‘The Bear’ Final Season Review: One Last Meal Worth Savoring

It’s last call at “The Bear” as FX’s Emmy-winning series closes out its fifth and final season.

With just eight episodes, the Chicago-set kitchen drama returned last week to finish what it started with our favorite chaos-fueled crew, picking up the morning after Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) dropped the bomb on Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Natalie (Abby Elliott) that he’s quitting the food industry for good and leaving the restaurant to them.

But his timing couldn’t be worse.

In the middle of a literal (and figurative) storm, The Bear faces its worst service ever; it has run out of money, time, nearly all of its food and much of its crew. But as always, the scrappy team — including Marcus (Lionel Boyce), Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), Luca (Will Poulter) and Neil (Matty Matheson) — know just how to work under pressure to make the best of their circumstances.

Taking a page out of “The Pitt” playbook, nearly all of Season 5 follows what seems like the last shift the restaurant will ever pull off in real-time, as the chefs desperately band together to finally earn a Michelin star. Their methods may not be perfect, but they do it as a family to cap off quite a run.

We look back on everything we loved (and hated) about “The Bear” over the last five seasons, from our favorite performances and moments to our thoughts on how it’s been categorized as a comedy to how the final installment measures up to others. Plus, we discuss whether the final episode does the entire series justice.

It’s so hard to choose between my favorite performances over these past five seasons. But aside from Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy, Ebon Moss-Bachrach brilliantly plays one of the most complex characters on the show, simply because he has wholeheartedly made us believe in Richie’s transformation. When we first met him in Season 1, he was an arrogant, selfish, rude asshole who couldn’t care less about being a team player. But to see him now in Season 5, acting like the captain running the tightest ship in the restaurant industry, it’s amazing to see how Moss-Bachrach has captured what literal personal growth looks like in a person. He’s the MVP of the show because Richie’s the MVP of The Bear.

Now, if we’re talking about guest stars, Jamie Lee Curtis’ Donna is on my list of favorites. She’s been a vital part of the show since she showed up in Season 2′s flashback “Fishes” episode, and has remained that way. The mania and alcoholism we saw in her character helped explain how we ended up with a traumatized Carmy and Natalie still grappling with their pain as adults. But I loved how Curtis handled her emotional redemption arc in Season 4 when she got the chance to make amends with her kids. Even with the few moments she received in Season 5, it was a reminder of why she deserved the award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2024 Emmys. I wouldn’t be surprised if she snagged another win this year. — Njera

I also want to shout out Emmy winner Liza Colón-Zayas, who portrayed Tina. She won the award for her work in Season 2, one of the series’ best seasons. I remember boo-hooing over her performance in Season 3 in “Napkins,” when we get to see Tina’s origin story. Then, I burst into tears again as the credits rolled, once I learned that Edebiri had directed the episode. Any time those two were together on screen, I knew some magic was going to happen.

My favorite guest star had to be the legendary Robert Townsend, who portrayed Syd’s dad. He added so much warmth to the role, and I loved seeing him on my TV screen again. — Erin

I loved so many of the performances, but I thought the show really shone when it stepped back from the interpersonal dialogue and showcased what it looked like to run a restaurant. We got to see so many aspects: plating five-course meals, all those close-up shots of prepping the food, and, of course, the moments where we saw Jess (Sarah Ramos) and Richie expedite and stage the service for the night. Those quick action shots had a lot of intensity, and I loved seeing that process.

“Forks,” Season 2, Episode 7, is a standout for that reason. Richie ups his skills at a fancy restaurant before The Bear opens, and I remember cheering at the end of the episode because it was such a triumph.

The standalone episodes that stepped outside of the kitchen were also a highlight. I loved “Worms,” Season 4, Episode 4, when we got a peek into Syd’s life. Her cousin Chantel (Danielle Deadwyler) was supposed to braid Syd’s hair, but ran out of hair. Syd ended up babysitting Chantel’s daughter while weighing whether she should accept a new job offer. There was so much to love about the episode: Edebiri and Boyce wrote it, and it felt so authentically rooted in the Black experience. Deadwyler offered a very funny portrayal — and I’m dying to see her in more comedies. — Erin

I’ll be honest, I’ve stuck through the show this long now because I’ve gotten attached to certain characters and their arcs, but it’s hard to remember what made me love the show in the first place. I didn’t watch “The Bear” as soon as it premiered, but I kept hearing about it through word-of-mouth, so curiosity eventually got the best of me. I watched the first episode and just couldn’t stop after that. Eventually, I binged all of Season 1 damn near in one sitting. It was the most stressful experience, yet I didn’t want to look away from it. The show obviously hasn’t lost that quality in the seasons since, thanks to the Berzatto family’s toxicity. But, for me, the characters are what have carried “The Bear” through to this final season.

