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Jon Bernthal’s biggest title right now came as a complete surprise.
The Emmy-winning actor is known for his work across both TV and movies. Recently, his television work has included Daredevil: Born Again and the miniseries His & Hers, while his film side spans action titles like The Amateur and The Accountant 2. Over the years, Bernthal’s work has received decent critical acclaim, with several titles boasting 90% or higher Tomatometers on Rotten Tomatoes.
According to new streaming data, Bernthal’s most recent TV episode drop has taken off as a success. This title is Gary, the surprise interstitial episode of The Bear. According to the data, Gary has been taking off on streaming top ten lists since its release, currently reaching no. 4 in the United States on Hulu.
Other notable regional successes include making it to no. 3 in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and no. 6 in Brazil.
Gary is a prequel, flashback episode that includes several main characters on The Bear, but it came as a surprise when it appeared on Hulu on May 5. As the mainline show gears up for its fifth and final season, it has been advertising a season 5 premiere on June 25. Instead, viewers got an early taste of the show through Gary.
Like the now-classic The Bear episode Fishes (and several other key episodes throughout), Gary is double the run time of a typical The Bear entry, coming in at an hour long. It gives Bernthal time to exercise his acting chops, as he plays alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Mikey, several years before the character’s death that kicked off season 1.
The title refers not to the season 4 sommelier, Gary, of The Bear restaurant, but rather to the town of Gary, Indiana. This is the destination for the job-turned-road trip for Richie and Mikey, who are going together to deliver a package for Jimmy.
Not only is Gary climbing the streaming charts, but it is also getting great reviews from critics so far. The episode sits at a 100% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. It has also been getting a decent response from IMDb users, with the episode sitting at a 7.8 out of 10 stars.
Like Fishes and the other two episodes that have earned him Emmy nominations, Gary sees Bernthal shine completely. He is spectacular in Gary, boosted by an always great Moss-Bachrach and a pivotal guest performance from Marin Ireland. Despite being largely a flashback, Gary has significant implications on The Bear season 5, making it a must-watch for fans of the show.
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https://screenrant.com/the-bear-gary-episode-hulu-streaming-success-may-2026/
Hannah Gearan
Almontather Rassoul
