The Bear season 5 has to be the show’s final run – and there’s a key reason why

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Actress Liza Curtis, who joined the cast of ‘The Bear’ starting with season two, recently shared a photo with Abby Elliott, who plays her character’s daughter, Natalie ‘Sugar’ Berzatto, on the show.

Curtis announced that filming has wrapped, expressing her excitement about completing the show created by Chris Storer. She praised the incredible team of writers, producers, and cast, and shared how much she enjoyed telling the story of this beloved family, finishing with a sweet reference to her co-star, whom she affectionately calls her ‘baby Berzatto bear’.

Between the phrase “FINISHED STRONG” and creator Chris Storer saying he’s “completing the story of this extraordinary family,” it’s now clear that the fifth season of The Bear will be its last.

So that’s it, it would seem. The Bear is shutting up shop.

Really, it was always going to happen this way. From the moment the fourth season ended, it became obvious that The Bear was planned to conclude after five seasons.

Just a quick reminder for anyone who missed last season or needs a refresher: at the end of season four, Carmy (played by Jeremy Allen White) told his coworkers, Syd and Richie, that he was stepping down and giving them ownership of the restaurant.

The episode felt deeply moving and provided a release, especially after a challenging season – or several, to be honest.

It wasn’t immediately obvious if the latest episode was the series finale of The Bear. A fifth season hadn’t been confirmed yet, and the show’s creators weren’t sharing any information about what might happen next.

Ending the show like that would have been quiet and subtle, especially since no one knew it was the last episode. But it still wouldn’t have felt completely wrong.

Honestly, when I heard The Bear was coming back, I was thrilled, but I immediately thought, ‘This needs to be the final season.’ And for me, it all comes down to doing right by Carmy. His story deserves a proper, conclusive ending, and stretching it out any further would just diminish everything he’s been through.

Throughout The Bear, Jeremy Allen White’s character, Carmy, has faced numerous challenges and demonstrated real progress. He’s been actively working on managing his anxiety and anger, and importantly, learning to keep his personal struggles from affecting others.

Sometimes the character acts like their old self, or even seems to regress emotionally. While this feels more true to life than the often flawless character development we see on screen, it can be a little frustrating when the overall story isn’t moving forward.

Carmy leaving the restaurant was a huge turning point, and the show spent a whole episode exploring it. Because of that, it wouldn’t feel right to undo that decision quickly at the beginning of season 5 – it needs a more thoughtful resolution.

The show seems to be hinting at two possible directions for season five. One possibility is that Carmy finally discovers fulfillment outside of the restaurant world, achieving a sense of peace and self-acceptance he’s always struggled with.

Another possibility is that Carmy will come back to the restaurant later in the season, but he’ll be different. He’ll realize he doesn’t need to be perfect and will have discovered a new approach to cooking, shaped by his time away.

In either of these cases, it’s difficult to imagine the story lasting more than one season. While seeing characters develop is satisfying at first, it can eventually create a lack of conflict, which is crucial for keeping a drama engaging over time.

If there weren’t challenges and struggles, and given that The Bear isn’t a show focused on elaborate storylines, the series would quickly run out of things to explore and accomplish.

It seems likely the show’s creators will eventually have Carmy fall back into his previous patterns, making his attempt to step away from the restaurant feel pointless.

This show has already been criticized for feeling predictable, and this would be a breaking point. It’s especially damaging for a series focused on characters to hint at big changes and development, only to have everything reset and return to the way things were.

Look, as much as I’m loving The Bear, I honestly can’t picture a season 5 that doesn’t give Carmy’s story some kind of resolution. I just feel like they’ve built to something, and continuing beyond that feels…wrong. A sixth season? I don’t see how they could make it work narratively. It just feels like it would stretch things too thin.

We’re also not looking at the real-world reasons why Storer might have ended the series. For example, both critics and fans seem to have lost interest since the show’s highly praised second season, which won numerous awards.

It’s understandably discouraging to keep making something when you know it won’t recapture its original success, especially when some people in the comedy world are openly against it.

Coordinating schedules for the actors is likely very difficult. Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are all established stars now – each has already appeared in major franchises like Marvel or Star Wars.

As a huge fan of The Bear, I always felt like the story had to reach a satisfying conclusion. Even if the creative team hadn’t planned it that way, I suspect the show would have ended soon anyway – there are always outside factors, like audience interest or just the practicalities of making a show, that come into play.

Based on what Curtis has hinted at, it seems like the right choice is being made. “The Bear” has always focused on two main elements, as its name suggests: Carmy as an individual, and the restaurant itself.

Honestly, splitting those two characters apart at the end of season four has me completely guessing what’s going to happen next! It feels like the writers are building towards a real, final conclusion, and I’m both excited and a little nervous to see how it all plays out.

As a huge TV fan, I’ve been thinking a lot about where The Bear will ultimately land in the TV history books. It’s been unbelievably good for two seasons – ‘acclaimed’ doesn’t even begin to describe it – and then the last couple felt like things were really shifting. Honestly, it feels like this fifth season is going to be the one that truly decides how we remember the show.

It looks like we got off to a good start – now we just need to finish strong.

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You can now watch all four seasons of The Bear on Disney+ in the UK. A subscription to Disney+ starts at just £5.99 per month.

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Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, a major international TV production company. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre Studies and a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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2026-02-19 21:06