Bill Hader is a funny guy. His time on SNL had many highlights featuring some of the funniest characters of the 21st Century. So when he BARRY started, I was incredibly intrigued if this comedic actor could pull off such a dark character. I’m happy to report Hader has been nailing it from day one. Not only his acting but writing and directing one of the few shows I cannot wait to check out weekly.
BARRY works because while Hader’s main character is the focus, the show is filled with interesting and eccentric personalities that are often the strongest parts of the show. Whether it’s the return of Henry Winkler as Barry’s acting coach Gene Cousineau or longtime character actor Stephen Root as fellow-assassin Fuches. Or scene stealer Anthony Carrigan as fan-favorite NoHo Hank, or Sarah Goldberg as Barry’s intense and driven girlfriend Sally. While Hader and Winkler may be perennial awards favorites, Carrigan, Root, and Goldberg have delivered many of the most memorable scenes so far.
As my colleague Aaron mentioned when reviewing the first two episodes of this season, BARRY IS a challenging show to write about and not spoil anything. Suffice it to say, Barry is in a pickle but still hopeful there’s a safe way out of it for him. Because of that “pickle, ” the supporting cast stepped up and was the team that carried E3. There are a lot of moving parts this season as the show gets ready for its series finale. Everyone is jockeying for something: power, justice, information, security. And some won’t stop until they have every single one of these. With only five episodes left, it’s anyone’s guess who comes out on top. I’m not a betting person, but if I had to lay some money down, I’m going with Barry himself. We’ve seen him get out of one sticky situation after another.
BARRY airs and streams new episodes every Sunday night on HBO and HBOMax, respectively.
