How to watch 'The Bear' online for free: when does Season 3 start streaming?
How to watch every season of 'The Bear,' including the release date of Season 3, the best Hulu streaming deals, and more.
Just a month after its groundbreaking summer 2022 premiere, FX had already renewed The Bear for Season 2. FX Entertainment President Eric Schrier said "The Bear has exceeded our wildest creative, critical, and commercial expectations."
Now, two years later, we're approaching the third season of the hit restaurant dramedy that Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards called "a delectable treat." And Season 4 has already been confirmed as well.
Golden Globe winner Jeremy Allen White and costars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri — along with the rest of the kitchen staff — are back to re-open The Original Beef of Chicagoland as an updated, family-style restaurant named The Bear. "Their quest for culinary excellence will propel the crew to new levels and stress the bonds that hold the restaurant together," the official description for Season 3 reads.
Here's everything you need to know to watch the chaos unfold in every season of the critically acclaimed original series — including the premiere date for Season 3, the best streaming deals, and more.
When does Season 3 of The Bear come out?
The highly-anticipated third season of FX's The Bear premieres on June 27, 2024. Hulu will drop all 10 episodes at once, so fans can binge-watch Season 3 as quickly or as slowly as they desire. The show has already been confirmed for Season 4 and is expected to begin filming right after the third season. However, there's no estimated date yet for when Season 4 will make its debut.
Is The Bear on FX or is it only on Hulu?
Even though The Bear is an FX Original, it's only available to watch on Hulu. It's confusing, we know. The series is produced by FX Productions but premiered as a part of Hulu's dedicated FX content hub for current, classic, and new FX Series. FX's branding has been a bit chaotic in the streaming world over the past few years, but all you really need to know is that you can't watch The Bear on cable; only on the streaming service.
Can you watch The Bear online for free?
If you've never had your own Hulu account before, then yes. You can easily watch The Bear for free by signing up for a free trial. Returning customers who haven't had an active Hulu account for a while may also be eligible for the free trial. T-Mobile customers and students also have a couple of options to score a free subscription. Keep scrolling to learn more.
How to get Hulu for free
Best for most people: Hulu 30-day free trial
For Hulu newbies, it doesn't get much better than a 30-day free trial. In fact, it's quite rare for streamers to still offer trials at all, let alone such a generous one. If you take advantage of your free trial (which is valid only for the Basic plan with ads) right around the time of the Season 3 premiere on June 27, you can easily watch the entire season for free — and even revisit the first two seasons as well. If you decide to keep your subscription after the trial, you'll have to pay $7.99 per month ($79.99/year) for the Basic plan with ads. Cancel before the month is up and you'll owe zero dollars.
Best for T-Mobile customers: Hulu (with ads) included for one year
If you're not a T-Mobile customer yet, this incentive may be enough to convince you to make the switch. T-Mobile customers on the Go5G Next plan can get Hulu with ads included for free as part of their plan — and that's on top of the already stacked lineup of Netflix, Apple TV+, and MLB.tv. Just navigate to the T-Mobile website and choose "redeem now" to claim your offer. You'll just have to enter your T-Mobile number and account details in order to sign up for Hulu. After your initial 12-month promotional period, you'll have to take action in order to keep your Hulu subscription alive.
Best for students: Spotify Premium for Students with Hulu
Students looking to watch The Bear have a few great options. Our favorite is Spotify Premium for Students, which not only offers a generous one-month free trial, but also includes Hulu (with ads) for no extra charge. Once your free month is up, you'll pay just $4.99 per month for both Spotify Premium and Hulu. Of course, you'll have to have access to a .edu email address to prove you're actually a student in order to secure the deal.
Alternatively, you could sign up for a student account via Hulu without Spotify for just $1.99 per month. There's currently no free trial, but at $1.99 per month, that's totally forgivable.
Other ways to watch The Bear on Hulu
If you don't qualify for any of the free options above, there's still a way to save on a Hulu subscription, but it will require some commitment — a full year, to be exact. Only interested in catching up on Season 3 of The Bear and going on your merry way? You can also sign up for a single month and cancel once you've finished all 10 episodes of the new season. You won't technically save any money this way, but you won't waste any either. If you're all about getting the most bang for your buck, the Disney bundle (which includes both Hulu and Disney+ or Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+) can save you up to 49%. You'll pay more overall, but you'll get access to two or three different streaming services for one low price. It's all about personal preference in the age of streaming.
Best for long-term viewing: Hulu (with ads) annual subscription
Opting for an annual Hulu subscription instead of paying monthly will knock the $7.99 per month cost down to only $6.67 per month. That saves you about 17% by simply paying for a whole year in advance. If you're a new or returning subscriber, you may even qualify for a free month trial, which would then knock the price down to about $6.15 per month for 13 months. With a long-term subscription, you can rewatch The Bear Seasons 1, 2, and 3 as many times as you want, plus tune into other FX and Hulu Originals we highly recommend — like Tiny Beautiful Things and The Great.
Best bundle deal: Hulu + Disney+ (with ads)
The Disney Duo Basic bundle gives you access to all of the content Hulu and Disney+ have to offer for only $9.99 per month — that's just $2 more than paying for Hulu on its own. You can also add ESPN+ into the mix for $12.99 per month with the Disney Trio Basic Bundle and save a total of 49%. It's certainly not the best option for someone looking to only watch The Bear and move on, but if you're hoping to watch tons of new series and films (and even some live sports) this year, the Disney bundle is one of the best deals around.