To quote one Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Instagram post from earlier this afternoon, “COUSINS! PRIMOS! CUGINI!!! Get ready for GARY!!!!” Well we would get ready for Gary, Mr. Moss-Bachrach, but the thing is that Gary is already here. “And just what exactly is Gary?” we hear you cry. Well, it’s only a whole flippin’ surprise extra episode of FX kitchen “comedy” The Bear, centred around fan favourite front-of-house manager Richie, that stealth dropped on Disney+/Hulu this afternoon, that’s what. Check out Moss-Bachrach’s enthusiastic announcement post below;
With The Bear officially set to end with Season 5 sometime next month, the clock’s starting to wind down on FX’s beloved culinary series. But before then, before The Bear’s doors close for good, Moss-Bachrach has teamed up with co-star — and here co-writer — Jon Bernthal to deliver a flashback episode that follows cousins Richie (Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Bernthal) as the duo head out on a work trip to Gary, Indiana. Per the episode’s official press release, ‘Gary’ is an ‘intimate and revealing’ hour-long special that “illuminates the two friends’ complicated relationship, uncovering new layers of Mikey’s mental state while offering crucial insight into the man Richie is when audiences first meet him in season one — adding emotional context that reframes their story from the very beginning.”
Directed by series creator Christopher Storer, ‘Gary’ comes as Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach are enjoying a stellar run in a critically acclaimed new stage production of heist classic Dog Day Afternoon. And having already wolfed down this latest, unexpected helping of The Bear, we can safely say you’d have to be barking mad not to jump on Disney+ and get ‘Gary’ watched right now. Off you pop!