"Barry" stars "Saturday Night Live" alum Bill Hader as Barry Berkman, a hitman who's pretty miserable with his life. But things start turning around when he heads out to Hollywood and winds up in an acting class. It doesn't take long for him to fall in love with the idea of performing. Of course, when you've killed as many people as Barry has, you can't just put down your pistol and step onto the stage without a few complications.
"Barry" is introduced as a black comedy and never completely abandons this tone, but when the show shifts moods, those moments will make your jaw drop. Created by Hader and Alec Berg, HBO's "Barry," executes the delicate balance between comedy and drama nearly flawlessly. The episode "ronny/lily" from Season 2 is a prime example of the constant genre-shifting prevalent throughout the course of the series, as it goes from martial arts action to surreal imagery to twisted comedy. Similarly, there are some particularly quirky characters in "Barry" that appear deadly serious in one scene then, alternately, quite hilarious in the next.
As Barry's lifestyle as a hitman bleeds (no pun intended) into his newfound life as a hopeful actor, the show masterfully jumps from drama to comedy, all while staying in the rules of its reality and the genre it's created for itself. With each season only clocking in at only around 4 hours each, "Barry" is a must-see.
