The Bear cast makes it clear: Don’t expect a Carmy/Syd romance in season 3

Sorry to all you crazy Carmy and Sydney shippers out there, but it’s time to let your dreams go. At least, that’s what Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are trying to say about their on-screen relationship in The Bear’s upcoming episodes. The two stars shut down the potential of a romance pretty damn quickly today at a press conference for season three.

When asked if the two chefs might take their partnership to the next level, White and Edebiri were certain and almost in unison as they resoundingly said no. “There was no talk in the room about any romantic implication [between them],” White continued. And you know what? That’s a great update.

In season two, Carmy finds love with his childhood crush, Claire (Molly Gordon), and promptly ruins it in the finale when trapped in the restaurant fridge. Meanwhile, Syd has excellent chemistry with Marcus (Lionel Boyce). He asks her out, but she doesn’t necessarily reciprocate. All of this on top of the fact that they have a fancy new fine dining place to run. Everyone has too much going on in their lives without an office love story getting in the way; FX’s comedy is chaotic and busy enough already.

And there will be several hurdles to cross next, mainly in the form of keeping the revamped The Bear thriving under pressure. Season three will delve into more personal growth for the characters, as the cast teased during the press conference. Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie has a life-changing experience in season two’s “Forks”—everyone say thank you, Olivia Colman—so expect some natural follow-up to that. “Richie is in a place where he’s been exposed to a more evolved way of being, but it’s one thing to see the path and another to walk it. It’s forward and back, there’s no one direction,” Moss-Bachrach shared.

Does it mean Richie and Carmy will mend fences after their angry yelling in the season two finale? Who knows, but Moss-Bachrach joked “They’re great,” while White confirmed Carmy still does what he does best: Being avoidant of the issues he’s got going on. (Come on, man!) “I do get out of the walk-in refrigerator, so that’s good,” he adds. “Carmy buries himself back into work and tries to challenge himself. In doing so, it challenges everybody around him.”

Season three gives Liza Colón-Zayas her version of “Forks” in an episode directed by Edebiri. It will help shed light on why “Tina is struggling to be her best and why she’s wrestling with demons of her past,” the actor shares. As for her directorial debut on The Bear, Edebiri said it was a masterclass. “It’s a dream to work with our crew as an actor, so that feeling was only amplified…I was in the best circumstances.”

Abby Elliott, who plays Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto,” said her character is grappling with Mikey’s (Jon Bernthal) demise and the distance from her mother. The emotions pile up as she readies to give birth: “She’s dealing with grief.” If you’ve watched The Bear, you know the show hugely tackles such heavy themes, to the point where it’s often a debate if it should even be a comedy contender at awards shows. Moss-Bachrach said grief is the connective tissue between each character, even if they’re dealing with different problems. Marcus will experience it, too, as his mother’s health declines further. But Boyce didn’t want to step into a landmine, so he avoided answering any questions about his arc.

On the plus side, we’ll get all the answers three hours earlier than anticipated. FX also announced that all 10 episodes will drop on Hulu on June 26 at 9 p.m. ET instead of midnight on June 27. Your binge can start early, even though this writer firmly believes The Bear would be better savored as a weekly release. How much fun was it to unpack every Shōgun detail this fall? Or to do it with HBO’s House Of The Dragon every Sunday night now? That could’ve been The Bear! But, now, the goal is not to get spoiled and enjoy it on our own time.

When asked about whether the binge-release model factors into planning the episodes, series star and producer Matty Matheson and White said these decisions are above their pay grade. Edebiri chimed with this takeaway, in case you need self-control motivation while pressing play: “Nobody is forcing you to watch it all at the same time. You can pace yourself. I find myself with shows releasing weekly sometimes, I wait until the end and pace it out. You have autonomy as a viewer.”