The Bear season 3: everything we know about the hit Hulu show's return

Welcome to TechRadar's hub on The Bear season 3. If you're here, it's likely because you've binged the entire series – well, its two seasons anyway – in the wake of its multiple trophy wins on the 2024 awards circuit so far.

That's far from surprising. The Bear is a deliciously dramatic and fruitfully funny series, so seeing the critically-acclaimed Hulu show (it's available on Disney Plus internationally) land numerous prizes after its powerhouse second season is just reward for how good it is.

So, ahead of The Bear serving up its third season in 2024, what do we know about it? Below, we've rounded up everything we know about the Jeremy Allen White-fronted prestige series, including its possible release date, cast details, story specifics, and more. While you wait for its next course, you may want to stream one of these six intense dramas if you're hungry for similar genre fare.

Full spoilers follow for The Bear season 1 & 2. Potential spoilers for The Bear season 3 are also discussed.

The Bear season 3 release date: what we know

The Bear season 3 doesn't have a release date. However, it was greenlit by FX (its production company) in November 2023 – and, given how brilliantly juicy it is, The Bear thoroughly deserves a third season, in our view.

So, when can we expect to see what the cast and crew have been cooking up for two of the world's best streaming services? Not for a while, unfortunately. Speaking on The Today Show in December 2023, lead actor Jeremy Allen White suggested filming is only going to begin in February or March, adding: "I'm gonna get together with some chefs in January and start prepping in the in the kitchen again."

Seasons 1 and 2 were shot in February 2022 and February 2023 respectively, with principal photography wrapping on April 28 and March 31. Both seasons aired in June 2022 and June 2023, too, meaning there wasn't a significant gap between the end of filming and new episodes landing in our laps. If The Bear season 3 walks a similar development path, we'd expect it to arrive in June 2024. We'll update this section once we know for sure.

The Bear season 3 cast: likely and rumored

Potential spoilers for The Bear seasons 1 and 2 incoming.

Given how season 2 ended, we expect the following to return for The Bear season 3:

• Jeremy Allan White as Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto
• Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard 'Richie' Jerimovich
• Abby Elliott as Natalie 'Sugar' Berzatto
• Lionel Boyce as Marcus 
• Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina 
• Matty Matheson as Neil Fak 
• Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim 
• Oliver Platt as Uncle Jimmy
• Chris Witaske as Pete  

The actors listed above are the show's stalwarts, but there are sure to be plenty more A-listers who'll guest star in season 3, especially off of the back of The Bear sweeping the comedy-centric categories at this year's Primetime Emmys and Golden Globes.

Among those who featured in guest roles last time out are were Jamie Lee Curtis, Molly Gordon, Bob Odenkirk, Will Poulter, Olivia Colman, Sarah Paulson, Jon Bernthal, and Gillian Jacobs. With Gordon playing Carmy’s love interest Claire (a question mark hangs over their romantic dalliance, given how season 2 ended), Jamie Lee Curtis portraying Carmy's mom Donna, and Jon Bernthal cameoing in multiple flashbacks as his late brother Mikey, there are some opportunities for some of these individuals to reprise their roles in the third season.

We'll have to wait and see if any of the above return, but we'd love to *ahem* feast our eyes on them in future seasons.

The Bear season 3 plot speculation

The Bear season 3's plot is being kept under lock and key right now, but we can take a look at some season 2 plotlines to speculate on where its successor could go. 

Major spoilers follow for The Bear season 2. Turn back now or skip ahead (using the navigation bar on the left side of the page) if you haven't watched it in full.

The season 2 finale saw a triumphant opening night for Carmy’s new look restaurant, albeit it was a emotionally fraught event not without its issues. There was (eventually) confidence in the kitchen, punters loving the food, and characters including Richie, Tina, and Sydney cool, calm, and collected. However, in true season cliff-hanger fashion, there was also more family drama between Carmy and Richie, Carmy and Claire’s relationship hanging by a thread when the former accuses the latter of ruining his focus on the restaurant, and other tension-filled issues – including Pete accidentally revealing Natalie's pregnancy to Donna – that set up some spicy story threads heading into season 3.

