The Bear Season 3: What we know so far, from filming schedules to plot predictions
Yes, chef! Filming kicks off next week in Chicago for the latest season, starring Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri.
The Bear Season 3: What we know so far, from filming schedules to plot predictions
Yes, chef! Filming kicks off next week in Chicago for the latest season, starring Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri.
By Courtney KueppersAfter cleaning up at the Emmy Awards in January, The Bear is getting back to work in Chicago.
Filming begins next week in Chicago for season three of the hit FX show, created by Christopher Storer, which has served up our city’s grit, beauty and food scene to hungry audiences since its debut in 2022.
But now that Carmy (White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), “cousin” (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and the crew have transformed the grimy fast-casual family restaurant into a sophisticated fine dining spot, where can the series go from here?
One thing seems certain: A show about a successful restaurant with no problems does not make for very good television, as Columbia College TV and film professor Eric Scholl pointed out.
“So that’s one thing I know they’re not going to do,” Scholl said.
Here’s what we know so far, from filming schedules to plot predictions:
Who is signed on to return for season three of The Bear?
We know Jeremy Allen White has been prepping in the kitchen, Ayo Edebiri teased being back in Chicago on social media and Ebon Moss-Bachrach recently talked about what he wants to see for his character in the third season on the red carpet. But other than the show’s stars, the season three cast list has been tightly guarded.
Last season, some big guest stars made appearances, including Bob Odenkirk, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Paulson and John Mulaney, who all showed up as family members in the chaotic and memorable “Fishes” episode set at Christmastime.
When asked to share insights on who may show up on screen for season three FX chairman John Landgraf said at a recent press event, “unfortunately, I can’t. I was surprised as you were when the Christmas episode came through the door.”
Oscar winner Olivia Colman also appeared as Chef Terry in the episode “Forks,” when Richie gets a crash course in fine dining. White told Deadline that Colman is among the guest stars he would love to see return.
You can be pretty certain some Chicagoans will appear on screen. Hometown actors have filled the series’s supporting cast in past seasons. And recently, there have been calls for extras for the latest season.
Where are they filming The Bear in Chicago?
While we know the show is set to start shooting here next week, the exact locations or neighborhoods have not been shared. Jonah Zeiger, head of the Chicago Film Office, said locations are kept on the downlow, especially for high-profile shows like The Bear.
Season two featured locations around Chicago — even beyond River North, where the fictitious restaurant inspired by real-world Mr. Beef is located. Some actual Chicago spots featured in last season include the Michelin-starred Kasama, the West Loop staple Publican Quality Meats and local sweet shop Margie’s Candies.
And, if you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars while they’re in town, we know Ayo Edebiri is a fan of the South Side restaurant Oooh Wee It Is. After winning a Golden Globe in January, Edebiri gave the soul food restaurant a shout out, saying it’s some of the best food she’s ever had. The restaurant’s owner said he had no idea the actress had visited.
As for how long The Bear cast and crew will be in town, Zeiger said a season of TV tends to take two or three months to film.
When does season three of The Bear come out?
New episodes of The Bear will drop in June, FX chairman John Landgraf told reporters last month.
Landgraf also said he had “no doubt” the entire season will be released at once — the way the first two seasons were — as opposed to week to week. Season one of The Bear had eight episodes and season two had 10.
What can we expect from a third season of The Bear?
Season two provided some hints on where The Bear may be going next, said Eric Scholl, a Columbia College professor whose expertise includes TV analysis.
One possibility, Scholl said, is that Carmy becomes everything he hates. Scholl says it’s possible we’ll see more Carmy turmoil in season three, either brought on by generational trauma (a theme that writers started to explore more consistently in season two) or PTSD from the grueling chef Carmy used to work for.
We’re also likely in for a breakup of some kind, Scholl said.
“You’ve set up all these nice, balanced relationships, and essentially what you do in season three is you break them. So the question is, how do you break them? That’s where it gets interesting,” he said. That could be a personal breakup between Carmy and his love interest Claire (Molly Gordon), who was introduced in season two, or perhaps a professional breakup with a character like Sydney or Richie, AKA “cousin.”
Scholl said the challenge of a third season is the same for all shows: If you stay the same, viewers will get bored, but if you change too much, you risk losing your core audience.
“That’s what [The Bear is] going to have to balance. In a show that reinvents itself, how much can you reinvent and have it still be the same show? And they were successful doing that once? Question is: How do you do it a second time?”
Season three also requires shows to get down to the nitty gritty: A series can no longer present more questions than answers. That’s where Lost’s third season went wrong, Scholl said. Instead, The Bear might look to Breaking Bad for an example of what Scholl considers a third season done right — that show, he said, managed to develop the main character in substantial ways in season three while introducing compelling new characters who were believable for the audience.
How has The Bear done so far?
FX and Hulu — the Disney-owned streaming platform where The Bear can be binged — did not release actual viewership numbers for the series. But last summer, Nielsen ratings showed The Bear drew 853 million streaming minutes the week season two dropped.
And, according to FX and Hulu, the season two debut of The Bear was the most-watched premiere of any FX show released on Hulu, as previously reported by Variety.
Awards season this year only seemed to put a brighter spotlight on the show’s cast and creative team. The show won big at both the Golden Globes and Emmy Awards last month. There’s also the ripple effects of Jeremy Allen White’s thirst-trap underwear campaign.
Why are Chicagoans in particular so enamored with The Bear?
Despite Carmy’s questionable 773 tattoo and arguments that the series doesn’t portray Chicago as accurately as, say, HBO’s South Side, The Bear does seem to have won over both local and nonlocal diehards.
“It really couldn’t be made anywhere else; it just wouldn’t be the same project,” Jonah Zeiger with the Chicago Film Office said. “I’d love to see more and more shows and projects that are really pure Chicago, and yet they’re getting a national and even a global audience.”
Scholl, the professor, said the show’s success can be attributed to a few different things. For starters: Everyone eats. Everyone is familiar with going to restaurants. And a lot of people can relate to working in the food service industry. He said it’s the right mix of being familiar, but also offering a look into a world that not everyone knows if you only ever sit in a restaurant’s dining room.
But for Chicagoans: Scholl said The Bear’s credibility mainly comes from being shot in the city when other Chicago-based shows have been shot in Los Angeles or Toronto.
“That feeling of really being a part of the city is, I think, what gives it a realistic feel that makes people really connect to it, especially people in Chicago,” he said.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.