Barry (2018)

Barry is an American crime tragicomedy television series created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader for HBO. Set and primarily filmed in Los Angeles, California, the series stars Hader as Barry Berkman, a depressed hitman who joins an acting class while hunting a target, and begins to question his path in life as he deals with his criminal associates while navigating his new relationships. It also stars Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, and Henry Winkler.

The series premiered on HBO on March 25, 2018, and concluded on May 28, 2023, after four seasons and 32 episodes. It explores themes relating to psychological trauma, morality, honesty, forgiveness, the impacts of violent crime, and criticisms of the American film industry.

Barry received critical acclaim, with most praise going to its directing, writing, originality, humor, characters, and performances (particularly those of Hader and Winkler) as well as its examination of its subject matter. The series received various accolades, including 44 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, 10 Golden Globe Award nominations, and 12 Critics' Choice Award nominations. At the Emmys, Hader won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series twice, while Winkler won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in the first season.

Premise

Barry follows Barry Berkman, a U.S. Marine and Afghanistan veteran from Cleveland, who works as a hitman and wrestles with loneliness, depression, and guilt caused by his lifestyle as well as his actions during his service. He travels to Los Angeles to kill a target and finds a new sense of purpose when he follows his target into an acting class. After joining the class and making plans to become an actor, using his newfound passion as an outlet for his anxiety, he struggles to distance himself from his old life and keep his past a secret from new friends and colleagues.

Cast and characters

Main

Bill Hader as Barry Berkman, a depressed former Lance Corporal from the U.S. Marines and Afghanistan veteran who works as a hitman but is drawn towards human connection in an acting class. A mentally unstable yet exceptional assassin, Barry longs to put his criminal history behind him to become a full-time performer under the stage name Barry Block, but struggles to stop his past from creeping into the new life he tries to build for himself. The character's struggle with anxiety in a profession for which he has natural talent was inspired by Hader's tenure as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. According to early drafts of the pilot episode's screenplay, Barry's surname was originally planned to be "Belkin".

Reese Levine portrays Barry as a child in flashbacks (season 4).

Stephen Root as Monroe Fuches, Barry's old family friend since Barry's childhood and a former military cook, who groomed him for his post-military career as a hitman. He is cowardly, manipulative, and self-centered, refusing to believe he has been anything but good to Barry despite consistently abusing him and dragging him back into a life of crime to serve his own personal interests.

Sarah Goldberg as Sally Reed, an aspiring and talented but struggling actress from Joplin, Missouri. She meets Barry when he joins her acting class and becomes romantically involved with him, culminating in a dysfunctional relationship. Seemingly good-natured but selfish and envious, Sally is focused on gaining fame and fortune as an actress while frequently alternating between bouts of narcissism and self-hatred in both her personal life and creative work.

Glenn Fleshler as Goran Pazar (season 1; guest season 3), the leader of the Los Angeles branch of the Chechen mafia, who employs Barry to kill a man who has been sleeping with his wife. Despite his ruthlessness as a crime boss, he cares greatly for his teenage daughter Natasha.

Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank, Goran's overly positive, polite, and naïve best friend and right-hand man, whose Chechen birth name is never revealed. Though he would be happier conducting legitimate business, particularly in sales, he sticks to his belief that being a gangster is his life's calling. Hank quickly becomes attached to Barry, who does not reciprocate his attempts at friendship. Following Goran's death, he becomes the leader of the Chechen mafia but struggles with this responsibility as he lacks in the skills necessary to be a gangster. Originally planned to be killed by Barry in the pilot episode, Hank was made a series regular after Carrigan's performance impressed the show's creators.

Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau, an eccentric acting coach and Barry's mentor whose glory days as a performer are long behind him, having alienated his industry colleagues and loved ones. Cousineau is self-absorbed and rarely seems to help his acting students, in whom he instills a nearly fanatical devotion, unless it directly benefits him. Despite this, he makes a connection with and serves as a father figure to Barry, helping him come to terms with his past atrocities and grow as a person until he learns of his criminal activity.

Sarah Burns as Detective Mae Dunn (season 3; recurring season 2; guest season 4), a naïve and obtuse investigator who becomes Detective John Loach's partner.

Robert Wisdom as Jim Moss (season 4; recurring season 3), a Vietnam veteran and former SERE instructor, and the father of LAPD Detective Janice Moss, who previously served in the U.S. Army in the field of psychological warfare.

