The Bear Fans Aren't Holding Back Their Thoughts On The Series Finale

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And with that, "The Bear" has reached its conclusion. Season 5 of the acclaimed Hulu series has arrived and all of the episodes dropped at once, meaning the series finale is out there for the world to see. Coupled with the surprise flashback episode that "The Bear" dropped earlier this year, the saga of Carmy Berzatto is behind us. But was it a satisfying conclusion? If the early fan reactions are to be believed, most definitely yes.

Fans have been taking to social media and, by and large, have had almost nothing but praise for the "Bear" series finale. "'The Bear' did it. The best series finale of the year and probably the best series finale since 'Breaking Bad.' This s**t is phenomenal," as X/Twitter user JR.Beast put it. No doubt, other folks will be a little more reluctant to compare the "Bear" finale to one of the best TV series finales of all time, but that comment otherwise sums up the general sentiment.

"Watched the entire season tonight. I was skeptical of the 'whole season is [one] day' thing, but it worked out great. Kept the momentum rolling and showcased so many characters in a way that felt natural," as user Large_Desk wrote on the official "The Bear" subreddit. Meanwhile, a X/Twitter user going by simply David wrote, "['The Bear' is] one of the best shows ever on TV & [its] series finale [is] filled to the brim with pathos, humor, and heart — 'The Bear' Season 5 is firing on all cylinders."

Finding much resembling negativity is, frankly, hard to come by as of this writing. "So, I finished 'The Bear.' Very predictable but satisfactory ending," to quote X/Twitter user Q., who added, "Finale rating 9/10. Season rating 9.5/10." Predictable or not, that's still a very positive reaction.

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"Just watched the whole thing in a [sitting], [I] just wished we had more Claire Bear but damn," Reddit user StartRight5935 commented. Again, that's about as close to negativity as one can find at this moment. "I feel like Carmy was kind of missing from this season just because he was actually calm and not a human ball of angst," Reddit user rubythieves commented, airing another minor grievance.

For the most part, though, it's rave after rave. /Film's Chris Evengelista was less overt with praise regarding the show's conclusion, writing that "The Bear" Season 5 ends a "once-great show" in his review. But he still leaned positive, as did most other critics. Season 5 currently holds a 98% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, a big improvement over Seasons 3 and 4.

"The ending of #TheBear is [truly] one of the best and ends on a good note with [C]army still hanging onto [M]ikey and [Richie] got the love of his life," as sanmeyo wrote on X/Twitter. Again, far more praise than negativity out there. The broad consensus seems to be that the show truly stuck the landing after a slightly more mixed reaction to the preceding seasons.

"The Bear S5 series finale. No pun intended, it was a chef's kiss!" Edward Herrel wrote on X/Twitter. "As usual, the writing and cast is just outstanding. It's funny, at times hilarious, chaotic, stressful, nerve-wracking, while also being heart-warming. I'm going to miss this show. Bravo, and thank you @TheBearFX."

Indeed, it appears that most folks feel "The Bear" handily avoids delivering one of the worst TV show finales ever. Instead, fans and critics alike are very pleased with how creator Christopher Storer's restaurant dramedy concludes.

"The Bear" is streaming now on Hulu.