Barry Berkman (Bill Hader, SNL) is a talented talented hit man who’s starting to get a conscience. However, his handler Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root) won’t let him leave the business…there’s too much money to be made. So Barry and Fuches head to L.A. for their latest job. Chechen mobster Goran (Glenn Fleshler) is relatively new to the Los Angeles area, and is eager to make a name for himself. When he discovers that his wife is cheating on him with a younger actor named Ryan, he has his first in command, NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan), arrange for Barry to eliminate him.

Barry follows Ryan to his acting class, which is taught by the charismatic, washed up actor Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). Barry starts reading Cousineau’s self-help book and participating in the class, and quickly falls in love with acting, seeing it as a new direction for his life. He bonds with the other members of the class, and starts to fall for star student Sally (Sarah Goldberg). For his first scene, Barry is partnered up with Ryan, and as he gets to know the guy, he becomes hesitant to go through with the hit. This doesn’t sit well with the Chechens, who decide it’s time to permanently cut ties with Barry. However, Fuches is able to convince them that they need Barry, and offers his services to Goran if he really wants to really make his name known—by making the first move against his rival and his Bolivian gangsters. So Barry finds himself trying to balance his life between these two worlds—doing the hit man work because he has to, and the acting class because he wants to. Barry sees a mirror between the tragic plays he is performing in class with his own life, and his constant struggle to become a better person. However, each time Barry tries to do the right thing, it just seems to put him deeper in trouble. Meanwhile, as police Detective Janice Moss (Paula Newsome) investigates a murder that Barry was involved in, she starts to get close to discovering his true identity.

Barry is a highly-entertaining series with a very unique blend of lighter humor and dark drama. While the series doesn’t provide constant laugh-out-loud moments, there is always this humorous undertone throughout the season, even when things get pretty dark and serious for Barry. For example, there is one scene early on when gangster Goran is torturing people in his garage one moment, and in the next he is asking his victims to quiet down because they may disrupt his daughter’s sleepover in the next room. While Barry is very talented at his job, it’s not something that he enjoys anymore. He doesn’t want to be a killer anymore, but as the series goes along, he is forced to make some very tough decisions in order to protect himself from others discovering the truth about him. Fuches is a like a father to Barry, but is more in the sense of the devil on his shoulder. Cousineau is like the dad Barry always wanted—someone who will encourage him in the new direction he wants to take his life. Bill Hader delivers a strong performance in both the comedic and dramatic sides of his character, making the viewer really invested in Barry and rooting for him, despite the fact that he’s a contract killer. Stephen Root and Henry Winkler are such talented, experienced actors, and have great chemistry with Hader. Their characters also have darker sides to them, and both actors are able to emote this while also getting the laughs.

Similar to the way that Barry is trying to change his life, so too are gangsters Goran and NoHo Hank. These two are trying to make a name for themselves in L.A., but are a bit dimwitted and naive, and allow Fuches to give them bad advice. They’ve seen too many movies, and have these overly ambitious grand plans that never seem to work out. They want to be these ruthless gangsters, but they get in way over their heads. These two are my favorite characters, and often steal every scene they are in.

As Barry thinks about what his life post-hit man could be, the series cuts away to fun daydream sequences, which often involve a future Barry with wife Sally and their children. Sometimes it’s not initially apparent that we are watching a daydream, but it becomes clear as wackiness starts to ensue. I enjoyed the fact that there is no particular visual style to differentiate these scenes from the rest of the show. This keeps the viewer invested in the story, wondering what is real and what isn’t, until things get a little too over the top that it’s obvious.

Overall, I really enjoyed this first season of Barry. The characters emotions and motivations feel real and grounded, which allows them to get a bit over the top with the humor. The series slowly builds its pace over the course of the first few episodes, before kicking into high gear. Similarly, the tone shifts in balance from more comedy to more drama and action as the season goes along. The story also takes some unexpected turns, which one wouldn’t typically expect in a comedy. The episodes tend to end on some big moment or reveal that makes you eager to see what happens next—which is very convenient when you have the entire season available to binge watch! I ended up watching this entire four-hour first season in a single sitting.

