Everyone is saying “Yes, chef” to Hulu’s “The Bear,” and after the series was renewed for a second season back in July 2022, the streamer has finally given us a peek at its return. During the 2023 Oscars telecast on March 12, a short teaser trailer for the series played, in which the chefs are packing up their aprons and supplies. The end of the clip confirmed that the new episodes will begin airing in June.
The previous update on the series arrived on Jan. 12 during an FX panel at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, with the network tweeting, “FX’s The Bear S2 premieres early summer, with 10 episodes. Only on @hulu.”
“The Bear,” created by Christopher Storer, follows lead star Jeremy Allen White as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a genius chef who’s made his way back home to Chicago to run his late brother Michael’s restaurant and, hopefully, raise it from a rundown, C-grade sandwich shop to a respectable establishment, all while renewing his relationship with his dysfunctional family. The show also features breakout star Ayo Edebiri as Carmy’s chef protégé, Sydney, who attempts to help him revive his brother’s business alongside the disgruntled Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Michael’s best friend.
The high-intensity drama proved to be one of the surprise breakouts of 2022, earning White his first-ever Golden Globe win and praise from critics for its realistic depiction of working in a kitchen, intense and consistent pacing, and outstanding performances. It currently boasts a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and remains one of Hulu’s most-talked-about shows, so season two is bound to be another great success.
Ahead, read everything we know about the second installment of “The Bear” so far.
Related: How to Re-Create Dishes From “The Bear,” Including That Spaghetti Pomodoro
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"The Bear" Season 2's Plot
In “The Bear” season one, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto moves to Chicago to take over his family’s sandwich shop, The Beef, after inheriting it from his brother, Michael, who died by suicide. While in New York, Carmy worked at the best restaurant in the city and was a rising star in the world of fine dining. But when he moves back to Chicago, his new, strong-willed staff couldn’t care less about his acclaim and aren’t thrilled about his grand ideas to change the restaurant. But as the series progresses, the staff come around, they start to work more efficiently together, the kitchen gets cleaner, and it becomes clear that – even through all the yelling and fighting – they have grown together and created a fantastic menu.
The penultimate episode of season one contains mostly screaming as the chefs try to get a handle on their new to-go ordering system. Carmy freaks out and lashes out at his sous chef, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), and his baker, Marcus (Lionel Boyce), both of whom end up quitting. However, by the end of the finale, they return to The Beef. Carmy apologizes to them, but it’s clear there’s a lot to work through between the three of them.
Near the end of the season, Carmy and co. find a ton of money hidden in the tomato cans, left by Carmy’s brother, Michael. Earlier in the finale, it’s revealed that Michael and Carmy always envisioned opening a restaurant together called The Bear. At the end of the episode, Carmy posts a sign at the door saying The Beef is closed and The Bear is coming soon, leaving the door wide open for another season of the roller coaster that is Carmy’s kitchen.
The season also ends with Carmy rekindling his lost relationship with his family and creating a new family through the kitchen, so season two will likely dive deeper into those relationships as they build The Bear.
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"The Bear" Season 2 Cast
In a press release, FX confirmed the entire main cast will return to “The Bear” for season two, including White as Carmy, Edebiri as Sydney, Moss-Bachrach as Richie, Lionel Boyce as Marcus, Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina, Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim, Matty Matheson as Neil Fak, and Abby Elliott as Carmy’s sister, Sugar.
At the moment, it’s unclear if Jon Bernthal will return as Carmy’s late older brother, Michael, in flashbacks, but fans certainly hope so.
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"The Bear" Season 2 Release Date
FX confirmed that “The Bear” will return for season two in June, adding two more episodes to its season order compared to its debut season, which was only eight episodes.
