The Bear is coming to an end.
The fifth and final season of the series premieres tonight (Thursday, June 25) at 9 p.m. ET. All eight episodes of the season are available to stream on Hulu, and on Disney+ for international viewers.
The Emmy-winning series stars Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Abby Elliott.
The fifth and final season of FX’s The Bear “picks up the morning after Sydney (Edebiri), Richie (Moss-Bachrach) and Sugar (Elliott) discover that Carmy (White) has quit the food industry, leaving the restaurant to them. With no money, the threat of a sale and a storm in their way, the team must band together to achieve one last service. Ultimately, they learn that what makes a restaurant ‘perfect’ might not be the food, but the people.”
But what are the critics saying?
The Wrap says: “Will a stronger-than-expected final season be enough to change the narrative that The Bear fell off? Probably not. It’s not so good that it erases the memory of the show’s lowest moments — and because those moments were due to the show being itself too much, the problems cannot be unseen just because they’ve been reduced.”
THR says: “Drama? Comedy? Whatever it is, the first six episodes are broad and the seventh is expansive.”
IndieWire gave it a B+, writing: ” The Bear did the work to stay in our lives consistently for five years, and it pays off in the final season. Maybe our love for Syd, Carmy, and Co. has changed, but it’s still there. So don’t be embarrassed to say ‘Yes, chef’ one last time.”
Time says: “The seven episodes provided for review (all but the finale) pick up the story just hours after Carmy’s bombshell and all take place on the same day. More than painting the restaurant as a triumph or tragedy, Storer and co-showrunner Joanna Calo seem focused on completing each character’s emotional arc. By this measure and others, the season is uneven, better than its most recent predecessors but rarely as sublime as the second half of Season 1 and Season 2.”
Decider says: “The Bear‘s series finale should eat. Even if the series fails to make every second of its final episode count, it was a TV triumph. And come closing time, it will leave an indelible legacy behind.”
Slant gave it a 2.5 out of 4, writing: “In its final season, the series struggles to cook up something fresh, but it’s still hard to resist.”
Radio Times gave it 5 out of 5, writing: “Storer and co have done it, and to those of us who have lived every scene, it means everything.”
ScreenRant gave it 10 out of 10, writing: “The Bear is ending on a high note, having brought a story and its characters to life in a way that few shows could even hope to match.”
Consequence gave it an A-, writing: “There’s being alive, and then there’s truly living. At its best, The Bear reminded us of the difference, and this season was the perfect final bite.”
The Daily Beast says: “The zeitgeist may have slightly shifted its attention elsewhere, but this inimitable gem goes out on top.”
Roger-Ebert says: “In many ways, The Bear is, and always has been, an aspirational fantasy. As Cheese notes frequently, restaurants are a horrible business; they close, they shutter for any reason, they wring the emotional, financial, and physical well-being of the people who run and work for them. But what Storer’s story presupposes is that there is worth in the doing, and family to be had in the tight-knit community of chefs that work for a place.”
Mashable says: “Unfortunately, The Bear takes its final season as a chance to throw everything at the wall, and its sound and fury often overpower the simpler joys of the season. The storm is the largest culprit here, a too on-the-nose plot device that externalizes the restaurant’s inner turmoil to an exhausting degree. Every episode begins with the rumble of thunder to remind us of the chaos raging within the Bear. Trust us, we know!”
Variety says: ” The show continues to lean on its preferred crutches: catchphrases like Mikey’s old adage ‘let it rip,’ clichés about the redemptive power of feeding others and a cloying sentimentality that started to grate once the spell wore off. But for those who’ve stuck with The Bear through its low point — and anecdotally, I know many one-time fans who have not — these final episodes may cement a memory of the show that’s more than its worst moments.”
The New York Post says: “In the end, The Bear did have some engrossing glimpses of what restaurant work is like, the cost of excellence, and flawed people trying to connect. It’s too bad this story overstayed its welcome, and took on a more baggy and shapeless format than it should have.”
See the stars of the show at the final season event.
Posted To:FX hulu Reviews Television The Bear