What We Know About The Bear's First Ever One-Off Episode Ahead Of Season 5

When "The Bear" first aired in 2022, it quickly garnered widespread acclaim from critics and audience members alike. Now approaching its fifth and likely last season, the Emmy Award-winning show leaves fans hungry for more after each season finale. This year, folks who just can't get enough culinary drama are being treated to an amuse-bouche of sorts via a special prequel episode starring two fan-favorite characters in what appears to be a buddy dramedy set in the past.

The recently released nosh is simply titled "Gary" and follows Mikey (Jon Bernthal) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they travel to Gary, Indiana, for some type of job. Taking place in a time before Jeremy Allen White's Carmy was changing the restaurant's menu every day and Ayo Edebiri's Sydney was introducing us all to that crunchy take on a French omelet, the two fiery cousins embark on an adventure that will give folks insight into the nature of their relationship before Mikey's untimely passing. It aims to highlight where Mikey's head was leading up to his death and showcase the Richie we all adored (or at least loved to hate) before he began refining his rough edges. Best of all, it's streaming now on Hulu and should be just enough to tide people over until the fifth season of "The Bear" drops.

Directed by the creator of "The Bear," Christopher Storer, "Gary" is sure to be the tasting menu admirers of the show have been craving for months. An interesting little tidbit about "Gary" is that Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach actually co-wrote the prequel episode. That indicates to this fan that the actors are just as enamored with the characters they play as the rest of us, and they seized an opportunity to give folks a deeper understanding about the relationship the cousins shared when the restaurant was still serving up Italian beef sandwiches.

While the show doesn't get everything about the culinary industry right ("The Bear" gets several things wrong about the Michelin system), it never fails to deliver excitement, drama, and twists few see coming, and "Gary" should meet those same expectations. It was released on May 5 on Hulu, but because it's being billed as a standalone program, folks won't find it by clicking on "The Bear" and looking for the latest episode.

You will need to specifically search for "Gary" to get your preseason fix. Regular-season episodes of "The Bear" have previously been released in June, and despite no official announcement of when the show will return, it is largely expected to follow that trend. Until then, we can at least see for ourselves what kind of shenanigans Richie and Mikey get into in "Gary," and as colorful as those two characters are, it's safe to assume it will be a banger.