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Barry

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 62 Critic Reviews

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88

USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 123 Ratings

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8.5

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8.5	Your Score
8.5	User Score Universal acclaim based on 123 Ratings

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Barry

Now Playing: Barry

Barry

Series Details & Credits

HBO | Release Date: March 25, 2018

Summary: Low-level hitman Barry (Bill Hader) travels to Los Angeles to kill an would-be actor and finds his calling may actually be to act in this comedy from Hader and Alec Berg.

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama

Recent Episodes

No episode information is currently available for this season

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

88

Positive:

61

Mixed:

0

Negative:

1

Critic Reviews

100

Collider Adam Chitwood

Mar 22, 2018

Season 1 Review: Barry proves that by honing in on a specific narrative with razor sharp focus and excellent craftsmanship, you can stand out. You don’t need a massive budget or a high-concept premise. You just need good storytellers willing to put in the work, and talented performers ready to play. Read full review

100

Variety

Daniel D'Addario

Apr 18, 2022

Season 3 Review: A richer and deeper character study than “Barry” has previously been. ... “Barry,” then, is as juicily tense as it’s ever been. And it sets a new high for itself. ... The question the first six episodes of this fantastic season of television ask is put plainly, but might take the rest of the show to answer. Read full review

100

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

May 5, 2022

Season 3 Review: A thrilling concoction of pitch black humor and nail-biting suspense. [9 - 22 May 2022, p.5] Read full review

90

The Oregonian

Kristi Turnquist

Mar 23, 2018

Season 1 Review: That willingness to embrace comedy and tragedy makes Barry something special. Hader, who also directed and co-wrote several episodes, is exceptionally good, making us care about Barry while also being horrified at what he's capable of. The cast is superb. Read full review

88

USA Today

Kelly Lawler

Mar 22, 2018

Season 1 Review: It's alternately funny and horrifying, and manages to make jokes about its criminal elements without being too exploitative or blasé. ... Much of the success of the show rests on Hader, though, and he is fantastic. ... The ensemble is superb as well. Read full review

80

The Hollywood Reporter

Dan Fienberg

Mar 29, 2019

Season 2 Review: Through its first three episodes of the season, Barry has simply become a half-hour drama, albeit one with occasional snarky jabs at the entertainment industry and a Chechen mobster with alopecia, but a drama nonetheless. I miss the punchlines, while finding plenty to admire in the show's not-totally-new incarnation. Read full review

38

Newsday

Verne Gay

Mar 21, 2018

Season 1 Review: Baffling, dull Barry is a bore, and so is the series named for him. Read full review

SEE ALL 62 REVIEWS

Write a Review

8.5

User Reviews

10

ltvillanova

Jan 30, 2020

Bill Hader's mind, BRILLIANT. I being full honest here saying that this series deserve all the awards that were nominated for.

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

10

samuelmarca

Apr 20, 2020

El drama pesa mas que la comedia. El policia de Superbad es mas frio de lo que podemos pensar.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

10

johndoe2014

Jun 5, 2022

This is a smart show. Its structure is more shakespear or greek comedy than a contemporary kind of show. It is about morality and karma. It may not always be realistic, but if seen through the lens of karmic rules playing out, it is spot on. And always entertaining and well acted. Fresh andThis is a smart show. Its structure is more shakespear or greek comedy than a contemporary kind of show. It is about morality and karma. It may not always be realistic, but if seen through the lens of karmic rules playing out, it is spot on. And always entertaining and well acted. Fresh and deserves all the awards it gets. Winkler and Root are as good as it gets.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

9

eva3si0n

May 27, 2019

2 season turned out excellent, it more dynamic and ridiculous. The 5th series so in general is ingenious. The final of a season turned out strong, it is much better than the first season.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

9

frari

Mar 24, 2020

One of the better shows recently on TV. A little ridiculous, a little funny, a little serious, I love it.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

8

Rincemac

Jun 24, 2022

TL;DR: If you enjoyed Dexter, you'll love his evil twin, Barry! Give this HBO series a serious try and cringe through the few parts that are kind of over-the-top even for this one.

Long read: Barry is an absurdist and at the same time very dark comedy in the lines of Dexter, but with aTL;DR: If you enjoyed Dexter, you'll love his evil twin, Barry! Give this HBO series a serious try and cringe through the few parts that are kind of over-the-top even for this one.

Long read:
Barry is an absurdist and at the same time very dark comedy in the lines of Dexter, but with a serious twist. In the mind of Barry, the main character, that is. The acting of the cast is top-notch through and through. And most of the characters are in the "believable" realm and even if their portrayal is teetering on the edge of becoming too much. The absurdist part comes from over-the-top either stupid or blatantly comic book evil villain types that get strewn in or by some of the things characters stoop to do with almost no insight into their real motives - outside of probably being borderline insane.

Put on top the Fonz actor Henry Winkler as the centerpiece of Barry's universe and "cling on for safety" PTSD mental support mentor, sprinkle in some quirky and potentially equally insane side characters the likes of Barry's love interest and her entourage and you have a winning mix that keeps interesting enough through Seasons 1-2 but get kind of unbelievable towards Season 3 when the story needs to be wrapped up tighter than Barry's latest victim is in a rolled carpet.

You will get great laughs, dark twists out of most of the characters as their archs come to an end and some seriously absurdist story sidelines to digest while they're sweeping up the pieces.

Overall, Barry is definitely a great ride along the quality lines of what makes HBO so good. Albeit one that ride suffers from some bumps in the final season, showing the weakness in the seams as they try knit all the threads that have been thrown out there neatly in the final Season.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

3

OlivierPiel

Apr 26, 2022

Season 1 was inventive and tongue in cheek. Season 2 veered into cartoon/Tarantino. Season 3 is a collection of clichés and dumb plot lines.

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

SEE ALL 12 REVIEWS

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Seasons & Episodes

88

Series Overview
Season 4

tbd
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: April 16, 2023
- No episode information is currently available for this season
Season 3

94
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: April 24, 2022
Season 2

87
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: March 31, 2019
Season 1

84
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 25, 2018