Recurring

Guest

Tyler Jacob Moore as Richard Krempf / Ryan Madison, a personal trainer and actor in Gene's class whom Goran hires Barry to kill, though Ryan is instead killed by Chechen assassins. ("Chapter One: Make Your Mark")

Mia Juel as Oksana Pazar, Goran's wife, who cheated on him with Ryan. ("Chapter One: Make Your Mark")

Mo Anouti and Dennis Keiffer as "Thick Neck" and "Lucky", the Chechen mobsters who kill Ryan, only to be killed by Barry. ("Chapter One: Make Your Mark")

Melissa Villaseñor as a diner waitress aspiring to be an actress. ("Chapter One: Make Your Mark")

Cameron Britton as Charlie Simmer, a detective in the LAPD. ("Chapter Two: Use It", "Chapter Four: Commit... to YOU")

Robert Curtis Brown as Mike Hallman, a talent agent who helps Sally book acting auditions. ("Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice", "Chapter Four: Commit... to YOU")

Geo Corvera as Paco Zambrana, a Bolivian mobster turned informant for the Chechens. ("Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice")

Larry Hankin as Stovka, a renowned Chechen assassin and brother of Vacha and Ruslan, who is weary of his life as a contract killer and appears severely aged despite being only 45 years old. ("Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice")

Kat Foster as Liv, a former friend of Sally's. ("Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice")

Jon Hamm as himself ("Chapter Four: Commit... to YOU")

Michael Beach as Police Detective ("The Power of No")

Patrick Fabian as Space Dad ("The Power of No")

Sam Ingraffia as Thomas Friedman ("Past = Present x Future Over Yesterday")

Joe Massingill as Sam, Sally's abusive ex-husband. ("Past = Present x Future Over Yesterday", "What?!")

Daniel Bernhardt as Ronny Proxin, a deadly martial artist whom Loach hires Barry to kill as revenge for sleeping with his ex-wife. ("ronny/lily")

Jessie Giacomazzi as Lily Proxin, Ronny's 12-year-old daughter who is also skilled in martial arts and behaves in a near-feral manner when angered. ("ronny/lily") Hader was introduced by stunt coordinator Wade Allen to Giacomazzi, a practicing martial artist since childhood, and subsequently wrote Lily's character for her.

Jay Roach as himself ("The Audition")

Allison Jones as herself ("The Audition", "limonada")

Mark-Paul Gosselaar as himself, the star of Laws of Humanity. ("ben mendelsohn")

Annabeth Gish as Julie, the widow of Barry's victim killed in the series premiere. ("all the sauces", "crazytimesh*tshow")

Joe Mantegna as himself ("all the sauces", "crazytimesh*tshow")

Michael Ironside as Andrei, an elder Chechen mafia boss. ("crazytimesh*tshow", "it takes a psycho")

Krizia Bajos as Elena, Fernando's daughter and Cristobal's wife. ("crazytimesh*tshow", "starting now")

Vanessa Bayer as Morgan Dawn-Cherry, a BanShe executive who offers Sally a writer's room job. ("710N")

Michael Dempsey as Joe Reed, Sally's caring father. ("yikes")

Romy Rosemont as Claudia Reed, Sally's emotionally abusive mother. ("yikes")

Michael Villar as Officer Birdwell, a prison guard. ("yikes")

John Gloria as John Berkman, Barry's father and a military veteran appearing in flashbacks, who introduced him to Fuches and had at least two other children before Barry, his youngest son. ("yikes", "bestest place on the earth")

Matt Servitto as Gale Winograde, Fuches' lawyer. ("bestest place on the earth")

Richard Riehle as Warden Reynolds, the warden of the prison where Barry and Fuches are confined. ("you're charming", "it takes a psycho")

Dan Bakkedahl as FBI WITSEC Agent James Curtis ("you're charming")

Fred Armisen as Nestor Flores, a hitman who hosts a podcast for tech product reviews with his brother and fellow hitman Chuy. ("you're charming")

Guillermo del Toro as Toro, a handler for assassins who procures Nestor and Chuy to kill Barry for Hank and Cristobal. ("you're charming")

Ellyn Jameson as Kristen, a student in Sally's acting class, who goes on to become the star of Mega Girls, an in-universe blockbuster superhero film series. ("you're charming", "it takes a psycho")

Sian Heder as herself, the reluctant director of Mega Girls. ("it takes a psycho")

Paul McCrane as Mark Staffordshire, a talent agent representing Sally's acting student Kristen. ("it takes a psycho") Like Patrick Fischler, McCrane previously auditioned for the role of Fuches but was later given this part as compensation, again per casting director Sherry Thomas's request.

