It started with an amusing premise. What if an ace hitman (a profession that relies on restrained emotions) had a depressive mid-life crisis and found unexpected comfort in the kill-or-be-killed world of acting (where your emotions are key)? Through Bill Hader's excellent lead performance, as well as his newfound writing and directing talents, the Emmy-winning actor co-created one of the finest shows on television, proving the depths of Hader's superb skills. It's certainly, ahem, a killer comedy. Along with great supporting turns from Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, and Henry Winkler, who also won a much-deserved Emmy for his portrayal of Gene Cousineau, Barry Season 3 is much-anticipated, though it has faced some unexpected hurdles throughout this difficult year. Here's what we know about the long-awaited third season.
Barry Season 3 Was Previously Prepared To Film In March 2020 Before COVID-19 Shut Everything Down
Like many shows throughout this troublesome year-plus, Barry has faced its fair share of woes. In March 2020, Hader and his team of fellow actors were huddled together, doing script readings and preparing for filming, when they got the call from the higher-ups that Season 3 would need to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production halted on March 18th, and it stayed shut down for months. The start date remained in limbo until recently, as Henry Winkler noted in a CBS News interview, and it found itself in an uncertain state for a long time — just like, you know, everyone else in the world.
Bill Hader, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, And Henry Winkler Will Reprise Their Roles
As the star and main creative force behind Barry, it was a given that Bill Hader would reprise his title role in this highly-acclaimed HBO show. Thankfully, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, and Henry Winkler are also confirmed for Season 3 (and presumably 4). Given how high tensions have escalated between all these characters in Season 2, it would be extremely disappointing if these five actors couldn't reprise their award-winning/nominated parts. Thankfully, they're all coming back for another round.
Barry’s Fourth Season Is Already Written
In lieu of production being withheld for over a year, Bill Hader and Alec Berg have been sitting around, waiting for the chance to film the latest season of their acclaimed show. Rather than twiddle their thumbs and stall indefinitely, the showrunners went ahead and wrote the next season, which hasn't even been greenlit yet (officially, at least). Certainly, Hader and his team have big plans for the future. Thankfully, the wait between Seasons 3 and 4 won't be nearly as long as the delayed (and unforeseen) gap between 2 and 3.
Here's what Bill Hader said on Late Night with Seth Meyers:
Season 3 is completely written and ready to go, and during this time we actually went and wrote Season 4, so we have both of those kind of done. We’re just waiting until we can start shooting again.
Anthony Carrigan Claims There’s ‘Really Dangerous Stuff’ Ahead
Barry's journey has been fraught with tensions, terrors, and fits of violence, vengeance, and murder. The second season only amplified his path of destruction. Sure enough, we can only expect things to get bleaker from this point forward, and Anthony Carrigan echoed that sentiment. In an interview with PopCulture.com, the actor claimed that the new scripts were emotional to read. While he didn't specify why, Carrigan noted that there's "really dangerous stuff" ahead. Of course, he also argued that "the dangerous stuff makes for the most incredible stuff." We'll have to wait to see what dangers lie ahead, but there's no doubt that Barry Block will leave a savage, deadly trail in his wake.
Barry Seasons 3 And 4 Are Shooting Now...Reportedly
Season 3 was ripped and ready to go when HBO had to suspend production due to the pandemic. During that lull, Bill Hader and his team were left with more time than they anticipated, so it makes sense that Season 4 is already written as well. In fact, Season 3 might have been rewritten, for all we know, to accommodate this newest batch of scripts. With two seasons of television ready to go, it was just a matter of playing the waiting game, but it appears that the wait is finally over. Barry Seasons 3 and 4 are reportedly in the midst of filming, even though the fourth season hasn't been officially announced, and we should expect them to premiere sometime in the next year or two.
As for when these seasons started filming, we have a few conflicting reports. Deadline claimed back in February that Barry was shooting again, but Bleeding Cool reported that Seasons 3 and 4 didn't start filming until the last week of July. Wires have been crossed a bit, it would seem, but it's safe to assume that Barry is back in action again.
Season 3 Is Going To Be ‘Terrifying’ And ‘Fucked Up’, According To Bill Hader
For the time being, Bill Hader is keeping a tight lip as far as what we can expect from the next season of his hit HBO dramedy. Certainly, things weren't looking too good for Barry, especially with Gene aware of his student's criminal activity, and we can only expect some more dark avenues to be pursued in the months to come. Indeed, even before Season 3 was written, Hader let us know back in 2019 that this season was going to be "terrifying" and really "fucked up," especially with Barry unleashing his true dark side in Season 2's violent finale. Things will only get worse before they get better.
Here's what Bill Hader said to the press after his recent Emmy win (via THR):
We never look at it in terms of comedy and drama. We’re just trying to tell the story as honestly as we can, and I think, just by virtue of the guy being a murderer, it’s going to get really dark…Season 3, we just kinda met for the first time last week, and yeah, it’s really fucked up. [laughs] It’s really terrifying.
Sarah Goldberg Wants Sally To ‘Go Darker’ In Barry Season 3
If you've watched the first two seasons of Barry, you know that a lot of fucked-up shit goes down in these 16 episodes. Outside of a few exceptions, however, Sally's storyline is comparatively a lot brighter. Though she must often face the harsh realities of what it means to be an actress in Hollywood, Sally's plucky, if self-centered, aspirations can be a nice (if sad) juxtaposition to Barry's brooding, bleak existence. That said, if Sarah Goldberg has her way, that's gonna change real soon. In an interview with THR, the Emmy-nominated actress claimed that she wants more "complexity" and darkness in her character's future. Goldberg thinks it would be interesting to see Sally unravel a bit as her ambitions are closer to her reach, and she's not wrong, necessarily. Having a Gena Rowlands-esque breakdown would shake things up a bit, to say the very least.
Here's what Sarah Goldberg said:
I just want to keep pushing for complexity, and I would like to even go darker. Where we left things off was, ‘Here is the moment when she’s getting everything she thought she’d ever wanted, but actually, the cost is too high.’ It would be interesting to explore the idea of achieving the success we think we want, but without being fully cooked, without being mentally healthy… I want Gena Rowlands. I want to go the whole way! I want A Woman Under the Influence. I want all of it!
You can stream Barry Seasons 1 and 2 on HBO Max. Follow CinemaBlend for more 2021 fall TV updates.
