Ebon Moss-Bachrach on The Bear’s final, delicious season

Ebon Moss-Bachrach is currently starring in a Broadway production of Dog Day Afternoon, but every time he leaves through the stage door “there’s a couple of hundred people yelling ‘Cousin!’” — a reference to his cranky maître d’ Richie Jerimovich in The Bear. The culinary comedy-drama is returning for a fifth and final season, a moment Moss-Bachrach and others see as the right time to look back on how the scrappy show became a surprise smash.

The Bear arrived in 2022 with saucepan-rattling, speed-chopping energy. It follows chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, who leaves Michelin-starred kitchens to run his recently deceased brother’s failing sandwich shop, The Original Beef of Chicagoland. Saddled with debts, a chaotic kitchen and sceptical staff, Carmy hires sous chef Sydney and — with Richie reluctantly on board — transforms the shop into a fine-dining destination, all while battling stress and personal demons.

What felt like an indie movie found huge audiences.

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