This article contains spoilers for The Bear season 2.
The Bear left us with a lot of questions after the sophomore season's finale. Namely, is Claire OK? Matter of fact, is Sydney OK? How does Carmy seemingly not have hypothermia? Is Richie on the brink of an existential crisis? When will Marcus get a chance to return those missed calls? We could go on.
Season 2 of The Bear saw Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and the gang end the ten-episode series with their first night of service at the newly relaunched Chicago restaurant, and it would be an understatement to say that things could have gone better.
Between Sydney having traumatic flashbacks, Carmy locking himself in the walk-in fridge and Claire (Molly Gordon) overhearing an incensed Carmy ranting about how he was wrong to think it possible to balance the restaurant and a relationship, by the end of the season we were well and truly past boiling point and then some.
Through various other frenzied moments along the way, if the first season was about processing trauma and coming to terms with loss, then this was certainly about what happens next. Serving up deeply human and emotive moments amidst pure chaos, The Bear season 2 left us wanting more, and thankfully, that's exactly what we'll be getting.
Intense as it was, The Bear was a favourite amongst fans and was critically acclaimed, with its success being cemented at the 2024 Golden Globes, where it won Best Television Series (musical or comedy), with Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White winning Best Actress and Best Actor. The team then went on to win four awards at the Critics Choice Awards: Best Comedy Series, Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Jeremy Allen White, Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Ayo Edebiri and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Ebon Moss-Bachrachand.
And with the series nominated for an eye-watering 13 Emmys, we're sure we'll be updating this imminently with news of even more wins for the comedy-drama hit series.
So, when exactly will the chefs be back in the kitchen and who from Carmy's crew will be making a return for The Bear season 3? Here's everything we know about the third instalment of the series, from a potential release timeline to likely cast and plot.
Is there a The Bear season 3 release date?
Much to our delight, in November 2023, it was announced that we'd be getting a third season of The Bear.
In a press statement, the President of FX Entertainment said “We’re so proud to partner with Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo, Josh Senior, and the rest of the creative team, as well as the brilliant cast led by Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. What they and the crew have done is truly remarkable, and we and our partners at Hulu and Disney+ join fans in looking forward to the next chapter in the story of The Bear.”
Better still, back in December White confirmed that filming is set to begin in February or March of this year. While this was likely delayed in part to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, The Bear production team is known for their fast turnaround, with season 2 dropping after just a year hiatus. With that in mind we remain hopeful that we'll be getting a season 3 sooner rather than later!
The Bear season 3 cast
From the press release on the show's renewal, we're feeling confident that we can expect Carmy's core crew to be back on board for The Bear season 3, which would likely look something like:
- Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto
- Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie Jerimovich
- Abby Elliott as Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto
- Lionel Boyce as Marcus
- Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina
It's expected that Molly Gordon (who plays Carmy's girlfriend Claire) will also make a return, particularly given that there are a lot of loose ends from season 2 to tie up. In an interview White said "I think she deserves an apology at the very least. So I hope there’s some version of that when I read scripts again."
The second season of The Bear saw a long list of celebrity cameos including everyone from Sarah Paulson to Olivia Colman to Jamie Lee Curtis to Will Poulter. Honestly, the list goes on. So if the last season is anything to go by, then The Bear season 3 will be packed full of star power.
The Bear season 3 plot speculation
As above, the second season of The Bear concluded with a chaotic opening night at the restaurant, with there being a host of supporting character storylines that we need more info on ASAP.
While we currently have very little information about The Bear season 3 plotline, White recently told Variety that the third season would be more similar to season 1 in that it would back to the basics to focus on the kitchen environment:
"We all did a lot of preparation before the first season. I went to culinary school and I spent a lot of time in restaurants and stuff. And then, for the second season, so much of it was about putting the restaurant together, so there wasn’t that much cooking. 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."
Excitingly, Ayo Edebiri is also expected to be helping out behind the camera, with showrunner Christopher Storer telling Esquire: "It was also great having Ayo [Edebiri] on set with me that week — she's going to direct a few episodes next year so she was an important set of fresh eyes."
We cannot wait!
Is there a trailer for The Bear season 3?
As you might've guessed given that filming for The Bear season 3 is yet to begin, unfortunately there's no footage, photos or a trailer to show for the next season yet. However, feel free to revel in the chaos of the season 2 trailer below in the meantime, and we'll be sure to update this as soon as we've heard more.
Where can I watch The Bear in the UK?
Seasons 1 and 2 of The Bear are available to watch on Disney+ in the UK.
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