Bill Haders' multi-award-winning show Barry has critics and audiences alike giving glowing reviews and staying on the edge of their seats every week. The mix of black comedy and drama has created a winning, compelling, character-driven show that is already earning its place in television history. It also stars beloved actor Henry Winkler, in a stellar supporting role as Barry's acting coach and mentor.
With season 3 of the show in full swing, fans of the show will soon be looking for something similar to watch to tide them over once it comes to an end. From quirky tragi-comedies to surrealist portrayals of African-American culture, there are lots of options for fans of Barry to binge.
Dexter
First on the list is Showtime's modern classic, and obvious choice, Dexter. Starring Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, the show is a darkly comic crime thriller that centers on blood splatter expert Dexter. The twist in the tale is that Dexter both solves crimes and commits them. A serial killer with a kind of conscience, Dexter only targets those guilty of crimes of their own.
The show is filled with mysteries, edge-of-the seat thrills, and unexpectedly tender character moments. Hall delivers an excellent performance as the conflicted killer, while his dry, questioning voice-over and inner monologue offer great insight into the mind of a killer. Running from 2006 to 2013, and with a recent revival called Dexter: New Blood, there is plenty of content to keep Barry fans occupied in between seasons.
Atlanta
Another comedian-created show currently making waves, Donald Glover's Atlanta is an exploration of the Atlanta rap scene but presented in a way audiences may not necessarily expect. Glover plays Earn, a Princeton dropout with no money looking to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter. His cousin, rapper Paper Boi, looks set to make it big. Earn sees him as his ticket to a better life for him and his daughter and becomes his manager.
Told in a surrealist, dreamy way, Atlanta tackles racism, existentialism, and the Black experience with humor and weirdness aplenty. Fans of Barry will appreciate the dark humor and intense relationships portrayed in the show, which will keep audiences glued to the screen with its transformative approach to tonal shifts and storytelling.
Russian Doll
Co-created by Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler, Russian Doll stars Lyonne as game developer Nadia Vulvokov. Nadia is attending her 36th birthday party when she dies and reawakens the next day, only to relive the night over and over in a time loop that restarts with every death she meets. As Nadia struggles to break the loop, she meets a man named Alan who is stuck in a time loop as well.
The show shifts tone with ease, blending humor and sadness with a striking main performance from Lyonne and a layered plot that will draw viewers in and keep them watching. The show's second season was released in April 2022 and got even more inventive with the time travel premise, seeing Nadia approaching her 40th birthday when she ends up in a different time and place. A third season is planned, but as yet, there has been no official renewal from Netflix.
Fargo
Inspired by the Coen brothers' 1996 film of the same name, Fargo is set in the same universe as the film. Each season of the show is set in a different time period with different characters. A black comedy, drama, and anthology series all in one, the show's four seasons showcase murder, mystery, and intrigue with complex characters. The show has everything fans of Barry will enjoy and more, with twists and turns audiences won't see coming.
The cast is absolutely stacked each season, with Martin Freeman, Kirsten Dunst, and Chris Rock being just a small fraction of the start who feature throughout the current run of episodes. Four seasons are currently available, and a fifth has been teased with a suitably mysterious question "When is a kidnapping not a kidnapping, and what if your wife isn't yours?"
Fleabag
Described as a tragicomedy, Fleabag is a British show created, written by, and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The show is actually adapted from Waller-Bridge' one-woman play that she performed at the Edinburgh Festival. The story follows the title character "Fleabag" as she navigates a difficult and strained family life after the death of her mother. Along the way, Fleabag breaks the fourth wall, addressing the audience and providing context and commentary.
At times hilarious and others devastating, Fleabag offers a true portrait of what a woman is and flies in the face of stereotypical feminine attributes. The show is raw and unfiltered, and despite first impressions, a love story. Outstanding performances and witty writing make this show stand out from the crowd.