Barry

:

Season 2
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 25, 2018
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 206 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 188 out of 206
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 206
  3. Negative: 9 out of 206
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Buy on
Stream On

Review this tv show

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

User Reviews

view
per page
  1. Gwyndolin
    May 29, 2019
    10
    Great show. Binged both seasons in 2 days.
    S2E5 is one of the most hilarious TV episodes I've seen ever.
    NoHo Hank is one of the most likable villains in TV shows I've seen ever. What I find most fascinating is how I am rooting for Barry even though he is really not "good". His monologue at the parking lot in S1E1 really tells you what he really is, a monster. Unlike shows like    Great show. Binged both seasons in 2 days.
    S2E5 is one of the most hilarious TV episodes I've seen ever.
    NoHo Hank is one of the most likable villains in TV shows I've seen ever.

    What I find most fascinating is how I am rooting for Barry even though he is really not "good". His monologue at the parking lot in S1E1 really tells you what he really is, a monster.
    Unlike shows like Breaking Bad or Ozark, the show does not try to make as many excuses for Barry and theoretically that should make it easier for the audience to antagonize him but that doesn't seem to be the case for me. Maybe I'm not a good person but I feel bad for Barry even though I shouldn't.    … Expand
  2. imthenoob
    Jan 3, 2022
    10
    Season 2 is everything you want in a show and then some. It's a perfect show to binge as I ended up watching the entire season in a day because I was so hooked. It's funny, comedically dark and the story keeps you invested throughout the season.
  3. All_ButTrU4
    Dec 19, 2021
    10
    Exceptional! Exceptional! Exceptional!
    A much stronger season with suffocating laughs, unexpected turns and solidly stunning cast. Truly grown into it's own this season gives it's characters space to grow into unpredictable places that allow for some of tge best comedic moments (see:karate girl biting Fukes face or Barry's effortless successs). Navigating a growing break between Barry and    Exceptional! Exceptional! Exceptional!
    A much stronger season with suffocating laughs, unexpected turns and solidly stunning cast. Truly grown into it's own this season gives it's characters space to grow into unpredictable places that allow for some of tge best comedic moments (see:karate girl biting Fukes face or Barry's effortless successs). Navigating a growing break between Barry and Fukes parasitic arrangement a hilarious game of chicken gives imposing scenarios their due.    … Expand
  4. LamontRaymond
    May 1, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is easily one of the 2 or 3 best shows on TV. The episode in which Barry is tasked to "take care" of the FBI guy's ex-wife's boyfriend is genius. When he walks into the guy's room, seeing 50 Tai-Kwan-Do trophies, and 100 metals, it's like something out of Raising Arizona. And the daughter? Genius.… Expand
  5. hoobs
    Apr 12, 2019
    10
    the idea that barry has to choose between two paths, makes the show very entertaining, the first season seemed a bit boring but this has changed a lot
  6. Robert2156
    Apr 12, 2019
    10
    This season is better than the previous one, dialogues and more fresh plots, bringing more action to Barry
  7. UncleWillard
    Apr 17, 2019
    8
    I like Barry, but in all honesty, I'd rather see a show about NoHo Hank. He's the most interesting character on the show. I really don't care about Barry's acting career, and his girlfriend is a shallow ass, as is their instructor. I get it, they're supposed to be, but Barry is a killer and I have more sympathy for him than I do people who have never killed anyone. This is what has alwaysI like Barry, but in all honesty, I'd rather see a show about NoHo Hank. He's the most interesting character on the show. I really don't care about Barry's acting career, and his girlfriend is a shallow ass, as is their instructor. I get it, they're supposed to be, but Barry is a killer and I have more sympathy for him than I do people who have never killed anyone. This is what has always bugged me about the show, I guess. It reminds me of Dexter, but Barry kills for profit and because he's really good at it. When he asks NoHo if he's evil, he's told yes, but is he? Or is he like a hammer to a nail. You can sympathize with the nail, but the hammer isn't doing it for pleasure.… Expand
  8. ClariseSamuels
    May 29, 2019
    9
    According to psychologists, professional assassins are not to be confused with serial killers. Assassins are simply employees, assigned to kill certain individuals in exchange for payment. They have no emotional investment in the killing, and there are no psychological impulses; their only motivation to commit the crime is a financial one. They are cold-hearted, distant, and uninvolved.According to psychologists, professional assassins are not to be confused with serial killers. Assassins are simply employees, assigned to kill certain individuals in exchange for payment. They have no emotional investment in the killing, and there are no psychological impulses; their only motivation to commit the crime is a financial one. They are cold-hearted, distant, and uninvolved. This professional objectification of murder usually begins in the military, where trained snipers are needed to take out the enemy, and the act of assassination is elevated to heroic if not patriotic levels. Laudatory though some assassins may be, this is not particularly someone you would want to chat with at a cocktail party; nevertheless, there is a general fascination with the psychological profile of an assassin.