Unfortunately, HBO has chosen not to offer a Blu-ray release of the season, despite the fact the the series originally aired in HD on HBO. The picture quality of the DVD is somewhat disappointing, looking quite a bit duller and more washed out than the show’s original HD airings. It is less detailed and sharp—in one scene of a plane flying through the air, the DVD shows a lot of aliasing around the edges of the plane. The good news is that the DVD includes an HD digital copy, so those who would like to view the series in HD can utilize that. The audio track is likely the same as the one used on HBO. It provides clear dialogue, and makes nice use of the stereo and surround channels to bring the on-screen action to life. When Barry attends his first acting class, the viewer is surrounded by the sound of the audience/fellow students clapping at one another’s performances, and during shootouts and action sequences, bullets can be heard as they fly across the screen.

All eight episodes of the first season reside on a single DVD disc, which offers a Play All option. The disc also includes over 20 minutes of producer/cast Q&A’s, and is packed in a standard DVD keepcase without a slipcover. Inside is a sheet with digital copy redemption instructions.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (3:59:41)

• All 8 episodes of the first season:
  “Chapter One: Make Your Mark”, “Chapter Two: Use It”, “Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice”, “Chapter Four: Commit…To You”, “Chapter Five: Do Your Job”, “Chapter Six: Listen With Your Ears, React With Your Face”, “Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast, and Keep Going”, “Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth”
• 480p / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Digital HD (Redemption Deadline 12/31/2023):

• Ultraviolet Digital HD Copy redeemable via Vudu or FandangoNow.
• HD Digital Copy redeemable via iTunes or Google Play.

Extras:

• The World of Barry (3:41)
  The cast members talks about the series and the characters they portray. Participants include executive producer Alec Berg, and stars Henry Winkler (“Gene Cousineau”), Anthony Carrigan (“NoHo Hank”), Stephen Root (“Fuches”), and Sarah Goldberg (“Sally Reed”).
• Inside the Episodes (18:30)
  Executive producers Bill Hader (“Barry”) and Alec Berg discuss the events of each episode. Play All, or select from:
  • Chapter One: Make Your Mark (2:01)
    The show’s premise and Barry’s foray into acting.
  • Chapter Two: Use It (2:04)
    The character of Fuches, and how he evolved from the original pilot.
  • Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice (2:09)
    The collision of Barry’s two worlds, and Barry’s daydreams.
  • Chapter Four: Commit…To You (2:03)
    How Barry’s attempts to fit in socially put him in danger.
  • Chapter Five: Do Your Job (3:03)
    The correlation between the story of Macbeth and Barry’s own life; a fun behind-the-scenes story about eating in scene; and behind-the-scenes footage of the stash house raid.
  • Chapter Six: Listen With Your Ears, React With Your Face (1:55)
    How each time Barry tries to do the right thing, he just makes things worse and escalates his problems.
  • Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast, and Keep Going (2:33)
    The tough decision Barry is forced to make; and working with Chris Marquette.
  • Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth (2:42)
    Riding the line between fantasy and suspense; the use of special effects; and working with Paula Newsome.
• Invitation to the Set (1:38)
  Behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producers Bill Hader & Alec Berg, and stars Stephen Root & Henry Winkler, who talk briefly about the series. This feature is only available on the digital copy.

Final Thoughts:

The first season of Barry was a pleasant surprise. The series is a lot of fun and is filled with some quirky characters, but also takes some surprising dark and dramatic turns. The season is highly bingeable, with each episode ending in such a way that makes you eager to see what happens next. Unfortunately HBO has only released the season on DVD, despite it originally airing in HD on HBO. The quality of the video presentation is a bit of a disappointment, and not up to par with the original HD airings. Fortunately, the DVD does come with an HD digital copy, so viewers can still watch the season in its original HD format. The disc also contains about 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast/producers. The release comes recommended based on the quality of the series itself.