Why Bill Hader's 'Barry' Is the Most Exciting TV Comedy of 2016
HBO picked up this Hader-run hitman/theater satire and I want it now.
Announced last month by Variety, SNL alum Bill Hader will be starring/producing/writing/directing for Barry, an HBO half-hour comedy pilot.
“The pilot centers around an ex-Marine (Hader) who works as a low-rent hitman in the Midwest. Lonely and dissatisfied in his life, he begrudgingly travels to Los Angeles to kill someone and ends up finding an accepting community in a group of eager hopefuls within the L.A. theater scene.”
What a perfect use for Hader’s diverse talents, and check out all the different hats he’s wearing on the show’s production. One thing we can be sure of from the start: This will absolutely be the show Bill Hader wants to make. The only other announced behind-the-scenes talent is the executive producer of Silicon Valley, Alec Berg.
Since the show’s announcement, a whole host of new cast members have been trickling in. Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Arrested Development) as Gene Cousineau, an inspiring acting teacher. He joins previously cast actors Sarah Goldberg (Hindsight), Glenn Fleshler (True Detective), and Anthony Carrigan (Gotham) in what is swiftly turning into a powerhouse comedic lineup.
The premise of hitman-turned-wannabe actor in L.A. opens so many doors, especially by balancing the failure of thespianism against the power of killing people recreationally.
Hader has written for South Park and taken minor roles in dozens of films, but last year’s Skeleton Twins and Trainwreck showed the range the actor possesses, and if we got a little of that Hader darkness in Barry, that makes it one hell of a show to look out for.