My favorites were Tina, Syd, Richie and Marcus because they all grew in their own ways over the course of the show, and it’s been beautiful to watch. Tina and Marcus have become more confident as chefs; Richie has turned into quite a leader at the restaurant and has matured in his personal life; and Syd, even though she still had her humble moments in Season 5, recognized her own growth and ability to lead without Carmy by her side.

Outside the main cast, I also loved the guest stars that “The Bear” introduced us to (Curtis’ unpredictable Donna being one of them). I also agree that Deadwyler’s hilarious portrayal of Syd’s cousin, Chantel, is one of the very best guest characters on “The Bear.” Shout out to Edebiri and Boyce for writing such a funny, nuanced and relatable episode for her to sink her teeth into (more comedies for Deadwyler, please!)

Poulter’s Chef Luca was another lovely addition to the show, bringing some much-needed calmness to the kitchen chaos. Hence, it broke my heart a little to see him and Marcus fighting this season because you could tell the latter took Luca’s announcement to heart. Again, in my opinion, “The Bear” succeeded because of the characters who made the show great. That’s probably what I’ll miss most. — Njera

At some point in the series, it just started to feel aimless with all the flashbacks that, yes, helped fill out some characters’ backstories, but didn’t actually contribute to the show’s purpose. “The Bear” began as a seemingly balanced dramedy about a family-owned Chicago sandwich shop. A very simple concept. But once it started following the shop’s transformation into a Michelin-star-worthy restaurant, I feel like it got too complicated for its own good.

The other thing I felt like “The Bear” (really Hulu) always dropped the ball with was releasing all the episodes at once every season. I never understood the point of not giving a show like this, with so much story to digest, a weekly release schedule. At the very least, Hulu could’ve released “The Bear” in batches to keep the conversation going on social media for more than a couple of days or a week. I hate that we’ve been forced to binge-watch this stressful ass show season after season. It’s done a disservice to viewers, but especially to the show. As much time and energy as the cast and crew poured into the show, you would think Hulu would deliver a viewing experience that kept us full and satisfied. — Njera

If we’ve done nothing else at celebrity.land, we have repeatedly made the point that “The Bear” is not a comedy. Yet every season, its network and creators decided to submit it for comedy writing, acting and directing categories at the Emmys. It was wild to see. It’s not the kind of show where you’re ever cracking up laughing. Sometimes you get a little giggle, but that’s about it. The supposed comic relief of the series often arrived through the Fak brothers, but their whole schtick got old really quickly. Richie (Moss-Bachrach) was funny, too. But not nearly enough to categorize the whole show as a comedy.

I definitely won’t miss seeing the series go up against actual comedies like “Hacks” and “Abbott Elementary” at the Emmys and other TV award ceremonies once we get through next year’s awards cycle. (Reminder that this upcoming Emmys, Season 4 of the series will be eligible.) — Erin

I’m definitely a firm believer in the fact that “The Bear” should absolutely, positively not be considered a comedy by any stretch of the imagination (I even wrote a whole essay about it). We have said this every single season, but I’m waving the flag extra hard for this final installment because it’s quite literally the most dramatic of all.

Nearly the entire fifth season takes place in one day, marking what seems like the last service The Bear crew will ever pull off as the restaurant arrived at death’s door. The city is storming. The restaurant is flooding. And the whole mood is sad and somber. There’s nothing funny or lighthearted about this farewell, aside from maybe the finale. Not even the few moments of comedic relief provided by the Faks can make a solid case for the show being submitted in the comedy categories during next year’s awards cycle. And yet, somehow, they probably will be.

