HBO has released countless beloved shows throughout the years, with some of the best TV programs ever coming from the company. The 2000s’ The Sopranos and The Wire, the 2010s’ Game of Thrones and Veep, and the 2020s’ Succession and The White Lotus are just some of HBO’s series that have defined the decades, but this only scratches the surface of the network’s well of beloved shows. For every iconic HBO show, there are countless incredible ones that have been forgotten, such as this critically acclaimed series that ended three years ago.
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In early 2016, Bill Hader and co-writer Alec Berg were given a pilot production order by HBO, exciting fans of the beloved Saturday Night Live actor. That summer, HBO gave the pilot a series order, and work began on Hader’s newest project. Unlike Hader’s other projects, which were sillier comedies like Superbad and Trainwreck, the actor wanted this show to take on a much darker tone, leading to the birth of Barry.
HBO’s Barry Ended 3 Years Ago Today
Barry premiered on March 25, 2018, kicking off one of HBO’s best shows of the past decade. The series tells the story of Bill Hader’s Barry Berkman, a hitman who’s looking for a way out of the contract killing lifestyle. While on a hit, Barry has to infiltrate an acting class, opening his eyes to the world of theater. Barry falls in love with one of the acting students, Sally Reed, and becomes a student of teacher Gene Cousineau, two relationships that he would maintain throughout the show.
After a cliffhanger ending, Barry returned for season 2 in 2019. The season received continued acclaim and increasing popularity, but after the season 2 finale, the show went on a hiatus. Barry season 3 finally returned in 2022, with the fourth and final season making its debut in 2023.
Barry season 4 was more divisive than its predecessors due to some major story risks that it took. However, viewers who enjoyed it were impressed by how experimental it got, with it not just being a retread of the humor and style of the previous seasons. The Barry season finale aired on May 28, 2023, putting an end to the cult crime comedy series.
Sadly, Barry‘s series finale was overshadowed by the fact that it was released on the same night as the Succession series finale, which was the much more popular of the two HBO shows. However, Barry is just as good, and fans of crime stories or dark comedy series should definitely check out the series now that it is out in full.
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