“The Bear” Cast Reacts to Series Finale Ending: 'I Have Very Complex Feelings About It' (Exclusive)
“The Bear” Cast Reacts to Series Finale Ending: 'I Have Very Complex Feelings About It' (Exclusive)
Kirsten AcunaSat, June 27, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
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Jeremy Allen White's Carmy finally makes a decision about his future on the finale of 'The Bear.'Credit: FX -
The Bear cast reflects on the series' finale with PEOPLE
"It's a very emotional episode and, obviously, I have very complex feelings about it,” says Ebon Moss-Bachrach
“It's a reminder to keep going,” says another cast member of what they hope fans will take away from the series
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Bear’s series finale, now streaming on Hulu.
As the fifth and final season of The Bearconcluded Thursday, June 25, on Hulu, the cast is opening up about saying goodbye to the hit FX series.
“It was a very emotional time reading that script,” Ebon Moss-Bachrach tells PEOPLE of his reaction to the finale.
“I think endings are very hard, and life often doesn't present you with a clean ending,” Moss-Bachrach, 49, who plays fan-favorite Richie, adds. “I think that The Bear ends on its own terms in a way that makes a lot of sense, that stays in character to this show, that honors the characters, that leaves everyone with dignity and with grace. It's a very emotional episode and, obviously, I have very complex feelings about it.”
Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) has undergone the show's most significant transformation, evolving into a revered leader on 'The Bear.'Credit: FX
“I thought it was incredible,” says Emmy-winner Liza Colón-Zayas, who plays sous chef Tina. “Not everything is tied up in a bow, but these people, I feel hopeful for them.”
The Bear's staff overcomes a lot of obstacles throughout season five.Credit: FX
“I feel proud of this season,” Colón-Zayas, 53, adds. “I feel like they're ending up in a better place than where we met them.”
That they do. Much of the show’s final season unfolds over a single chaotic day as the staff navigates setback after setback — a flooded basement, a lack of ingredients and even a Fak crashing through the kitchen ceiling — as they scramble to pull off a dinner service while the titular restaurant’s fate remains open-ended.
The finale moves forward to the next day, when Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) reveals that The Bear has been awarded not one but two Michelin stars by an inspector who discreetly visited back on season 4’s third episode, “Scallop,” when Richie orchestrated a winter wonderland experience for a VIP guest.
Meanwhile, Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) has decided against selling the restaurant and instead backs Ebra’s plan to franchise The Beef throughout Illinois.
Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), Cheese (Elsie Fisher) and Nicholas "The Computer" (Brian Koppelman) expand The Beef on the finale.Credit: FX
In the days and weeks that follow, each character gets their own sendoff. Among them, Lucas (Will Poulter) heads back to Copenhagen, Sydney celebrates the restaurant’s success with her father, and Carmy shockingly heads to an architectural firm to discuss a potential internship as he sorts out his next career move.
"To me, this season, the end of the show, is like — for Carmy at least — is about this sort of ultimate surrender and acceptance of, kind of like an honesty with himself,” White previously told PEOPLE of his character’s growth by the episode’s end. “That all makes sense to me."
The episode culminates with everyone reuniting once more to celebrate Richie’s daughter’s birthday, closing out the episode with Carmy’s entire family. (Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, John Mulaney and Josh Hartnett make brief cameos.)
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“It was a great way to send these characters off,” Lionel Boyce, who plays pastry chef Marcus, tells PEOPLE. “It is emotional, bittersweet. You immediately go into reflection mode. I felt proud.”
Marcus (Lionel Boyce) sees off Luca (Will Poulter) on the series finale.Credit: FX
Matty Matheson, who plays Neil Fak, is also proud of where characters wind up in the final episode. “I truly do believe everyone gets their flowers,” Matheson, 44, says. “[Show creator] Chris [Storer] is really great at landing the plane.”
No one receives their flowers more than Richie. In the show’s final moments, Carmy’s “cousin”— who has undergone one of the show’s largest transformations from a foul-mouthed agent of chaos to a sharp-dressed, big-hearted maître d' of The Bear — heads off to Japan for training. As a nervous Richie fidgets in his seat, a hand reaches out to him and is revealed to be none other than Jess (Sarah Ramos), seemingly confirming the “vibe” that Sydney suspected earlier in the season between them.
“I think at one point he's like, 'Oh, still got it,’” Moss-Bachrach says with a laugh, referencing a moment earlier in the finale after Richie gently brushes Jessica’s finger and smiles back.
Jess and Richie share two sweet moments on 'The Bear' finale.Credit: FX
“I think he's kind of existed in a certain reality for so long,” he says of Richie. “He's grieved the end of his marriage, and I think in some ways he just kind of cauterized his heart to a large degree."
Of opening his heart to the possibility of something new, he adds: “You don't even realize that you're feeling those feelings sometimes, and I think it sort of maybe catches him by surprise.”
While the finale doesn’t answer every burning question fans may have — Does Carmy get back together with Claire? Does The Bear ever become profitable? Does Marcus wind up leaving The Bear? — that’s beside the point.
From left to right: Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina, Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu, Jeremy Allen White as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Corey Hendrix as Gary "Sweeps" Woods.Credit: FX
Instead, the episode reassures fans that whatever life throws these characters’ way, they are better equipped to face it together with the support of the found family they have built.
Abby Elliott, who plays Carmy’s sister Natalie, says that message extends beyond the show.
“I hope that these characters' stories have resonated with people on a really deeply human level,” Elliott, 39, says of what she wants fans to take away from the series. “Each character has such a unique story and has found such purpose. I think that there's something there to emulate with coming together as a team and this family that you've kind of chosen for yourself and really leaning on the people that you love.”
Abby Elliott plays Sugar on 'The Bear.'Credit: FX
Elliott adds: “Chris Storer has always said to me, ‘Just keep going.’ That's something that comes to mind with the show. It's a reminder to keep going.”
All episodes of The Bear are now streaming on Hulu. Episodes will continue to air weekly on FX Thursdays at 9 p.m. until Aug. 6.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
