After 5 seasons, Chicago bids farewell to "The Bear"
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Jeremy Allen White attends a red carpet event for "The Bear" on June 15 in New York City. Photo: John Nacion/FX via Getty Images
Starting Thursday night, viewers should savor the final bites of one of the most influential television shows to ever shoot in Chicago.
State of play: FX's "The Bear" will release its fifth and final season on Thursday. All episodes are available for streaming.
Why it matters: The hit series became an unlikely economic engine for Chicago, boosting restaurant tourism, elevating local businesses and providing steady work for film crews.
Catch up quick: Christopher Storer's award-winning show was mostly shot in Chicago, focusing on the character Carmy Berzatto's takeover of the family's beloved beef stand after his brother's untimely death.
- Across five seasons, viewers watched Carmy, Sydney, Richie and the rest of the crew transform the dive into a world-class restaurant.
- Along the way, Storer built a distinctly Chicago story known for its frenetic dialogue, emotional depth and obsessive attention to restaurant culture.
Zoom in: Storer's love affair with his hometown is on full display, with sweeping, romantic shots of downtown skyscrapers, characters riding the "L," local restaurants and several off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods.
Zoom out: "The Bear" did wonders for local restaurants. Take, for example, the iconic "Mr. Beef," which is used as the fictional location of Carmy's restaurant.
- The beef stand was a well-known entity in Chicago, serving mostly workers and nearby River North residents. But since the show began, the stand is rarely seen without a sprawling line out front, complete with tourists taking selfies.
What they're saying: "The impact of 'The Bear' on Chicago's restaurant community is incomparable," One Off Hospitality's Donnie Madia tells Axios. Madia had a speaking role in the show.
- "Years after episodes air, we still have guests coming into Publican Quality Meats looking for a cut of meat because they saw Rob Levitt on the show, or dining at Avec because they remember a dish featured in the show. It drives tourism, but it also encourages locals to get out and explore their own city's restaurant scene."
Between the lines: The show was also a huge boon for film production in town. Since 2022, it's been a steady source of work for local production hands.
What's next: While "The Bear" moves on into our collective memory banks, it will be hard for the local industry to find such reliable productions to keep local unions employed.
The bottom line: From local pride to local dollars, the show's impact on Chicago will likely outlast its final service.