Jamie Lee Curtis Just Teased The End of ‘The Bear,’ And We’re Not Mad About It

Keegan KellyWed, February 18, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC

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The biggest name on the cast list of The Bear just implied that the show’s upcoming fifth season will be its last, which is honestly welcome news – we’re going to be too full for a sixth course.

FX’s critically adored and controversially categorized drama-comedy The Bear is one of the shows where everyone who watches it seems to have strong feelings about it, one way or the other. When The Bear first hit the zeitgeist in 2022, every Hulu subscriber who had spent any amount of time working in food service lauded series creator Christopher Storer and his sister, executive producer and professional chef Courtney Storer, for how well they captured the chaos, stress and absurdity of the restaurant industry.

Then, The Bear Season Two gave fans an absolutely dynamite portrayal of strained family dynamics, specifically when Jamie Lee Curtis delivered an unforgettable performance in the star-studded, Emmy-winning episode “Fishes.”

Then the show just kind of… kept going.

The last two seasons of The Bear weren't quite as awards-dominating and universally adored as the ones that came before, and the series shifted even further away from the comedy label that already felt like a loose fit. Now, with The Bear set to launch its fifth season later this year, Curtis is hinting to fans that it's almost closing time for the Berzatto family, which is fine by them, as the following is finally ready for dessert.

Curtis' seeming confirmation that The Bear will end with Season Five drew a mixed reception from her following on Instagram, and the show's most devoted fans were predictably forlorn at the possibility of finality. However, one commenter applauded Curtis and the Bear crew for knowing when to tap out, writing, “Finishing strong protects the legacy of its greatness.”

The Bear fans on Reddit were similarly in favor of a series finale, but, in a thread about Curtis' Instagram post, they questioned whether the show can even “finish strong” after its fourth season garnered only muted praise compared to the massive acclaim of the early series.

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The top commenter wrote, “This is a show that sometimes severely lacks material, so they have to drag it out with unnecessarily aggressive character interactions and confrontations, an overindulgence on culinary high-mindedness (the S3 finale is a fine example despite the depiction being seemingly satirical), and those endless Chicago skyline & food B-roll shots.”

“It's an entertaining show but I can only take people screaming at other people with zero change for so long,” one fan admitted.

Another user simply added, “Should have ended 2 seasons ago.”

But for as much as we like to rag on The Bear for completely abandoning the thin veneer of its comedy classification, and for as much as the show's story has slowed down since its fantastic second season, there is something bittersweet about the show's apparent and imminent end. While, yes, the thought of Carmy and the crew rehashing the same fights and facing the same struggles endlessly makes us want to slam our hand into a burning stove, even at its most schmaltzy, The Bear is still one of those rare shows that actually tries.

The simple fact of the modern TV industry is that every so-called “prestige” series is in a constant battle for resources and for viewers with the lowest common denominator content on the internet. The next generation of Hulu subscribers will likely be smaller than the one that came before them, as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are all free, and Gen Alpha's tastes favor short-form, overstimulating slop content that makes even the worst episode of The Bear (personal pick: “Tomorrow”) look like the best seasons of The Sopranos and Mad Men condensed into 37 maudlin minutes.

And, even if The Bear wore out its welcome for some viewers, it also didn't attempt to pander to its audience in an attempt to secure an indefinite extension from FX. Storer and his team could have very well locked The Bear into an endless Grey's Anatomy-esque undeath, but, instead, they appear to be ending the series on its own terms, whether or not there's still money on the table.

The Bear brought a level of thought and care to the TV dramedy that deserved its hyperbolic praise, if only for the first two awards-seasons of its run. It also never succumbed to the cycle of cynical regurgitation that threatens to engulf every remotely successful series in our post-streaming media landscape. For those reasons, if The Bear does conclude with Season Five, it will end is run with a round of applause and a generous tip.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”