In May 2022, HBO renewed Barry for a fourth season. But are there plans for the dark comedy crime series to continue in a fifth season? Here’s everything we know about the future of the critically acclaimed drama.
Is there a 5th season of Barry?
In an interview with Variety published in March 2023, series star Bill Hader confirmed that there will be no Barry season 5.
Is Barry going to have a season 4?
Yes. As mentioned above, Barry is going to have a season 4. Barry season 4 was first ordered by HBO in May 2022, but it was only in March 2023 that it was revealed that it’s going to be the final season.
Did Barry get cancelled?
Yes. Barry got cancelled. But unlike most TV shows that were abruptly cancelled due to low viewership, the decision to end the series came from Hader himself. Aside from playing the show’s titular character Barry Berkman, Hader is also one of the creators of the series, along with Alec Berg. Both also serve as executive producers and directors of the show.
Although Barry’s ultimate fate has already been decided, the show is far from over, as the eight-episode final season has yet to premiere.
Why is Barry ending?
Hader shared in his interview with Variety that “a very clear ending” for Barry “presented itself” when they were writing its fourth season. So, even though they were capable of creating new stories to keep the show going, Hader decided to just go for it.
“I feel like the story naturally ends after season 4,” Hader remembered telling Amy Gravitt at the start of filming for Barry season 4 in the summer of 2023. For those who are familiar with Gravitt, she is the executive vice president of HBO comedy programming, who has worked with Hader on the series since its inception in 2018.
Although Gravitt was shocked when Hader broke the news to her, she reportedly respects Hader’s decision and trusts that it is the best for the show. “Every decision that he’s made about the story, or the jump between seasons, has made sense — so I had to go with his gut on that,” said Gravitt, when asked about Hader’s decision to end Barry with season 4. “Obviously, now that we’re here, we’re feeling sentimental about it. But it really does feel like it’s the right time to finish the show.”
While some viewers think that Barry should have ended with season 3, Hader feels that a season 4 is necessary to conclude the series properly. “There are still so many questions with the other characters, and with Barry — and there’s so many things unsaid,” explained Hader. “What happens in season 4 is structurally radical in some ways, but it made sense for what I think the characters needed to go through, and what I think the whole show is always kind of headed towards.”
What will happen in Barry season 4?
Plot details about Barry season 4 are scarce, but it will open with Barry in prison after he was finally arrested for the murder of Janice Moss (Paula Newsome) in the season 3 finale.
Without giving away spoilers, Hader teased that there’s something that happens in Barry season 4 that is “kind of strange, though thematically it makes a lot of sense.” When pressed more about it, he told Variety, “You’ll notice it! It’s fun. It was a lot of fun, but it was also incredibly bittersweet.”
Barry season 4 trailer
The official trailer for Barry season 4 has yet to be released, but HBO dropped a teaser for the upcoming season in March 2023.
Set to the song After the Lights Go Out by the Walker Brothers, the teaser starts with Barry making a series of phone calls inside the prison. This is followed by a brief scene of his former friend and mentor Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler) telling him meaningfully, “Hey Barry — I got you.” The video then cuts to Barry seemingly hallucinating in the prison yard, imagining watching Gene, his hitman handler Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root), and his ex-girlfriend Sally (Sarah Goldberg).
In the latter half of the video, we see a worried-looking Sally stepping onto a set, Jim Moss (Robert Wisdom) approaching Gene in his dressing room, Noho Hank (Anthony Carrigan) walking with purpose, Fuches smirking, a gun-wielding Gen looking scared, and Barry punching a wall. The teaser ends with a beaten-up Barry growling into the phone, “So help me God, if I get out of here, I’m coming for you.” But who is he talking to? Watch the teaser below:
Barry season 4 release date
The eight-episode Barry season 4, which was entirely directed by Hader, is set to premiere on Sunday, April 16th, 2023 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO. Although the season 4 premiere is just a month away, Hader admitted to Variety that filming for the season is not yet done.
“Well, it’s ongoing — we’re doing reshoots! It isn’t a bad thing,” said Hader. “A lot of times when we go back and reshoot stuff, it’s for clarity. It [Barry] has so many twists and turns, and people’s allegiances change, and things like that, that it can be confusing.”