One particular character we learned more about in season 2 was Marcus (Lionel Boyce), with The Bear digging deeper into his life outside the kitchen, although it mainly focused on his mother’s ill health. As his confidence grew throughout the season – centered on a visit to chef Luca (Guardians of the Galaxy 3's Will Poulter) in Copenhagen leaving him truly inspired with new desert ideas – the final episode saw him miss calls from his mom’s carer, which could signify sadness and hardship for Marcus in season 3.

Speaking to Deadline in June 2022, Boyce spoke about where he'd like Marcus' arc to go next time out, saying: "I think the thing to me that is interesting to explore is just like continuing the journey of aspiring for greatness. It’s just a story of passion. All the writers do such a great job of arcing out specific stories for each character, so I’m excited to see where they’ll take it. But for me, I would love to explore that."

There’s also the seemingly simmering chemistry between Carmy and Sydney that has left viewers hypothesizing. However, Edibiri, who plays Sydney, feels that’s not where the writers are heading, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "It’s really not our thought process when we’re making the show, and I understand it can be part of a show’s culture – but I don’t think they’re going to get what they want."

One Sydney-centric relationship that might be explored more in season 3, is the one she has with her father Emmanuel (Robert Townsend). The season 2 finale revealed the pair had somewhat reconciled following Emmanuel's refusal to support Sydney's desire to become a chef. Asked whether she'd like to explore that dynamic further, Adebiri told Deadline at the Emmys: "I love the idea of Sydney finding more confidence and belief in herself, but it’s also fun getting to play someone who’s flawed and kind of a mess". Watch this space, then.

As for the fallout from Carmy and Richie's latest spat, Ebon Moss-Bachrach told Deadline on the Emmys red carpet: "They seem very far apart from the last thing, I saw. I do think the ball is in Carmy’s court. I think Richie is a very loyal friend who is a very resilient soul. Carmy seems more fragile and neurotic."

Other season 3 story threads focus on numerous character relationships, including the fallout of Carmy’s relationship with Claire, the continuous fight for The Bear’s success (now it’s officially opened), and Uncle Jimmy’s massive loan that still needs paying back, among others.

Speaking to Digital Spy, it seems Moss-Bachrach has hopes for resolutions to some of those narratives, with a particular emphasis on The Bear becoming an established restaurant. "I'm curious to see what the day-to-day life is and if it's sustainable," he mused. "That would be a third season in my mind is like, 'Okay, so what is the new thing like?' Because they don't really get to see it too much."

The Bear season 3 trailer: is there one?

There’s currently no trailer for The Bear season 3. We’ll update this section once one is released, but don't expect one to arrive until a launch date is announced. Hopefully, we'll get one alongside any release date news.

Where to watch The Bear

The Bear seasons 1 and 2 can be streamed on Hulu in the US, and Disney Plus in the UK and Australia. Each season dropped in its entirety on the day of their releases, so they're available to watch in full right now.

In our opinion (and in many people's views, in fact), it's one of the best Hulu shows and best Disney Plus shows around, so don't sleep on it.

Will The Bear get a fourth season?

We'd be surprised if The Bear season 3 is the hugely successful culinary show's final entry. It's arguably FX's biggest TV hit so, unless its quality suffers a significant drop next season, or people stop tuning in, which is very unlikely, given its recent award wins and continuing popularity, we'd expect a fourth season to follow.

That said, it depends on how much story there's left to tell. As we mentioned, season 2 put The Bear – the restaurant, not the show – on the fine dining map. Season 3, then, should explore whether Carmy and company can battle to the very top and cement the titular eatery as one of the best restaurant experiences around. If they do, there might not be much more story or character development to cover in later seasons.

And hey, even if The Bear ends with season 3, it might be best to go out on a high. Ted Lasso only ran for three seasons on Apple TV Plus, and look at how good the adored and multi-award-winning soccer comedy-drama is. TV shows don't have to run until they've been, well, run into the ground so, if The Bear season 3 brings the series to a fitting end, we'd be far happier seeing a pleasing conclusion to a terrific TV show, rather than watch it suffer as it tries to stay relevant in the increasingly competitive TV space.

You might also like

• Check out our review of Disney Plus
• See if Hulu is worth investing in with our Hulu review
• These are the best Hulu movies to watch right now