    Meet Barry, also known as BAH-ree, as pronounced by NoHo Hank, the character played by the adorable Anthony Carrigan. Barry Berkman (Bill Hader) started out as a military sniper in Afghanistan, where he acquired a taste for professional murder. Once back at home and under the management of a fellow veteran named Fuches (Stephen Root), Barry becomes a professional hit man who is well paid for his contractual crimes. He is doing what he’s good at, and he is making a living. He does not question himself ethically; he is convinced that he only takes out bad people. This is all well and good until he happens upon an acting class conducted by an idiosyncratic drama teacher (Henry Winkler), where Barry falls in love with both theater and a vivacious, petite blond named Sally (Sarah Goldberg). Since male violence goes against the fabric of Sally’s soul, Barry decides he wants out of the profession. He wants to be a nice average guy who adores his girlfriend and who is working hard to become a professional actor. In spite of his best intentions, Barry keeps getting pulled back into the game, where he becomes more and more entrenched in an ethically dangerous quagmire of conflicting principles. Mostly, Barry’s renewal of violent murder has now taken a sinister twist. It’s not about money anymore; it’s about saving himself.

    Bill Hader’s comedic skills are entertaining, charming, and skillfully well-timed (such as to be seen in Trainwreck), and in the title role of Barry, these same skills are now finely honed in order to depict layers of subconscious guilt, social maladaptation, and emotional neediness. Barry is an ethical sociopath who still feels for the Other, even as he adheres to a strong inner belief that preserving himself is paramount and that the ends will always justify the means. The murders he commits become increasingly dark and disturbing. Barry is entangled in a web of lies, and practicing deceit becomes a necessary second nature. In spite of the irrationalism and havoc of Barry’s reality, he continues to somehow focus on memorizing his lines and using acting class to explore his inner depths. Sally’s innocence and her naive belief in his sincerity both inspire him and scare him. Thus, Barry is a complex enigma who retains humorous powers of observation that are abstractly removed from the chaos of his absurd cognitive state. He is a tempest of discordant desires and violent contradictions that continue to fascinate in Season 2.    … Expand
  9. ryan569
    Apr 12, 2019
    10
    The characters begin to vary their roles, it becomes more interesting with each chapter but without leaving the charisma of the show
  10. Pkuhns667
    May 25, 2019
    10
    Amazing. One of the best shows on Tv. Comedy and action packed together delicately and efficiently
  11. paulmm
    Apr 29, 2019
    5
    I liked season 1 a lot but need Barry to go full Drama now, Come on Bill Harder.
  12. Dyanne_2
    Apr 12, 2019
    10
    I loved it, Bill has done a good job in his character, in general is very good this season
  13. Cheese85
    Apr 12, 2019
    10
    Very good to be a series of comedy, I hope and the upcoming outcomes do not end in a boring way
  14. OlivierPiel
    Apr 2, 2019
    4
    Episode is: What a disappointment!. The clever and nuanced writing seems to have deserted the show. Instead, we are served some slapstick comedy that Big Bang Theory would cringe at (blond wig joke on sad baddie who just needs a friend), cartoonish handling of the Fuques storyline, ham-fisted veteran background story to prove a stupid point and other lazy jokes that ruin of the goodwillEpisode is: What a disappointment!. The clever and nuanced writing seems to have deserted the show. Instead, we are served some slapstick comedy that Big Bang Theory would cringe at (blond wig joke on sad baddie who just needs a friend), cartoonish handling of the Fuques storyline, ham-fisted veteran background story to prove a stupid point and other lazy jokes that ruin of the goodwill gained in season 1. Damn it, Hader: You even waste the Fonz!… Expand
  15. Dilsonb
    Jun 15, 2019
    0
    Season 1 was brilliant and original, lots of action and comedic moments along with some fine acting, Season 2 however has started to become a parody of itself with silly characters and gags little or no action and stretched out stories.
    I can feel another LOST series coming here , the conversation with Bill Hader with TV executives sounds something like this.
    TVEx " ok Bill we got a    Season 1 was brilliant and original, lots of action and comedic moments along with some fine acting, Season 2 however has started to become a parody of itself with silly characters and gags little or no action and stretched out stories.
    I can feel another LOST series coming here , the conversation with Bill Hader with TV executives sounds something like this.
    TVEx " ok Bill we got a doosy of a hit here we need another 6 series "
    Bill " but ive only written 3"
    TV Ex " well stretch the **** out then we did it with Lost they'll never know the audience are stupid.
    Bill " ok then "    … Expand
  16. Frenchy75
    Apr 29, 2019
    1
    S02-E05 "Ronny / Lily

