HBO’s forgotten crime series now a cult classic

A Cult Classic That Deserves More Attention

An incredible but overlooked crime series premiered on HBO just three years ago. While the show in question remains relatively obscure, it is already starting to become a cult classic among viewers. The show, Barry, premiered on HBO on March 25, 2018, before lasting for four seasons and ending its run on a conclusive note on May 28, 2023. During its five-year run, Barry surprisingly never garnered the same level of mainstream attention as other popular crime dramas like Breaking Bad and Ozark. With each new season, the show ensured that its quality never dwindled, and its critical reception also reflected the same. Barry currently boasts a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 98%. Given how it has been a while since Barry has wrapped its run, it is unknown whether the show will ever garner the popularity it deserves. However, after just three years, Barry already feels like a cult classic that all fans of crime dramas should watch.

Barry Is The Perfect Cult Classic TV Show

On paper, Barry should be nothing more than a bizarre comedy that focuses on the exploits of a hitman who hopes to become an actor. Throughout season 1, Barry also has some genuinely hilarious moments and action sequences that put Bill Hader and Henry Winkler’s comic timing on full display. However, as the series progresses, it soon turns into an existential character study that stays with you long after its credits start rolling. The disastrous consequences of each kill and how they take a psychological toll on Bill Hader’s character are brilliantly explored throughout the series. Despite taking these elements so seriously, Barry somehow manages to leave viewers with some incredibly funny action sequences that are both gripping and hilarious.

Perhaps the best example of this is one of the most iconic episodes from the show in which Barry gets trapped in a house with a taekwondo master and his seemingly feral daughter. As he struggles to kill the near-invincible martial artist, Barry’s journey as a hitman turns into an absurdly hilarious quest to survive. Even in the more serious moments of the show where Bill Hader is expected to capture Barry’s PTSD, the actor delivers an incredible performance. Interestingly, Hader also serves as the show’s co-creator alongside Alec Berg and has also directed some of its best episodes. This makes Barry an even more impressive achievement, showcasing Hader’s remarkable range as a writer, director, and actor.

Why Barry Never Received The Attention It Deserved

Surprisingly, despite having so much going in its favor, Barry never became a mainstream crime thriller. It fortunately got to end its run on a conclusive note. However, it is still hard not to question why a highly acclaimed series that premiered on HBO struggled to appeal to the masses. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons behind this is the show’s constant shift in tone. While it is impressive how the original HBO series shifts back and forth between its grittier and comical elements, its constantly changing tone neither makes it a typical crime thriller nor a conventional sitcom. Most viewers wish to know what they are watching before sitting down to binge a series, but Barry refuses to give any linear answers.

Barry also never gave viewers a conventional hero. In most anti-hero shows on TV, like Dexter and Breaking Bad, the morally skewed protagonist is given relatable traits to make him look rootable. However, in most of its arcs, Barry refuses to bend backwards and boldly portrays how almost none of its characters have any redeemable traits. By giving viewers no heroes to root for, Barry takes a major creative risk, holding the show back from being as appealing as other mainstream crime dramas. It is these unconventional elements in the HBO show, however, that allow it to etch its own identity in an overcrowded genre and build a solid cult following.