FX viewers to get the "Here's all the episodes of The Bear, all at once" viewing experience
The Bear is headed to regular TV with an FX viewing marathon ahead of its third season premiere
It’s been noted, on more than one occasion, that FX and Hulu don’t afford their critical darling The Bear the same level of prestige that many of its fellow so-called “prestige show” colleagues get on a regular basis—at least, not when it comes to its release schedule. For what’s soon to be three seasons and counting, the streaming-exclusive show has followed the old Netflix model for its releases, dumping all of its episodes on Hulu at once, without the kind of weekly rollout that can help appointment TV live up to the name. This, even as the show continues to pile up Emmys in the walk-in, thanks to its blend of comedy and high-pressure restaurant-running drama.
Now, at least, regular TV viewers can get a taste of that “Oh god, all the episodes of The Bear are suddenly out now” experience, as FX revealed today that it’s set to run a marathon of the show’s first season on the actual network, ahead of that third-season premiere. (And by marathon, we mean “two episodes per night” for a week, which is still a lot of TV to consume in a short period, especially when that TV is as occasionally stressful as The Bear gets.)
The move is the latest experiment by networks in importing successful streaming shows to traditional TV, following things like ABC’s playing around with moving Only Murders In The Building to its schedule, or The CW bringing in successful religious streaming series The Chosen. Per Deadline, the marathon will begin on Sunday, June 2, and run until the following Wednesday, allowing everyone you know—not just the people who watch Hulu!—to get in on that thing where someone shouts “Yes, Chef!” at you for any little thing. Meanwhile, the show’s third season will debut on Hulu on June 27.