    What a desappointment !!! I did not expect an episode of such mediocrity. If from the first episode of season 2, I noticed a clear qualitative change compared to season 1, both in terms of screenplay and staging, I never imagined that the series could fall so quickly in the big anything. This fifth episode is pathetic, sadly annoying, and moreover not even    S02-E05 "Ronny / Lily

    What a desappointment !!! I did not expect an episode of such mediocrity. If from the first episode of season 2, I noticed a clear qualitative change compared to season 1, both in terms of screenplay and staging, I never imagined that the series could fall so quickly in the big anything.

    This fifth episode is pathetic, sadly annoying, and moreover not even funny. If the absurd and off-the-wall aspects of some of the situations that Barry encounters during his adventure are the ingredients for success in this series, we must be careful to maintain a minimum of credibility both in terms of the script and the staging. which is far from being the case so far this season 2, and especially with this fifth episode which is the height of ridicule.

    This episode marks a major turning point in the series towards mediocrity, in any case, it does not bode well for the future of this series. Personally, having enjoyed the first season of Barry, I was looking forward to this season 2 which turns out to be a huge disappointment. If the first 4 episodes, despite the defects mentioned above, still gave me want to watch the following, with the episode 5 it is not the case, he disgusted me with this series. This episode is a perfect example of how to go about destroying a series in 30 minutes chrono.

    And to say that a third season is already planned for next year ...

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    S02-E05 "Ronny/Lily

    Quelle déception !!! Je ne m'attendais pas à un épisode d'un telle médiocrité. Si dès le premier épisode de la saison 2, j'avais remarqué un net changement qualitatif par rapport à la saison 1, tant au niveau scénaristique que celui de la mise en scène, jamais je n'aurai imaginé que la série puisse tomber aussi rapidement dans le grand n'importe quoi.

    Ce cinquième épisode est pathétique, d'une nullité affligeante, et de surcroît même pas drôle. Si les aspects absurdes et décalés de certaines situations que rencontrent Barry au fil de son aventure constituent les ingrédients à succès de cette série, il faut toutefois veiller à garder un minimum de crédibilité tant sur le plan scénaristique que celui de la mise en scène, ce qui est loin d'être le cas jusqu'à présent avec cette saison 2, et particulièrement avec ce cinquième épisode qui est le comble du ridicule.

    Cet épisode marque un tournant majeur de la série vers la médiocrité, en tout cas, il ne laisse rien présager de bon pour l'avenir de cette série. Personnellement, ayant beaucoup apprécié la première saison de Barry, j'attendais avec impatience cette saison 2 qui s'avère être finalement une énorme déception. Si les 4 premiers épisodes, malgré les défauts évoqués plus haut, me donnaient malgré tout envie de regarder les suivants, avec l'épisode 5 ce n'est pas le cas, il m'a dégouté de cette série. Cet épisode est un parfait exemple pour savoir la manière de s'y prendre pour détruire une série en 30 minutes chrono.

    Et dire qu'une troisième saison est déjà prévue pour l'année prochaine...    … Expand
  17. shoulderoforion
    Mar 31, 2019
    5
    The first episode of the first season is what hooked me with it's ultraviolence as happenstance at the hands of an elite killer. This seasons first episode was a snoozefest. Methinks they've forgotten what made them different, and what made their show such a standout.
  18. drlowdon
    Apr 27, 2020
    8
    Picks up soon after the events of season one Barry has to deal with the consequences of his actions and keep his secrets hidden from those around him.

    The humour is often even darker in this second season, but this show again pulls of the difficult balancing act of mixing genuine drama with laugh out loud moments thanks to it’s excellent script and brilliant cast.
  19. Leonando_souza
    May 21, 2019
    10
    This is a whole experience, I love the way the things happen in the show and more than that how Barry growths like a person... I'm pretty much execited about next season
  20. Proteus7x
    Nov 23, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. We all have characters we don't like throughout different series, so just wanted to forewarn those who have yet to watch this great series. So much attention has been given to Barry on all reviews, so my review takes a different approach to offer more perspective beyond Barry, himself...

