HBOs Best Show Coming To An End After Its Next Season
Barry actor Anthony Carrigan recently reported that the dark comedy will come to a close following the upcoming fourth season.
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The HBO dark comedy Barry is ending after its fourth season, according to one of its stars. Screen Rant reports that Anthony Carrigan, who plays NoHo Hank on the show, has stated definitively that this season will be the last for its titular character and his associates. Although HBO has yet to comment, both the plot and comments from other actors, including star Bill Hader, seem to confirm that Barry’s story ends soon.
The show, which was co-created by Hader and Alec Berg, follows the titular character as he tries to escape a shady past as a hired assassin by taking acting lessons. His two worlds collide, however, as his past continues to catch up with him. The show also stars Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, and Henry Winkler.
Although HBO had already announced the fourth season, the third season saw Barry in handcuffs by the end, hinting that the skilled hitman would finally pay for his crimes. Henry Winkler and Bill Hader have both made comments that also led audiences to believe the show was already at its end, and since Hader is a co-creator, his insight into the future of the series holds a lot of weight. The confirmation from Anthony Carrigan is the latest of many updates that indicate the book will soon be closed for Barry.
Bill Hader has said that HBO’s Barry is not an idea that can last long without stretching the limits of plausibility. A character like Barry Berkman can easily wear out his welcome with audiences by eradicating the suspension of disbelief viewers have in his story, no matter how well the story is told. Barry himself is also a “bad guy,” like fellow villainous protagonists Walter White and Saul Goodman, and staying too long runs the risk of viewers losing interest in an abrasive character.
The HBO-produced Barry has earned Prime Time Emmy nominations and awards for its cast and production, including Best Actor nods to Bill Hader and Best Supporting Actor for Henry Winkler. It has won at least one Emmy in each of its seasons and earned 37 awards alongside 144 nominations. Critics and audiences love this show, rating it 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, critical acclaim is no reason to continue a show even for HBO beyond its premise. After a while, the situations become too zany and the action seems contrived rather than organic, which can hurt even the best shows. When a show goes on too long or gets carried away, usually that is what audiences and critics remember later, rather than its strong start.
Keeping the legacy of the show means wrapping its plots up tightly with the same quality of story craft that made its first three seasons so acclaimed. With only one more season on HBO, the writers and showrunners of Barry can end the story on a high note, before it falls into the patterns of other shows that went on too long. This can provide a satisfying ending for fans without sacrificing the integrity of the story.
HBO Max is streaming the first three seasons of Barry. The fourth, which consists of eight episodes, is predicted to be released weekly in April and May 2023. That gives new viewers plenty of time to catch up or introduce themselves to Barry before what very strongly appears to be his swan song.
