# Barry (2018)

> A Midwest hitman moves to Los Angeles, takes up acting, and struggles to leave his violent past behind.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/63684

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 32
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, crime, drama
- Created by: Alec Berg, Bill Hader
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Bill Hader, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, Henry Winkler, Stephen Root, Sarah Burns, Robert Wisdom, Glenn Fleshler
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5348176/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: deadpan, bleak, awkward, darkly comic, tense

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim Barry as a darkly funny hitman story whose comedy and dramatic turns land together, with a strong lead performance from Bill Hader.

## Synopsis

Barry (2018-2023) is an HBO dark comedy crime drama series created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader. Bill Hader plays Barry Berkman, a hitman from the Midwest who relocates to Los Angeles and enrolls in an acting class, hoping to trade his contract killings for a quieter life. Around him, Sarah Goldberg plays Sally Reed, a struggling actress in the theatre scene, Anthony Carrigan plays NoHo Hank, a fellow criminal caught in Barry's orbit, and Henry Winkler plays Gene Cousineau, an acting teacher whose class becomes a stage for Barry's ambitions. Stephen Root plays Monroe Fuches, Barry's older associate. The engine of the show is the gap between Barry's violent work and his longing for normalcy, as every new job threatens the fragile performances he builds in class and in his relationships. Each season moves through a continuing storyline of four seasons with eight episodes apiece, with half-hour episodes that pair blunt violence with awkward, deadpan humor. The show's tone is bleak yet wry, mixing paranoia and dread with self-deprecating comedy about show business and its vain people. Fans of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Killing Eve will find resonance in its anti-hero sensibility and moral unease.

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