The Bear Season 5: Release date announced – this will be the series' final season

It's now official: The fifth season of "The Bear" will be the last. The series will come to an end after that, as Variety reports. At the same time, the release date for the final episodes has been announced. It's coming up next month: All eight episodes will be released on Hulu on June 25.

One day before the final season was announced, there was a big surprise for all fans of the series. Completely out of the blue, a new episode of "The Bear" was released! Titled "Gary," the episode has been available on Hulu since May 5. The story takes place before the actual plot of the series. "The Bear" centers on gourmet chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, played by Jeremy Allen White. After the death of his brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal), he takes over his sandwich shop.

The Bear prequel episode: What Gary is about

In the prequel episode, we see Mikey traveling to Gary, Indiana, years earlier with his best friend Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The two are supposed to deliver a package there – but the focus is really on the complicated relationship between the two men. As is often the case with "The Bear," "Gary" also gets right to the emotional heart of the matter. What begins as a fun road trip evolves over the course of the episode into a journey that lays bare deep-seated wounds.

Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach once again demonstrate just how outstanding actors they are. However, the two don't just play the lead roles in "Gary." Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach also wrote the screenplay. The approximately one-hour episode was directed by Christopher Storer, who created "The Bear" and serves as the series' showrunner alongside Joanna Calo. He has also written and directed a majority of the regular episodes.

Highly acclaimed series

In addition to Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, the series' main cast includes Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, and Edwin Lee Gibson. Jon Bernthal appears in a recurring role as Mikey – his character is seen in flashbacks in some episodes.

Critics have enthusiastically celebrated Christopher Storer's series – the first two seasons in particular received unanimous praise. In addition to the strong performances and dialogue, the cinematography was also highlighted. The frenetic direction makes the constant high-stress environment the characters face in the kitchen palpable even to us viewers. This was also rewarded with numerous awards, including an Emmy for Best Comedy Series as well as for the actors Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Liza Colón-Zayas.

The end of The Bear was already on the horizon

It had been guessed for some time that there would be no sixth season of "The Bear." As early as last February, a social media post by Jamie Lee Curtis sparked speculation to that effect. In the series, she plays Carmy's mother. On Instagram, Curtis posted a photo of herself and Abby Elliott, who plays Carmy's sister in "The Bear." She wrote:

"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."

From the perspective of many observers, Curtis had already hinted that the series would end with Season 5. Especially since she followed up with Access Hollywood. "But everybody's confirmed the show is ending," she explained. "I think everybody understood that it was the last season of the show." As it turns out, Curtis was right all along: After the end of the fifth season, Carmy won't be serving us any dessert.