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Barry is certainly among the best shows that HBO has ever created, and certainly one of the most surprising. While Barry competed at the Primetime Emmy Awards in the comedy categories, the series was often more gut wrenching and emotional than a vast majority of drama shows that were airing. Viewers may have gotten emotional whiplash watching Barry and Succession back-to-back on Sunday nights; it was unclear which was intended to be the drama, and which was supposedly a “comedy.” Barry follows the hitman and former serviceman Barry Berkman (Bill Hader), who decides to become an actor after he’s assigned to assassinate the aspiring performer Ryan Madison (Tyler Jacob Moore). Barry’s investigation into Ryan’s background introduces him to a class taught by the esteemed working actor Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), who teaches the tricks of the trade to a crowd of active pupils. Barry begins to fall...

This article contains spoilers for the "Barry" series finale.

Hollywood and the truth aren't on speaking terms; it's a business founded on make-believe, after all. That's why it's the perfect setting for "Barry." I've written before that the series questions whether people can truly change, and its answer is that most settle for just pretending to be somebody else. Reckoning with the truth can be hard, and the series' epilogue shows how yet another comforting lie won out over reality.

The last scene of the series is John Berkman (Jaeden Martell), the teenage son of Barry (Bill Hader) and Sally (Sarah Goldberg), watching "The Mask Collector" — a highly inaccurate, sensationalized version of his father's life and how it intertwined with the life of acting teacher Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). "Barry" has always had a satirical outlook on the entertainment industry, and "The Mask Collector" — an overt critique of the true-crime...

Barry primarily revolves around the titular central character, but it also delves into the lives of several flawed characters connected to him. The crime associates, Noho Hank, and his love interest, Cristobal, as well as Barry’s mentor and father figure, Fuches, play pivotal roles in molding Barry’s character while exhibiting their own flaws. By examining these characters closely, we can better understand their purpose in the story and how their respective journeys unfold.

Spoilers Ahead

What Was Fuches’ Role In Shaping Barry’s Character?

After Barry was discharged from the Marines, his father’s close friend, Monroe Fuches (played by Stephen Root), who had been a fatherly figure to him, became the catalyst for Barry’s descent into violence. Fuches introduced Barry to the criminal underworld and assigned him to work as a contract killer. Unbeknownst to Barry, these targets were mostly innocent people like Ryan Madison, who...

The HBO series Barry is wrapping up with the Season 3 finale in May 2023. The critically-acclaimed black comedy stars Bill Hader as Barry Berkman, a professional hitman who tries to make it as an actor in Los Angeles. Barry has won multiple Emmys for its strong writing and incredible performances, which have kept audiences on their toes with several plot twists.Related: 10 TV Tropes Fans Notice In Almost Every HBO Show

Barry's fourth and final season is much darker than its predecessors, as Barry Berkman's facade is unraveled when he goes to jail for Detective Janice Moss's murder. As the series wraps up, the stakes are higher than ever, and Barry has given fans numerous dark plot twists.

Barry Kills Chris Season 1, Episode 7

Chris, Barry's friend from the Marines, returns to Barry's life in Season 1 while trying to start a new life in LA. Chris discovers Barry is taking part...

This article contains massive spoilers for the latest episode of "Barry."

When Bill Hader and Alec Berg's HBO series "Barry" was first announced back in 2018, the show's identity was pitched somewhere between dark comedy and dramedy. Speaking to Vulture on the eve of the first season's release, Hader explained how he and Berg landed on placing their hitman protagonist inside a Los Angeles acting class because "we were struck by how much it felt like group therapy. We decided, 'Okay, Barry can realize things about himself through theater.'"

That's a more insightful observation than the average layman might realize — for anyone who's taken an acting class a little more advanced than high school level, these classes often resemble a bizarre sort of group therapy session more than anything else. Where one might expect to see discussions of scenes, characters, and craft, such classes have an unsettling tendency to...

What exactly is an anti-hero? Is it implied that he is an evil character who receives the most attention throughout the story? Or is he a hero driven to commit evil by circumstance? We’re all familiar with Joe Goldberg, the protagonist from “You.” Yes, he’s an anti-hero with a pure motivation to do evil things, while in the three-part HBO Max series “Barry,” we see Barry as a victim of manipulation by others rather than his own mind. His rational mind is always urging him to break out of the cycle of violence, but eventually, he comes to the realization that there is no such thing as free will in his life. By pursuing a career that requires him to carry out the commands of his superiors, he becomes a mere puppet who is forced to do whatever his handlers ask him to do, whether it is evil or good.

