HBO has officially renewed the dark-comedy series Barry for a fourth season. The award-winning series is currently airing its third season, starring SNL alum Bill Hader as a hitman turned actor seeking redemption.
Created by Hader and executive producer Alec Berg, HBO's Barry follows Barry Berkman, an ex-marine turned hitman who unexpectedly finds solace in an LA acting class taught by eccentric acting coach Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). The first season of Barry premiered on HBO in March 2018 and quickly received high praise from critics and audiences alike. Hader won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series twice, while Winkler won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in the first season. Supporting actors Sarah Goldberg and Stephen Root were also nominated in 2019, and Hader has also been nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.
In a press release, HBO confirmed that the critically acclaimed series would return for a fourth season. According to HBO's parent company WarnerMedia (now Warner Bros. Discovery), the fourth season will begin production in Los Angeles in June, with Hader directing all eight episodes. Regarding the news, HBO Programming's Executive Vice President Amy Gravitt said, “Bill, Alec, and the entire cast and crew delivered an exquisite third season of Barry, it’s a masterful blend of laughs and suspense. I’m so happy to announce that we are picking up the fourth season.”
Barry season 3 premiered on HBO on April 24th, with episodes airing weekly on HBO and HBO Max. The official synopsis for season 3 reads, "Desperate to leave his violent past behind in favor of his newfound passion, Barry (Hader) is attempting to untangle himself from the world of contract killing and fully immerse himself in acting. But getting out is messy. While Barry has eliminated many of the external factors that pushed him towards violence, he soon discovers they weren't the only forces at play. What is it about his own psyche that led him to become a killer in the first place? Season three finds Barry and the other characters trying to make the right choice." The final episode of season 3 will air on June 12th.
While season 3 of Barry is only halfway done, the events of the first four episodes have led many viewers to wonder if Barry is actually redeemable. The third season has shown Barry to be increasingly more unstable, even having him kidnap his one-time mentor and threatening his family. Episode 4 saw a systemic change for Barry, when his love interest, Sally (Goldberg), finally made the decision to end their relationship after being on the receiving end of a sudden violent outburst from Barry. It's hard to say what will happen in the last four episodes of season 3, but the news of a fourth season definitely confirms that Barry's story is far from over.
Barry season 3 airs Sunday nights on HBO and HBO Max.
Source: WarnerMedia