Ahead of its fifth and final season premiere in June, FX just served up a surprise one-off episode of the massively popular TV show The Bear to tide fans over.
Videos by Suggest
Titled “Gary”, the surprise episode is a flashback following cousins Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Jon Bernthal). Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal dropped the news in a joint Instagram post.
“COUSINS! PRIMOS! CUGINI!!! Get ready for GARY!!!!” the duo, who also starred together in Netflix’s first season of The Punisher, began in the caption.
“We are so excited to finally share this little adventure with Richie and Mikey. Written by me and @jonnybernthal,” they added. “Directed by the one Christopher Storer. Making this was a dream come true. Thank you to the beautiful people of Gary, Indiana, and as always, Chicago, Illinois. Search “Gary” in HULU or DISNEY+”
Set entirely in the past, “Gary” rewinds the clock to before the events of The Bear. Which makes sense, considering one of the main characters, Mikey (Bernthal), is already dead when the series kicks off. The episode follows him and Richie (Moss-Bachrach) on a work trip to Gary, Indiana. According to the official description, it depicts “the two friends’ 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.”
‘The Bear’ Fans React to Surprise Episode of Hit TV Show
Of course, fans of the massively popular Hulu show took to the comments faster than you can say “Yes, chef!”
“THIS IS EVERYTHING OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THIS,” one fan exclaimed. “WTF!! New episode is streaming now!! You guys are the best ❤️🙌” another fan gushed.
Meanwhile, at least one fan was hoping for a The Punisher reunion. “Now y’all should write a ‘Punisher and Micro’ series,” they wrote. “All I see is Punisher[Bernthal] and Micro [Moss-Bachrach].
While a Punisher and Micro reunion seems unlikely, MCU fans can look forward to seeing both actors in upcoming Marvel film projects. Bernthal’s Punisher is popping back up in his own Disney + special this summer and appears in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July. Moss-Bachrach reprises his role as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, in Avengers: Doomsday in December.
Meanwhile, The Bear was renewed for a fifth and final season, which will premiere in June, according to Deadline. An exact release date has not yet been announced.
The surprise episode is available now on Hulu and Disney+. However, fans of The Bear will need to search for “Gary” specifically to find it.