The Bear just dropped a surprise prequel episode

Everyone’s favourite anxiety-inducing cooking programme, The Bear, is officially back with an out-of-the-blue prequel episode starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal.

Four years on from its debut, the multi-time Golden Globe-winning series is set to wrap on FX on Hulu with a fifth and final TV season, as per actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Deadline reported.

While the makers have yet to offer official insight into whether The Bear will be extended beyond series five, fans can now lock into a special episode exploring the dynamic between Richie Jerimovich (played by Moss-Bachrach) and the late Mikey Berzatto (Bernthal).

The latter struggled with drug addiction before his death by suicide four months before the events of The Bear’s first outing, and is the brother of protagonist Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his sister, Natalie (Abby Elliott).

If you've never watched The Bear, then check out the trailer for the first season below:

‘Gary’, the prequel episode of The Bear, is a flashback designed to add depth to the friendship between Jerimovich and the former owner of the Italian feef sandwich shop.

According to the official description, it also shines a light on the pair’s ‘complicated relationship, uncovering new layers of Mikey’s mental state while offering crucial insight into the man Richie is when audiences first meet him in Season 1 — adding emotional context that reframes their story from the very beginning’.

Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal, both 49, co-wrote ‘Gary’ while series creator Christopher Storer sat in the director’s chair.

The bear prequel series comes ahead of its fifth season (FX/Hulu)

Taking to Instagram to share the news, the Fantastic Four actor wrote: “COUSINS! PRIMOS! CUGIN!!! Get ready for GARY!!!! We are so excited to finally share this little adventure with Richie and Mikey.”

He continued, claiming the prequel instalment was a ‘dream come true’ to make with Storer and Bernthal.

Fans, who haven’t had any new episodes of The Bear to watch since season four dropped on 25 June 2025, were ecstatic to discover this recently launched gem.

Moss-Bachrach said working on the episode was a 'dream' (FX/Hulu)

“WTF!! New episode is streaming now!! You guys are the best,” replied a second.

Someone else predicted: “This is going to destroy me.”

Another commented: “I missed y’all so much but now I fear I’m going to cry through this ep.”

Indeed, viewers who tuned straight in admitted it was a tough but incredible watch, describing the one-off instalment as 'peak television'.

"And if i say one of the best episodes," one wrote on X.

"The ending destroyed me," someone else admitted. "All I know is everybody better have a happy ending for this last season because they’ve all been through hell and back."

A third said: "This one hits different. Richie and Mikey on the road? Feels like getting a missing piece of the family puzzle we didn’t know we needed. The Bear just keeps feeding us."

A fourth agreed: "Secretly dropping an episode like that is such a The Bear move, it fits the chaotic energy of the show perfectly. A Richie and Michael prequel too? That’s exactly the kind of backstory fans have been wanting."

Another added: "That surprise episode of The Bear is emotional fucking rollercoaster. Just got sit, ponder and cry."

You can now watch ‘Gary’ by searching for the episode title on Hulu/Disney+. The Bear, seasons one to four, is available to stream now.