Why aren’t you watching Barry? The greatest show on television

Bill Hader stars as titular character Barry in Neon's tragicomedy. Streaming now.

Sometimes in this business, you have to make the big calls. Throw caution to the wind. Tell it like it is. Go all in. Today, friends, is one of those days. So buckle up because we’re going full throttle into this thing. Barry is the best show on television and it’s not even close.

Yeah, yeah Succession. Yeah, yeah The White Lotus. Yeah, yeah Yellowjackets. Yeah, yeah etc etc. Look, I’m not saying any of these are bad shows. They’re great shows. I’m simply saying Barry is better.

This shouldn’t surprise readers who have stomached this column and its eccentric calls for years now. Since Barry first shot onto screens back in 2018 I’ve been banging on about how great it is. And then I’ve banged on about its greatness again and again every year since.

But this year it’s different. I’m making a bigger deal than usual about it because we’re at the last-chance saloon, the bar’s about to close and they’re calling out for last drinks. You see, in a few short weeks, Barry’s final ever episode will screen and then that will be that. If you don’t get onboard now the ship will sail off into the sunset and you’ll have missed out on a series that is destined to join the pantheon of television greats like The Sopranos, The Wire and Better Call Saul.

Sure, in this age of streaming, it’s not like the old days when a show aired once and then you had to pray to the TV gods that it’d be repeated a few years down the line out of primetime, but still. You will miss out on the conversation. And in our disposable, watch-and-forget era, the conversation is all we really have.

When the show started. Barry was a dark comedy. It was about a hitman who had a change of heart after inadvertently discovering the joys of acting after stumbling into an acting class taught by a Hollywood has-been while on a hit. Triggered into an emotional reckoning by the pretentious teacher’s method acting he decided assassinating was out and acting was in.

Of course, it’s not easy to walk away from your life. Especially one lived in the shadows surrounded by shady characters. And so Barry found himself torn between his loyalty to his boss and mentor and his desire to quit killing and start acting.

This inner turmoil powered the first couple of seasons. It was brutally funny, startlingly violent and at times wonderfully surreal. Frequently all three at the same time. It was not afraid to take big risks and, without fail, they paid off with big rewards.

While Barry may have started darkly funny as the episodes rolled by its atmosphere got heavier. It still provided outrageous laugh-out-loud moments but it slowly morphed into a show with a bigger ambition. Especially as it began to really dig into its characters.

Barry’s PTSD from his time as a marine in Afghanistan and his traumatic upbringing were introduced and explored, the hubris and delusion of grandeur of his acting teacher Gene Cousineau were dived into and the insecurities and professional jealousy of fellow actor and love interest Sally were put under the microscope.

If it’s true that the road to hell is paved with good intentions then the deeply flawed characters in Barry were merrily skipping towards their eternal doom. They all believe they are good people while acting as anything but.

In this fourth and final season, the show’s atmosphere is thicker than a bowl of porridge and darker than an accompanying black coffee. At the current midway point, the show is promising no happy endings. To go into specifics would be nothing but major spoilers so I’ll stay purposefully vague and only say that things aren’t looking good. For anyone.

The shift from dark comedy to tragicomedy has been subtle and handled with a deft touch. It’s nothing less than a triumph for writer, director and star Bill Hader, who has realised a series unlike any other in its storytelling, humour and general weirdness.

Despite Emmy wins, critical acclaim and frequent blatherings on this page the show is still flying under the radar. So before it all ends give it a shot. Because like its titular antihero, Barry does not miss.

* All seasons of Barry are streaming on Neon with new episodes of the final season dropping weekly.