"Barry" is one of the best shows on HBO right now. Although the series has competed at the Primetime Emmy Awards in the comedy categories, it's hard to call "Barry" a "comedy" anymore. The dark character study of a truly demented man may have a few outrageously funny moments, but it's also very bleak in its worldview. On the plus side, it's allowed Bill Hader to show his true dramatic range, with a performance that is both terrifying and sympathetic.

"Barry" is hardly the first dark comedy about an assassin, but unlike others, it's not a show that pulls its punches. The series pokes fun at Hollywood, the theater industry, and actors' volatile and sometimes dramatic nature, but the satire doesn't detract from the gravity of the material. If anything, it makes everything else hit even harder — and there's no better example than how each of the characters have grown and changed.

This Barry review contains spoilers.

Barry Season 3 Episode 4

After a mostly table-setting episode last week, Barry returns with “all the sauces,” a propulsive, fiercely funny installment. Moreso than any episode this season, “all the sauces” brings the laughs, even dipping into some of the absurdity that flavored last season’s “ronny/lily.” That said, the emphasis on the comedy doesn’t come at the expense of the plot; all of our main characters have their story moved forward, with many unexpected developments changing their trajectories. After this episode, it’s hard to predict where the second half of the season will lead, but if the past is any indication, we’re in very good hands.

After receiving a swift punch to the face last week and realizing that maybe reconciliation simply isn’t possible with Gene, Barry is back taking orders from No-Ho Hank. Barry is tasked with placing a...

This Barry review contains spoilers.

Barry Season 3 Episode 3

One of the best things about Barry is its runtime. At just a half hour, the typical episode of Barry packs a ton of story into its 30-minute slot. The shorter runtime allows for a brisk storytelling pace, and through two seasons, you can never excuse the series of having bloat. There are several shows that I enjoy that I think could benefit from a switch to 30-minutes. That said, “ben mendelsohn” is the perhaps the first episode of Barry that feels too short. Maybe I’m just being greedy and wishing for more of a good thing.

After last week’s truly frightening conclusion, with Barry threatening to kill Gene’s son and grandson if he doesn’t comply with Barry’s redemption plan, Gene is in hair and makeup on set with Barry, exuding big prisoner energy. Henry Winkler is a television legend,...

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for “Barry” Seasons 1 and 2

We last saw Barry Berkman in the midst of a rage blackout, gunning down criminals in pursuit of the man who betrayed his most terrible secret.

If the details are a little hazy, that might be because it’s been three years since the Emmy-winning series “Barry” was on air. Co-created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader – who also wrote and directed several episodes – the dramedy chronicles the life of Barry (Hader), a depressed veteran and hitman who discovers a passion for acting when he takes a class to get eyes on his latest mark. But extricating himself from the criminal world is harder than he realized, and the deeper he gets invested in his new life, the more complicated burying his past becomes.

Season 2 took place in the aftermath of the murder of Detective Janice Moss (Paula Newsome), who also happened...

[Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for “Barry” Season 2, Episode 1, “The Show Must Go On, Probably.”]

There’s a peculiar scene in the first episode of “Barry” Season 2. As Sally (Sarah Goldberg) and Barry (Bill Hader) debate whether or not they should perform their scheduled play, in light of what happened, the reforming contract killer either confirms what audiences have suspected all along or purposefully teases the opposite.

Sally argues they should call it off, citing that “The Front Page” isn’t that significant anyway — it’s just “a stupid farce” — to which Barry counters that she was the one who picked it.

“Yeah, I picked it before Janice was murdered,” Sally says.

“We don’t know what happened to her,” Barry replies.

“Yes, we do, Barry!” she exclaims. “Everyone seems to know what happened to Janice except for you.”

This, of course, is a joke. A dark joke, sure, but a joke nonetheless. Barry is the...

For the past three episodes, Barry has tried to run from his past, but, predictably, his past keeps catching up to him. He tried to wiggle his way out of killing Ryan Madison only to end up in a position where he kills a car full of Chechens. He tried to leave the hitman business behind only to be forced to kill Paco,…

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When Gene Cousineau informs his acting class about Ryan Madison’s gruesome death, they first mourn, and then they plan a show. After all, they’re actors, and their emotions are the paints in their toolbox, so their sadness must be put to good use. Sally informs everyone that the memorial will be held at Jake’s (her…

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