Hello there!
I wanted to share some information that may be helpful to understand why we have yet to receive official news that The Bear has been renewed for season 3.
Yes, the Writer’s strike is over, but SAG-AFTRA is still very much on strike until they get a fair contract from the AMPTP. Under official strike rules from the SAG-AFTRA union, neither actors, nor their agents or representatives can negotiate for struck work. This means, for example, a contract cannot be negotiated for an actor who may have had it in their deal that if a series is successful, they get a bump in pay. The Bear is very successful, and we know this because of not only the critical acclaim the show has received, but also the minutes viewed data released from Hulu shortly after season 2 released.
You may be asking yourself, ok, but why did Only Murders in the Building, another successful Hulu show, get a renewal so fast and The Bear didn’t?
Here’s my take:
The three stars of OMITB, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, all also serve as executive producers of the show. This could have created a loophole for negotiating for struck work, since producers are not on strike (the Producer’s Guild is also not a union). Ayo Edebiri and some other members of The Bear may have a credit or two as executive or co-executive producer, but the majority of the main cast of The Bear, including Jeremy Allen White, only serve as actors, and not executive producers, as it stands right now.
I don’t think we will hear of a renewal until the strike ends and actors and their representatives can successfully negotiate and/or re-negotiate their contracts with the studio, given the success of the show. Time will tell, however. I hope this was helpful to understanding possibly why there is such a wait on a renewal announcement.
©️moments-on-film 2023
