Barry

Barry is an American black comedy-drama series created by Bill Hader and Alec Berg which has aired on HBO since March 2018. The series stars Hader as Midwestern hitman Barry Berkman, who travels to Los Angeles for assignment and ends up being accepted into the LA theater scene. For its first season, the series won two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for Hader, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Henry Winkler. Its second season garnered three Emmys: Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation, Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation, and a second Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series award for Hader.

Creating Barry
Bill Hader has retold the conceptualization of Barry several times. Hader had signed a contract with HBO, and Alec Berg was interested in working on a show together. Hader was eager to branch out from his sketch comedy roots and delve into deeper subject matter. Alec Berg and Bill Hader brainstormed ideas for months until Hader proposed a series about a hitman. Berg did not want to create a clichéd, formulaic show, but was assured that it would be different, because Hader would play the hitman. They quickly decided that the hitman would try to escape his violent life by aspiring to be an actor. Together, they explored the contradictions that a hitman would face in his quest to become an actor. Both Hader and Berg admit that if Barry Berkman was to achieve his acting dream, it would lead to his demise.

Clint Eastwood's 1992 film Unforgiven has been mentioned several times as an inspiration for Barry. Both works explore the idea of violence and its psychological effects, acting to counter works which portray violence as gratuitous or glorified.

Main cast

 * Bill Hader as Barry Berkman/Barry Block
 * Stephen Root as Monroe Fuches
 * Sarah Goldberg as Sally Reed
 * Glenn Fleshler as Goran Pazar
 * Anthony Carrigan as Noho Hank
 * Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau

Season 1 (2018)

 * 1) Chapter One: Make Your Mark
 * 2) Chapter Two: Use It
 * 3) Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice
 * 4) Chapter Four: Commit... To You
 * 5) Chapter Five: Do Your Job
 * 6) Chapter Six: Listen With Your Ears, React With Your Face
 * 7) Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast, and Keep Going
 * 8) Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth

Season 2 (2019)

 * 1) The Show Must Go On, Probably?
 * 2) The Power of No
 * 3) Past = Present x Future Over Yesterday
 * 4) What?!
 * 5) ronny/lily
 * 6) The Truth Has a Ring to It
 * 7) The Audition
 * 8) berkman>block