‘BARRY’ | HBO
Bill Hader is Barry, another paid killer, but this one embodies more pathos than pathology. Created by Hader and Alec Berg (“Silicon Valley”), who both run the show as well, the series melds comedy with the darkness of a lost soul. Barry’s hit man work brings him to Los Angeles; in pursuit of his mark, he happens upon an acting class (led by the wonderful Henry Winkler) and gets hooked. Other supporting standouts include Paula Newsome as a cop on Barry’s trail and Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank, the cheeriest Chechen mobster you’ll ever meet.
The reviews:
TV Guide’s Matt Roush is all in: “Not since Dexter has a stone-cold murderer warmed the heart so weirdly and endearingly as hit man Barry,” and celebrates the show’s “wildly original and suspensefully entertaining hybrid of dark comedy and delirious action.” But the New York Times’ James Poniewozik expresses concern: “The season finale does raise the question of how long the series can string out its double-life premise.”
The scoop:
“We always said the world of the crime world was high stakes but no drama, and the world of acting is all drama and zero stakes,” Hader says in describing the show’s mix of tones. In the world of “Barry,” the criminals are portrayed with as much compassion as the actors. “Bad guys don’t know they’re bad guys; if they do it’s one-dimensional and boring.”
But Hader, who has also directed several episodes, never wants the violence to look cool. “It’s a world Barry wants to get out of, so it would make sense that you would want to portray that world as demoralizing.” And unlike his character, the actor is useless with guns. “They always have to cut around me, because when I shoot I close my eyes.”