The Bear's season three finale ends with a tantalising ellipsis, promising the FX and Disney+ drama is "to be continued…" But when exactly will that be?
In a TV landscape where hit prestige shows like Euphoria or The White Lotus can see years at a time pass in between seasons, The Bear has stood out for its comparatively regular release schedule.
The first season debuted in June 2022, with the subsequent seasons arriving as a boxset in June of both following years.
So, if The Bear manages to keep pace with the release schedule it has so far set itself, we could expect season four to air in June 2025.
Related: How to watch The Bear
However, given how busy the stars of the show have suddenly become – with Jeremy Allen White slated to star in a biopic of Bruce Springsteen, Ebon Moss Bachrach cast as one of the Fantastic Four and Ayo Edebiri in production on an upcoming Luca Guadagnino thriller – there is the possibility that filming season four could pose some scheduling conflicts.
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Deadline previously reported that seasons three and four had been "quietly" filmed back-to-back, in order to accommodate for other film opportunities the highly lauded cast had been offered.
However, the cast has since clarified that isn't entirely the case.
"We did something like that," Allen White said at a press day (via New York Post) when asked about the back-to-back filming at a press conference for the third season.
"Yeah, a little version of it, sort of. But not exactly," added Edebiri.
So, while they may have shot some of The Bear's fourth season, the entire thing isn't in the can yet.
This was confirmed by FX executive John Landgraf in a recent interview, as he said the cast still have to return to Chicago for "a chunk of production".
Related: The Bear star talks show's future beyond season 4
He told Variety: "One of the things I just really like about The Bear, which is something I used to like about television, is the sense that things came back every year. When you loved something, when you had an experience with it, it was a part of the year that you looked forward to.
"Now, not only do you often only get a very short period of time with a show, because it's not a network show with 22 episodes that airs over 30 weeks, but very few shows come back annually.
"So I'm actually incredibly proud and grateful to the team at The Bear that have dedicated themselves – despite of all the other hoopla they've been dealing with – to bring this thing back annually."
He then added, very reassuringly: "I can't say for sure, but my guess is it'll come back the same time next year."
Here's hoping he's right and season four should be with us this time next year.
The Bear seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US.
Read more The Bear news on our dedicated homepage
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Previously Deputy TV Editor at Digital Spy and, before that, a TV Reporter at The Mirror, Rebecca can now be found crafting expert analysis of the TV landscape, when she's not talking on the BBC or Times Radio about everything from the latest season of Bridgerton or The White Lotus to whatever chaos is unfolding in the various Love Island villas. When she's not bingeing a boxset, in-the-wild sightings of Rebecca have included stints on the National TV Awards and BAFTAs red carpets, and post-match video explainers of the reality TV we're all watching.
