Hulu's 5-Season Emmy-Winning Comedy Series Ends Final Episodes With 36% Viewership Decline
Hulu's five-season Emmy-winning comedy series serves up a significant viewership decline in its final episodes.
Hulu is home to several Emmy-winning series – such as Only Murders in the Building (2021–), The Handmaid's Tale (2017–2025), Dopesick (2021), and more – many of which often enjoy strong viewership. However, one of the streamer's most acclaimed comedy series recently released its final episodes to a significant drop in viewership.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Bear amassed 587 million minutes of viewing during the week of June 22–28, following the June 25 premiere of its final season, a steep 36% decline from the 917 million minutes its fourth-season debut generated last year.
While The Bear's final season sees the restaurant staff scrambling to deal with a flooded basement among countless other challenges, the series itself was hit by a different kind of flood during its premiere week, an overwhelming wave of competition that made it harder to stand out.
Its viewership drop may have been influenced by this unusually fierce competition, with six other streaming titles surpassing one billion viewing minutes that week and the FIFA World Cup drawing significant linear TV audiences. Still, it's worth noting that five streaming shows also topped the billion-minute mark during The Bear season 4's premiere week in 2025.
Nielsen's streaming rankings track only TV viewing in the United States, meaning watch time on smartphones, tablets, and computers isn't included. With that in mind, here's a look at the top 10 most-streamed titles in the U.S. for the week of June 22–28, 2026:
Despite its drop in viewership, The Bear ended strong critically, earning a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, with reviews praising the final season's same character-driven brilliance that has defined the show from the beginning, delivering a deeply satisfying farewell that gives both its story and its fans a fittingly memorable sendoff without losing any of the quality that made it exceptional.
The Bear has won a total of 21 Emmy Awards.
Season 5 also has an 85% audience score, with viewers claiming that saying goodbye to its beloved characters wasn't easy, but The Bear bows out on a high note, leaving behind a remarkable legacy that audiences will continue to savor for years to come.
Ultimately, The Bear season 5's viewership dip doesn't tell the full story. Numbers may fluctuate, but the show's quality never wavered. Its final season delivered the same emotional depth and character-driven finesse that fans loved from the start, and ended the unforgettable series on a deliciously satisfying note.