Our efforts to stop this show from competing against actual comedies have been futile, but let the record show we tried. — Njera

If I had to rank the seasons, I’d put Season 1 first, then Season 2 close behind, then Season 4, then Season 5, then the dreaded Season 3 dead last. At its height in Seasons 1 and 2, “The Bear” was one of the most compelling shows on TV. The middle seasons felt a bit hard to get through, aside from a really fun episode in Season 4 that centered on Syd and her cousin. As I started the final season, I was both excited to re-enter the world of “The Bear,” somewhat sad that it was the final time, and relieved to know that the show wouldn’t drag on without its same level of quality. It felt like the story needed to end before the storylines felt repetitive. Obviously, restaurants face constant headwinds, but there’s only so much I want to see play out on TV. — Erin

Honestly, I think that’s the best ranking! Season 1 truly set the tone for the rest of the series, but that following season was when we started seeing certain characters get their moment to shine. I always think of Marcus going to Copenhagen in “Honeydew” to shadow Luca, or Richie heading to Ever in “Forks” to train with some of the best in the biz. And who could forget the wildly chaotic (Emmy-winning) “Fishes” episode that introduced Donna? Season 3 wasn’t exactly my favorite either, but it did give us Tina’s “Napkins” episode (brilliantly directed by Edebiri), and Colón-Zayas’ first Emmy. The most memorable episode of Season 4, besides the finale, was “Worms,” which might be the most thoughtful and heartwarming of “The Bear.” We not only got to see another piece of Syd’s life, but it was such a Black-coded episode that felt necessary to color in her existence in a world that revolves so much around Carmy, his family drama and his own personal trauma.

Season 5 doesn’t rank low on this list for me because it’s necessarily bad, but it does take on a completely different direction, primarily because it all occurs in one day. When I realized that’s how the season was shaping up while screening it, I was initially annoyed, but I kind of get it now. The Bear closing its doors is all that matters, so it’s pointless to explore any other storyline outside of the restaurant. Even things that do take place outside lead back to it, and I can appreciate that they decided to keep the focus there as they brought the show to an end. — Njera

I love that the series finale ended on such a heartwarming note. For the past few seasons, we’ve watched The Bear focus on becoming a top-tier fine-dining establishment with the best hospitality and fanciest dishes in town. But the heart of the show was always about the people inside the restaurant, making and serving the food that put smiles on people’s faces and left them with warm memories. Thankfully for us, the final episode remembered what made the series, and the restaurant, so special in the first place: “Family,” as Poulter’s Luca pointed out to Marcus in his cheesy airport farewell.

Even though the finale wrapped up everyone’s story in a neat little bow, it was a satisfying ending that showed just how far this once-disastrous crew had come from barely making it through a shift without ripping each other’s heads off.

Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) finally received Carmy’s stamp of approval to franchise The Beef sandwich window (yay!). Marcus was able to give his pastry pal Luca a proper sendoff back to Copenhagen. Tina, now fully confident in her culinary skills, was excited to take on the role of Syd’s chef de cuisine. Richie boarded his first-ever flight to an international hospitality seminar in Japan (love that for him). And Syd and Carmy finally achieved the dream: after busting their asses, “Star Man” Peter Clark called to tell them The Bear had been awarded not one but two Michelin stars. And Syd received the honor of leading the newly crowned restaurant since Carmy was officially out of the cooking game.

As for the now-retired chef, he finally got to find some peace as an intern at an architectural firm, where he could apply his love of colors and presentation to buildings without stressing about trying to survive another chaotic day in the kitchen. After all of the trauma and turmoil he endured over the last five seasons, I’d say that’s a welcome, healthy change. Since he shoots a simple “All good” text to his late brother Mikey at the end of the episode, it seems he’s in a much better place than where he started.

That’s honestly been the entire point of the series. Over its five-season run, “The Bear” has been one big lesson in growth, and each character in the show has represented a different stage of it. I think what the finale, and really the entire final season, did best was remind us about the resilience of this crew. Despite what they’ve been through, they’ve always managed to stick it out together. That’s actually what I’ll miss most about this little lightning-in-a-bottle hit. — Njera

Well said. My only complaint about the finale was that they don’t cook anything! I needed one last dinner. — Erin

“The Bear” is streaming on Hulu.