to originally be only four seasons, and The Bear season 4 really did have a pretty conclusive ending, with Carmy deciding to just leave it all behind. When it was renewed for season 5, it came as a shock to me.
However, there have been vague comments floating around by people for ages about season 5 being the last chapter, and cast member Jamie Lee Curtis confirmed the news before it was even announced. In March 2025, Jamie Lee Curtis posted a photo of herself and cast member Abby Elliott on Instagram after filming was completed and posted a caption about how they “finished strong” and “completed the story.”
“FINISHED STRONG! Surrounded by an extraordinary crew and group of writers and producers and scene partners on the show that Chris Storer created, completing the story of this extraordinary family that we have all fallen in love with. Got to finish it out with my baby Berzatto bear.”
While they didn’t announce the news until May, it was pretty much confirmed back then, and now we know for a fact that season 5 will be the end. However, who knows when we might see these characters again? If they decided to randomly release a prequel episode about two characters, we might end up getting more from other characters, too.
When is The Bear Season 5 releasing?
Hint: very soon!
Just like always, you can expect all episodes of The Bear to drop on Hulu soon, with the confirmed release date set for June 25, 2026, according to the FX press site. With that, we’ll finally be seeing the ending to this popular show — and most likely cry a little as well and then want to remake everything we saw on TV.
Catch up on The Bear
If you’re behind in the universe of The Bear, you can watch all four seasons with a Hulu subscription and be fully caught up by the time season 5 rolls around. I think it’s time for a mini-marathon.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $10/month
- Live TV
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Yes, various plans available



