The premiere of the third season of the acclaimed drama from FX and Disney Plus achieved a viewer increase of 24 percent over the previous season
The third season premiere of The Bear has broken streaming records, reaching 5.4 million views in four days. Disney has confirmed that the first episode of the third season of the FX comedy-drama reached this milestone in its first four days on US streamer Hulu.
This is the best performance yet for an FX premiere on the platform and the most-watched season premiere of a scripted series, Variety reported. Total views include data from Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S., as well as Disney+ internationally.
Disney added that data shows a 24 percent increase in viewership since the premiere of The Bear’s second season over the same period, marking the second consecutive increase following the 70 percent increase since the debut season. The third season of Christopher Storer’s hit series is available to stream now and follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a successful young chef who returns to Chicago after a family tragedy to take over his family’s sandwich shop and eventually transform it into a fine-dining restaurant.
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Every episode of The Bear is available to stream exclusively on Disney+. TV fans can sign up from £4.99 per month. Disney+ members can get two months free if they pay for a year in advance, or get 12 months for the price of 10 with the Standard or Premium packages.
A 12-month subscription to the Premium plan now costs £109.90, a saving of £21.98 over paying monthly, and includes higher video quality up to 4K UHD and HDR, as well as the ability to stream on four devices simultaneously. This includes hit series such as Shōgun, Welcome to Wrexham and the new Star Wars thriller The Acolyte.
Disney+ currently costs just £4.99 a month for the standard package with ads, but members can get 12 months for the price of 10 by paying a year in advance for the ad-free standard or premium package.
Disney+ is the only place you can stream epic shows like Shōgun and Welcome to Wrexham, as well as blockbuster franchises like Star Wars and Marvel.
The Bear – which has already been renewed for a fourth season – has received overwhelming acclaim from critics and audiences since its debut in 2022, winning 10 Emmys and four Golden Globes for its first season. It was also named AFI Television Program of the Year two years in a row and boasts a 97 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating – with the first season scoring a perfect 100.
The series stars “The Iron Claw” star Jeremy Allen White as Carmy, alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach as “cousin” and colleague Richard “Richie” Jerimovich and Ayo Edebiri as sous chef Sydney Adamu. Carmy’s brother Mikey – who appears in flashbacks throughout the series – is played by “The Walking Dead” star Jon Bernthal.
Since the new season dropped last week, fans of the series have been singing its praises on social media, with many calling it “a show like no other.” Viewers were particularly impressed with the first episode, which some called “one of the most beautiful episodes of TV” ever made.
@SJTimes13 wrote on X: “The Bear season 3 premiere is one for the history books. This is absolutely monumental television.”
@ShaneRyanHere said: “Started season 3 of The Bear and had that fear I sometimes have with a new season of a great show that it’s going to fall off. It took me about 90 seconds to remember that this show is on an artistic level like no other show I’ve seen and basically can’t fail. Incredible first episode.”
@BrazNathan said: “The first episode of season three is perhaps one of the most beautiful episodes of television I’ve ever seen. From the character depth to the music to the amazing cinematography. I didn’t want it to end.”
However, not everyone is convinced, as @salaciousbcum said: “Three episodes into the new season of The Bear. Do we still have to pretend this is a great show?”
@danicolang, however, disagreed: “The Bear’s third season has already swept the awards circuit.”
The Bear season 3 is now streaming on Disney+. Watch it here.
Alternatively, numerous new series are streaming on Amazon Prime Video, including the fourth season of “The Boys” and the post-apocalyptic action adventure “Fallout,” both of which can be streamed for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.
