Surprise drops in music have become pretty common in the viral internet age. They’re far less frequent in the worlds of film and television — but here, out of the blue, is a brand new and totally unannounced episode of The Bear for everyone to enjoy.
Titled “Gary,” the episode is a prequel starring and co-written by series regular Ebon Moss-Bachrach and frequent guest star Jon Bernthal. The prequel is set prior to the main events of the series, and follows Richie and Mikey on a work trip to Gary, Indiana.
Moss-Bachrach revealed the existence of the episode on his Instagram account today, writing:
COUSINS! PRIMOS! CUGINI!!! Get ready for GARY!!!! We are so excited to finally share this little adventure with Richie and Mikey. Written by me and @jonnybernthal . Directed by the one Christopher Storer. Making this was a dream come true. Thank you to the beautiful people of Gary, Indiana and as always Chicago, Illinois. Search “Gary” in HULU or DISNEY+ @thebearfx @fxnetworks
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Since its debut in 2022, The Bear has been one of the most critically acclaimed shows on television. Jeremy Allen White stars in the main series as Carmy, a brilliant chef who takes over his family’s Italian beef stand in Chicago after his brother’s death (spoiler alert, that’s the character played by Bernthal). Over the years, numerous flashbacks have featured Bernthal’s character and filled in his backstory, as well as his relationship to Carmy and to the rest of their very dysfunctional family.
The show has won 21 Emmy Awards to date, and earned solid reviews for all four of its seasons, although it’s sometimes teased for its inclusion in comedy awards categories when the series is rarely laugh-out-loud funny, and often touches on darker subject matter than most dramatic television shows.
The Bear has been renewed for a fifth season which, at least according to guest star Jamie Lee Curtis, is going to be its last. That doesn’t have an official release date yet, but “Gary” is now available on Hulu (and Disney+ if you subscribe to both services).
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Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky