Barry is an American dark comedy crime drama television series created by Bill Hader and Alec Berg which aired on HBO from 2018 to 2023, totaling four seasons and 32 episodes. It stars Hader as a depressed hitman who joins an acting class in Los Angeles and struggles to leave his life of crime for his new passion.
The series has been met with critical acclaim for its writing, humor, themes, characters, and performances. It won three Primetime Emmy Awards, among other accolades, over the course of its run.
Premise[]
A former U.S. Marine turned hitman named Barry Berkman wrestles with loneliness, depression, and guilt caused by his military service and current lifestyle. 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[]
Main[]
- Bill Hader as Barry Berkman
- Stephen Root as Monroe Fuches
- Sarah Goldberg as Sally Reed
- Anthony Carrigan as Noho Hank
- Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau
- Glenn Fleshler as Goran Pazar (Season 1)
- Sarah Burns as Det. Mae Dunn (Season 3)
- Robert Wisdom as Jim Moss (Season 4)
Recurring[]
- Michael Irby as Cristobal Sifuentes
- Paula Newsome as Det. Janice Moss (Season 1)
- John Pirruccello as Det. John Loach (Seasons 1ā2)
- D'Arcy Carden as Natalie Greer (Seasons 1ā3)
- Chris Marquette as Chris Lucado (Season 1)
- Dale Pavinski as Taylor Garrett (Season 1)
- Jessy Hodges as Lindsay Mandel (Seasons 2ā4)
- James Hiroyuki Liao as Special Agent Albert Nguyen (Seasons 2ā3)
- Andrew Leeds as Leo Cousineau (Seasons 2ā4)
- Patricia Fa'asua as Esther (Season 2)
- Elizabeth Perkins as Diane Villa (Season 3)
- Elise Fisher as Katie Harris (Season 3)
- Miguel Sandoval as Fernando (Season 3)
- Laura San Giacomo as Annie Eisner (Season 3)
- Fred Melamed as Tom Posorro (Seasons 3ā4)
- Charles Parnell as D.A. Buckner (Season 4)
- Zachary Golinger as John Berkman (Season 4)
Episodes[]
Season 1 (2018)[]
| Overall # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Chapter One: Make Your Mark" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | March 25, 2018 |
| 2 | 2 | "Chapter Two: Use It" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | April 1, 2018 |
| 3 | 3 | "Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice" | Bill Hader | Duffy Boudreau | April 8, 2018 |
| 4 | 4 | "Chapter Four: Commit... to YOU" | Maggie Carey | Sarah Solemani | April 15, 2018 |
| 5 | 5 | "Chapter Five: Do Your Job" | Hiro Murai | Ben Smith | April 22, 2018 |
| 6 | 6 | "Chapter Six: Listen With Your Ears, React With Your Face" | Hiro Murai | Emily Heller | April 29, 2018 |
| 7 | 7 | "Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast, and Keep Going" | Alec Berg | Liz Sarnoff | May 6, 2018 |
| 8 | 8 | "Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth" | Alec Berg | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | May 13, 2018 |
Season 2 (2019)[]
| Overall # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "The Show Must Go On, Probably?" | Hiro Murai | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | March 31, 2019 |
| 10 | 2 | "The Power of No" | Hiro Murai | Taofik Kolade | April 7, 2019 |
| 11 | 3 | "Past = Present x Future Over Yesterday" | Minkie Spiro | Jason Kim | April 14, 2019 |
| 12 | 4 | "What?!" | Liza Johnson | Duffy Boudreau | April 21, 2019 |
| 13 | 5 | "ronny/lily" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | April 28, 2019 |
| 14 | 6 | "The Truth Has a Ring to It" | Alec Berg | Emily Heller | May 5, 2019 |
| 15 | 7 | "The Audition" | Alec Berg | Liz Sarnoff | May 12, 2019 |
| 16 | 8 | "berkman > block" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | May 19, 2019 |
Season 3 (2022)[]
| Overall # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "forgiving jeff" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | April 24, 2022 |
| 18 | 2 | "limonada" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | May 1, 2022 |
| 19 | 3 | "ben mendelsohn" | Alec Berg | Emma Barrie | May 8, 2018 |
| 20 | 4 | "all the sauces" | Alec Berg | Jason Kim | May 15, 2022 |
| 21 | 5 | "crazytimeshitshow" | Alec Berg | Emily Heller | May 22, 2022 |
| 22 | 6 | "710N" | Bill Hader | Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader & Alec Berg | May 29, 2022 |
| 23 | 7 | "candy asses" | Bill Hader | Liz Sarnoff | June 5, 2022 |
| 24 | 8 | "starting now" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | June 12, 2022 |
Season 4 (2023)[]
| Overall # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "yikes" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg, Mark Ashmore, & Bill Hader | April 16, 2023 |
| 26 | 2 | "bestest place on the earth" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg, Bill Hader, & Nicky Hirschhom | April 16, 2023 |
| 27 | 3 | "you're charming" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg, Bill Hader, & Emma Barrie | April 23, 2023 |
| 28 | 4 | "it takes a psycho" | Bill Hader | Bill Hader, Alec Berg, & Taofik Kolade | April 30, 2023 |
| 29 | 5 | "tricky legacies" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | May 7, 2023 |
| 30 | 6 | "the wizard" | Bill Hader | Alec Berg & Bill Hader | May 14, 2023 |
| 31 | 7 | "a nice meal" | Bill Hader | Bill Hader & Alec Berg | May 21, 2023 |
| 32 | 8 | "wow" | Bill Hader | Bill Hader | May 28, 2023 |
Production[]
Development[]
Bill Hader has retold the conceptualization of Barry several times.[1][2] Hader had signed a contract with HBO, and Alec Berg was interested in working on a show together. Hader was eager to branch out from his sketch comedy roots and delve into deeper subject matter. Alec Berg and Bill Hader brainstormed ideas for months until Hader proposed a series about a hitman. Berg did not want to create a clichƩd, formulaic show, but was assured that it would be different, because Hader would play the hitman. They quickly decided that the hitman would try to escape his violent life by aspiring to be an actor. Together, they explored the contradictions that a hitman would face in his quest to become an actor. Both Hader and Berg admit that if Barry Berkman was to achieve his acting dream, it would lead to his demise.
Clint Eastwood's 1992 film Unforgiven has been mentioned several times as an inspiration for Barry. Both works explore the idea of violence and its psychological effects, acting to counter works which portray violence as gratuitous or glorified.
Filming[]
In 2016, it was announced that HBO has ordered a pilot to be filmed by Hader and Berg. In February 2016, Sarah Goldberg, Glenn Fleshler, Anthony Carrigan, Henry Winkler, and Stephen Root were revealed to be in the cast as lead roles. In June of 2016, the show was picked up for a full season by HBO.
Filming began in 2017 in Los Angeles. In April of 2018, the show was confirmed for a second season. On April 10, 2019 the show was renewed for a third season. On May 19, 2022, the show was renewed for a fourth season and later in March 2023, the fourth season was confirmed to be its final one.