A familiar face from one of television’s most iconic dramas has made a surprise return to the small screen. Jon Bernthal, best known for playing Shane Walsh in The Walking Dead, has reprised a former role in a newly released episode of a popular FX series. This has completely caught fans off guard as it was an unannounced drop ahead of the show’s upcoming fifth and final season!
We're talking about the hit comedy-drama series, The Bear. Rather than arriving as part of a regular release schedule, the special episode was dropped as a one-off on May 5. You can stream it right now on Hulu if you have a subscription. However, it's worth mentioning that The Bear season 5 doesn't actually premiere until sometime in June of this year.
Titled “Gary,” the new one-off episode steps away from the present-day chaos of The Bear and instead shifts into a flashback storyline focused on Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Jon Bernthal). The episode follows the two friends on a work trip to Gary, Indiana, which takes place before the events of the main series begin. Both Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach wrote the episode's script with The Bear creator Christopher Storer directing.
To celebrate its surprise drop, Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach also took to social media to hype up the release. In Bernthal's Instagram post, he shared an enthusiastic message urging fans to check out the episode on Hulu. We shared the post below!
If you’re not familiar with The Bear, it’s a critically acclaimed series. The show has had a successful run so far, with four seasons under its belt. Viewers follow Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a fine-dining chef who returns home to Chicago after a family tragedy to take over his late brother’s struggling sandwich shop.
While Carmy is the central figure of the show, much of The Bear’s emotional weight comes from the legacy of his late brother, Mikey, and the ripple effects of his death on everyone around him. Mikey, played by Bernthal, never appears in the present timeline of the series, but his presence is felt constantly through flashbacks, memories, and the emotional baggage carried by the other characters. That’s what makes this surprise episode so significant.
“Gary” gives viewers a rare chance to see Mikey alive and in motion, rather than as a memory or absence. The flashback explores his dynamic and relationship with Richie in greater depth, which is where the episode really shines. What's even better is that it's longer than your typical The Bear episode. Episodes of the comedy-drama series are usually short, but "Gary" runs for about 59 minutes. So, that's great!
With The Bear season 5 premiering soon, it's unknown if Bernthal will return for an episode or two. However, we wouldn't be surprised if he does since he's appeared in at least one episode of each season so far. Also, this is the final installment. It would make the most sense for him to come back as Mikey one last time to wrap things up. But we'll just have to wait until the fifth season drops to see whether the series decided to bring him back again!
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