Goodbye, Chef.
The fifth and final season of FX‘s The Bear debuted Thursday on Hulu and ahead of the season’s release, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the cast about saying goodbye to the hit series and the characters they’ve played over five seasons.
“It was hard to say goodbye,” Jeremy Allen White told THR. But he found comfort in knowing the series’ ending in advance.
“We’re really lucky in that we had a buildup,” he said. “I knew for about two years when it was going to end and how it was going to end, so there was a lot of time to prepare.”
He added, “I’m going to miss these people so much, I’m going to miss the set. The Bear set is so specific — it’s incredibly detail-oriented and exacting, but also flexible and freeing. It’s a hard thing to say goodbye to anything you love.”
Premiering in 2022, The Bear, created by Christopher Storer, has followed White’s Carmy, an award-winning fine-dining chef who returns to Chicago to transform his family’s sandwich shop into a fine-dining restaurant following the tragic death of his brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal).
Across five seasons, the series became a cultural phenomenon. Its signature phrase, “Yes, Chef,” entered everyday lexicon, while the show, its cast and creative team earned acclaim and numerous awards. White won two Emmys and three Golden Globes for his performance as Carmy, with the The Bear‘s success further elevating his career following his run as Lip Gallagher on Showtime’s Shameless.
Reflecting on the show’s run, White couldn’t choose just one defining moment.
“Shooting the first season was really special. There were no expectations for the show, which was wonderful,” White said. “We felt like we were really in our own world, and we could feel it was special, but it felt like it was still ours. Then, going to the Emmys and being with everybody a year and a half later for season one, that night when the show won, I won and Ayo [Edebiri] won. It was really unreal. We made this show and nobody knew it was coming.”
For Edebiri, one memory with White stands out above the rest.
“When we got renewed for the second season, that was when it felt like people were starting to key in this way that felt bigger than any of us, and Jeremy and I were doing a photo shoot in New York on the street,” she told THR. “I remember we were both intermittently checking our phones and being like, ‘Something is happening. What’s going on?’ It felt like people were being like, ‘Wait, no, this is really cool. This thing that we shot in Chicago, and no one came and visited us, and we’re like, ‘Maybe it’s gonna be on FX, now it’s gonna be on Hulu. Maybe they hate it.’ And it was the total opposite.”
[The remainder of this story contains spoilers from the series finale of The Bear.]
The finale brings closure to each of the show’s central characters. Sydney (Edebiri) becomes head chef of the restaurant and earns two Michelin stars after Carmy decides to leave the restaurant industry behind and interviews for an internship at an architecture firm.
“In some ways, it was hard,” Edebiri admitted of saying goodbye, before jokingly adding, “Maybe that’s me in a small state of denial, but I don’t feel that sad somehow.”
Overall, she said she’s “happy” and “satisfied” with how Sydney’s story concluded.
“I felt satisfied when it happened. I haven’t watched any episodes. So I’m probably in a state of denial, because I’m like, ‘I can’t watch it! I don’t want to! I don’t want to see it end!’ But yeah, I’m pretty happy.”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Carmy’s “cousin,” Richie, meanwhile, thought it was the right time for the series to end.
“That family stays,” he said of his castmates, “but I think it was time for the show to end. I really love the way the show ends. I feel good.”
Richie ultimately accepts an invitation to attend an international hospitality seminar in Japan, overcoming his fear of flying.
“People are never satisfied with anything, but I’m satisfied with it,” Moss-Bachrach said.
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All episodes of The Bear are streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. The show will roll out episodes weekly on FX Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT until its finale on Aug. 9. Read all of The Hollywood Reporter’s coverage here.
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