The Bear fans hoping to see a romance blossoming between Carmy and Sydney might need to wait a little — or a lot — longer.
In the season 3 trailer, which was released by FX on Wednesday, May 29, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) take a major step in their relationship when he proposes becoming actual business partners — with paperwork and everything. This doesn’t mean Carmy and Sydney see eye to eye, however, as The Bear opens and brings with it constant problems.
Set to the Rolling Stones song “Mixed Emotions,” Carmy tries to take The Bear to the next level while dealing with issues both in and out of the kitchen. He shares a list of “non-negotiables” with the team, and it doesn’t take long for Syd and the others to mock the day-to-day expectations.
Carmy’s personal life is also at the center of the sneak peek when Claire (Molly Gordon) makes multiple appearances in the aftermath of their shocking split. Meanwhile, Syd is seen meeting a new man who could be a love interest or could just be a random person. Other obstacles that the group has to face include food critics and interpersonal dynamics throwing them for a loop.
In addition to White, 33, and Edebiri, 28, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Matty Matheson and Oliver Platt are set to star in the third season as well. Season 3 picks up after a successful first dinner at The Bear that started to unravel as multiple characters faced major changes.
Fans have been on the edge of their seats waiting to see what season 3 would introduce, including the highly debated idea of Carmy and Sydney exploring a romance. But it isn’t just viewers who have been divided on whether the platonic partners should turn their connection into something more. White and Edebiri have also questioned whether Carmy and Sydney should just remain friends.
“They got a lot of trauma on both sides. Like, if even that [was explored] — I don’t think that window is open,” Edebiri exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2023. “But if it were, there would need to be, like, two seasons where it’s just them doing therapy individually before that would even be an option.”
Edebiri clarified that she and White didn’t initially plan to explore their characters as a couple. “I think when we were making it, neither of us were thinking about that,” she added at the time. “It did feel really nice to get to do something that felt different. There aren’t that many platonic male [and] female relationships.”
Creator Christopher Storer also weighed in on the show’s decision to zero in on the coworkers. “We wanted to make something that was about friendship and a partnership,” he told Variety that same month. “It really is so funny that that is one of the things that people took away — of all the heavy s–t that’s going on in the show! It was interesting because Ayo and Jeremy, since they are our friends and are such wonderful people, I think there is this charisma that comes off both of them.”
Storer added: “From the beginning, it was like, ‘We should just show people being really good at their jobs and pushing each other.’ Selfishly, I hadn’t seen a show without a romantic plot and was like, ‘That could be kind of cool and interesting.’”
All episodes of The Bear season 3 will start streaming on Hulu on June 27.