Spenser Granese as Bevel, Sally's coworker at a diner who fantasizes about her and accidentally discovers her true identity. ("tricky legacies")

Adrian Sparks as the owner of the diner where Sally works while living on the run with Barry. ("tricky legacies")

Annie Chang as Josie, the assistant to the head of Warner Bros. Pictures. ("tricky legacies", "the wizard")

Bill Burr and James Austin Johnson as the voices of online pastors Barry listens to. ("the wizard")

Carrie Gibson as a barista and single mother who becomes Fuches' apparent wife. ("the wizard", "a nice meal")

Nate Corddry as "Matt Iserson", a student from one of Gene's earliest acting classes who poses as a UTA agent to lure Gene into a trap. ("a nice meal")

Ross Partridge as Robert, an AP history teacher Sally meets some years after Barry's death. ("wow")

Julian Zane Chowdhury as Eric, John's high school friend, who shows him the biographical drama The Mask Collector, which paints Gene as a villain and Barry as a tragic hero. ("wow")

Jim Cummings, Louisa Krause, Michael Cumpsty, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, and Finn Sweeney as actors portraying Barry, Sally, Gene, Janice, and John in The Mask Collector. ("wow")

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2022)

Season 4 (2023)

Production

Development

On January 11, 2016, it was reported that HBO had given the production a pilot order, to be directed by Bill Hader who would also co-write and executive produce alongside Alec Berg. On June 2, 2016, it was reported that HBO had given the production a series order. On April 12, 2018, HBO renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on March 31, 2019. On April 10, 2019, HBO renewed the series for a third season which premiered on April 24, 2022. On May 19, 2022, HBO renewed the series for an eight-episode fourth season with Hader directing all eight episodes. In March 2023, it was confirmed that season four would be its last.

Casting

Alongside the report of the pilot order, it was confirmed that Hader would star in the pilot. In February 2016, it was reported that Sarah Goldberg, Glenn Fleshler, Anthony Carrigan, Henry Winkler, and Stephen Root had been cast in lead roles in the series' pilot. For the third season, Sarah Burns was promoted to series regular after having a recurring role in the second season.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season began in 2017 in Los Angeles. The second season filmed from September 2018 to December 2018.

Production on the third season was shut down on March 18, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before a single episode had been shot. The cast had already gathered for table reads for the first two episodes when they were informed. In January 2021, Hader revealed that scripts for seasons 3 and 4 had been written. Filming for the third season began in August 2021. Production on the fourth season began in June 2022 in Los Angeles.

Release

Marketing

On December 4, 2017, HBO released the first teaser trailer for the series. On January 9, 2018, HBO released the first official trailer for the series.

Premiere

On March 21, 2018, the series held its official premiere at NeueHouse Hollywood in Los Angeles, California.

On April 28, 2018, episodes one through three were screened during the Series Mania Festival at the Le Majestic cinema in Lille, France. It appeared alongside seven other television programs in the festival's "Best of USA" series of shows.

Reception

Critical response

All four seasons of Barry have received critical acclaim. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the overall series holds a 98% rating. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the overall series received a score of 88 out of 100. Some critics have labeled it as one of the best television series of all time. In various publications' lists of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time, it placed no. 91 by Empire, no. 53 by IGN, and no. 52 by Rolling Stone.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 98% rating with an average rating of 8.1/10, based on 82 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "PTSD and comedy make strangely endearing bedfellows in Barry, which proves more poignant than its sketch show premise." Metacritic assigned the season a score of 84 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds a 100% rating with an average rating of 8.8/10, based on 42 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Barry follows up a pitch-perfect debut with a second season that balances darkness with comedy while steering clear of antihero overindulgence." On Metacritic, the season has a score 87 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season holds a 99% rating with an average rating of 9.05/10, based on 111 reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "Bill Hader and company can take a well-deserved bow—Barry makes its belated return to the screen without missing a step, retaining its edge as one of television’s funniest and most unsettling offerings." On Metacritic, the season has a score 94 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season holds a 96% rating with an average rating of 9.05/10, based on 119 reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "What began as a macabre comedy is now close to completely shorn of genuine mirth, but Bill Hader's masterful indictment of stardom closes the curtain with one hell of an encore." On Metacritic, the season has a score 90 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Barry at IMDb