    Just to point out the elephant here: Sally Reed (the main female 'protagonist' played by Sarah Goldberg) plays a sociopath just right, which I give her credit for. However, I despise the character Sarah plays as; as the actress is stunning with an amazing performance, I felt that the character she plays is overall a hollow "sociopath:" no redeeming qualities, hard to sympathize with superficial; only wants what she wants and blames other people for her negative outcomes. Does a great disservice to her friends, her moral compass is broken, uses people, gets jealous of other peoples success, manipulates others, guilt-trips them, the list goes on. You'll see it.

    I liked her a little in the beginning but by the end you just want to scream at Barry to GET OUT. Even if its the shows intention to make her worse than Barry/completely opposite to his character, I hope they give Barry another love interest which he has to choose between or something, and give her someone to fight against so that her character can either improve (like Barry) or get her to show her true colors.

    TLDR; Sally doesn't change, Barry does. That's why we love him and not her. Watch this for Barry as the show suggests in its title and you will not be disappointed.    … Expand
  21. cindysandiego
    Jul 6, 2019
    10
    Clever, surprising, sophisticated humor. Great acting by all! Love Noho Hank.
  22. greenisgood
    Oct 31, 2020
    9
    TL;DR - I felt Season 1 really fumbled the climax especially in the last 10 minutes of the show, the abrupt smashing of the both the romantic couples back into a relationship after all the drama; I was hoping it was a dream sequence or something. But Season 2 just handwaves that abruptness aside and marches on into some of the best written characters; who are trying to be happy but areTL;DR - I felt Season 1 really fumbled the climax especially in the last 10 minutes of the show, the abrupt smashing of the both the romantic couples back into a relationship after all the drama; I was hoping it was a dream sequence or something. But Season 2 just handwaves that abruptness aside and marches on into some of the best written characters; who are trying to be happy but are flawed, and get hurt and have such a believable and wonderful multi dimensional sides to them. This is the best bounce back I have seen any show do from an above average Season 1 to an excellent Season 2.

    The Good
    Everything I felt the show was weak after I finished Season 1 was improved and expanded upon. Sally Reed felt very wasted in S01, this time she plays an important part of the narrative and has her own really complex arc. The relationship between Stephen Root and Bill Hader's characters was good but fleeting, this time giving a very human dimension to the father figure/son where they want to be around each other but also cant help butting heads and motivations.
    Henry Wrinkler is still the best actor in the Show far ahead of everyone but the remaining cast other than Bill and Paula who were kind of not all there in Season 01 really show up with good screen presence, understandable motivations and amazing acting. Even Anthony Carrigan's Noho character which really started to get on my nerves by the end of Season 01 seems like a fully formed character with his own aspirations and fears.
    The action is taken up a notch this time around with a wonderful elongated fight sequence between an Olympic Martial Arts Fighter and Barry ending in one of the best resolutions to that whole sub plot re-enforcing Barry's and Fuches relationship.
    The editing is also done better this time around coupled with the same efficient and interesting cinematography and color palette that was a high point in the previous run. The writing improves by leaps and bounds for the characters as well as the plot, the screenplay is well executed and feels very streamlined and effectively paced.

    The Bad
    I honestly cant think of anything that stood out to me. I am sure that while I was watching some issues might have risen in my head but by the time I finished the season it was all very minor and negligible. This season was very satisfying to watch.

    Barry Season 02 sets up an amazing cliffhanger for Season 03 which is already green lit from what I heard at the time I wrote this review. I cannot wait to see how the story evolves further on hopefully with the same effort and finesse that the Showrunners, Production Team and everyone else involved brought during this season.    … Expand
  23. geewah
    Jan 12, 2021
    10
    Brilliant. Arguably better than the first season, which is saying something.
    Must see TV.
  24. DunyG
    Apr 4, 2021
    10
    It's so tense and hilarious at the same time! The characters have so much depth and it just gets better!

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best TV Season of 2019
25
#25 Most Discussed TV Season of 2019
7
#7 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Vanity Fair
    Reviewed by: Sonia Saraiya
    Apr 3, 2019
    85
    The unique excellence of the second season, at least in the three episodes released to critics, is how adroitly Hader and co-creator Alec Berg find ways to raise the stakes for Barry while keeping the show’s tone darkly amused.
    Read full review
  2. CNN
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Mar 29, 2019
    90
    Mostly, the show deftly juggles a variety of tones, managing to be funny, quirky and intense all at once, while again showcasing Henry Winkler in his brilliant, Emmy-winning role as the acting teacher who keeps pressing Barry to tap into his dark side.
    Read full review
  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Inkoo Kang
    Mar 29, 2019
    70
    In the new season, Barry’s morose self-introspection (and self-pity) becomes hard to stomach, but at least the rest of the show’s characters gain histories in satisfying new ways.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »