Odds on Whether 'The Bear' Will Land a Fifth Season and Which Main Cast Member Will Quit First

_{Still sizzling? Will "The Bear" continue its hot streak with another standout season. (Image: FX Productions / Super Frog / Album / Alamy)}

Excitement among "The Bear" fans has reached boiling point as the comedy-drama series opens up its fourth season to viewers, the kind of anticipation usually reserved for online casino players chasing a big win.

Supporters of the FX series have been desperate to find out what is next for Chicago restaurant owner Carmy, perfectly portrayed by Jeremy Allen White, and co ever since the third season ended with a "to be continued."

Seasons three and four were filmed back to back, and they are both under lots of pressure to be successful if the first two series are anything to go by.

But will there be a "The Bear" season five?

Season Five Hopes Are Alive

As series four rolls out, the question about a fifth season is on the lips of most fans of "The Bear". However, will the show end up overdone? Or, like a top-notch steak cooked at Carmy's restaurant, is the series in need of being rested? If "The Bear'"s award success is anything to go by, then this is no time for a break.

"The Bear" has been hugely successful since its 2022 debut, winning a whopping 21 Primetime Emmy Awards for the first two series, including one outstanding comedy series prize.

The debate rages on about whether "The Bear" should be in the comedy category or not, considering most scenes are tense, and some are even traumatic.

However, the show can only beat what is put in front of it. There hasn't been an early season renewal for "The Bear" series five, but FX boss, John Landgraf, previously admitted the length of the series is down to creator Christopher Storer. And he hopes Storer has much more to tell. 

When asked in July 2024 whether season four could be the last series, he told "Variety": "We really don’t know. These decisions are really creative decisions.

"It was Sterlin Harjo who made a decision that "Rez Dogs" was a three-season series. And so it’s really Chris [Storer’s] decision on "The Bear." It’s about, how much more story does he have to tell? 

"I mean, obviously, I’m hoping he has more than one more season of story to tell. But not to the extent that if there was one great season or three mediocre ones, I’d rather have one great one. You just have to follow the creative."

It's 2-5 for "The Bear" season five to be commissioned, but there are other concerns about a future series.

The Thing About Ebon

Keeping the cast of a high-profile series together can be tough. A victim of a brilliant TV program's success tends to be the actors going on to star in Hollywood movies.

Landgraf said recently: "We started a show with a team of great actors. Now we have a show with a team of movie stars."

In "The Bear", we've seen the likes of Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Richie, land a role as Ben Grimm/The Thing in film "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

What's more, Ayo Edebiri, who stars as Syd, has voiced a character in "Inside Out 2", and she has been linked to several other motion pictures. 

Could "The Bear" continue without any of its main cast? It wouldn't be quite the same show, and it's 3-1 for "The Bear" to finish up at season four.

However, if series five does take place, it wouldn't be a shock if one of the main actors isn't there. With Ebon swapping duck à l'orange in "The Bear" kitchen to play orange rock-skinned character The Thing, he is the 6-4 favorite to be the first of the seven main "The Bear" characters to depart the show. 

Ebon is closely followed by 15-8 chance Ayo, after her character Syd experienced a heartbreaking panic attack in the season three finale. Just moments earlier, Syd had accepted an offer to work elsewhere but couldn't find the heart to tell Carmy.

However, the season four trailer appears to show Syd and Carmy working together, suggesting the character may go on to reject her other work offer.

Despite this, Ayo's name has also been cropping up in movie bosses' conversations, so she could be tempted away.
If Jeremy were to leave, that would have to be the end of the show. It's a 10-1 outsider for Carmy to quit "The Bear" and the program to continue.

Season 3's Awards Delight

One thing we do know is there are already seasons three and four, and "The Bear"'s bosses will soon find out if series three is nominated for any Emmy Awards.

The first round of voting has now finished, and the nods will be revealed on July 15. "The Bear" season three has some big footsteps to fill after the show defeated many a comedy rival in the past couple of years.

Season one secured 10 Emmy wins from 13 nominations, setting a new record for the most wins in a single year for a comedy series. But that record was smashed a year later by none other than "The Bear" season two. The show's follow-up series secured 11 Emmy Awards from a massive 23 nominations, which were the most ever for a comedy.

It remains to be seen how many Emmy Awards, if any, "The Bear"'s third season will be nominated for, or win. The third series is still expected to do well, but it may not match the dizzy heights of season two. 

The first season has a 100 percent rating on film and TV review website Rotten Tomatoes, and the second has an equally impressive 99 percent score. However, the third series followed up with 89 percent.

It's even money that "The Bear" series three earns between seven and 10 Emmy Awards this year, which would match season one. But it's a 7-4 second favorite for the show's third installment to match season two's heroics by winning 11 or more accolades. 

However, it's an 8-1 long shot that "The Bear" is grizzly and empty-handed at the end of this year's Emmy Awards.