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Barry - Series Review

Where to Watch: Hotstar Premium

As far as comedies are concerned, I have seen a few silent movies of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Although many would classify their works under the "slapstick" tag, in my opinion, they are much better than "Modern-Day" slapstick comedies. I have also given a lot of sitcoms a run, only to leave them midway. 

If I was to recollect series that I have completed over the past decade, there are three of them that stand out! The first one is Dexter (2006-13) [although Dexter last aired in 2013, it has been renewed for another season scheduled to come out in 2021]. The second one is Breaking Bad (2008-13). The third, its spin-off series Better Call Saul (2015-present).  These series, although fall under the "Drama" tag, are also classified as "Black/Dark Comedies" ! So, I went about and searched for series having this brand of Comedy and I stumbled upon "Barry"!

Barry stars Bill Hader (who also serves as the director for a few episodes) as a former Marine who has turned into a Hitman. While scouting his target Ryan, he reaches Ryan's acting class, where his target convinces him to perform a scene with him. Although the scene goes far from perfect, Barry gets attracted to acting and reveals this to the acting coach Gene Cousineau. Barry tells Gene about how he wants to leave his life as a hitman and wants to do something different. Gene thinks that what Barry just said was "improv" and gives him another shot. The 16 episodes (spread evenly across two seasons) covers how Barry tries to become a full-time actor (a new season was due to be released in 2020, but has been delayed).

The initial few episodes are funny, although humor takes the back-seat when things get serious. There is one episode in season 2 that was a departure from the tone of humor which was set up in the whole series. I am aware of the audience that the show is trying to appeal to over here, but it did not strike a chord with me. There are a few interesting characters(NoHo Hank" watch out for him) and a lot of good scenes. Barry is intended for adults as is evident from its "TV-MA" certification. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for something refreshing.

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