Over a long awards season, nothing becomes more anticipated than a guild honors ceremony where an upset or two may occur. Before the envelopes were even opened, the 2024 ASC Awards were destined for “surprising” winners off the nominees alone. Oh, except for “Oppenheimer.” Yes, Hoyte van Hoytema won the Theatrical Feature Film category on his third nomination. The upsets? That was almost everything else.

READ MORE: “Oppenheimer,” “The Last of Us” and “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” rules 2024 ACE Eddie Awards

Were you thinking “The Bear,” which has won basically every award possible for the past four months, would take the Half-Hour Series Award?

Continue reading ‘Oppenheimer’ & ‘Barry’ Top 2024 ASC Cinematographer Awards at The Playlist.

Television feels like it’s at a turning point at the end of 2023. The form has said goodbye to some of its heaviest critical darlings, including losing HBO Emmy juggernauts “Succession” and “Barry,” along with the too-soon demise of FX’s “Reservation Dogs.” It really felt like there was a question of where TV goes next … and then it went nowhere.

Continue reading The 20 Best TV Shows Of 2023 at The Playlist.

While James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy” is ramping up casting and adding a lot of superheroes to the mix, the writer/director reassured fans on Threads yesterday that “The primary story most definitely revolves around Superman and Lois.”

READ MORE: ‘Superman: Legacy’: Nathan Fillion To Play A Green Lantern; Isabela Merced & Edi Gathegi Nab Superhero Roles Too

Still, after yesterday, with the announcement of Nathan Fillion (“Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.

Continue reading ‘Superman: Legacy’: ‘Barry’ Star Anthony Carrigan Lands DC Hero Role Of Metamorpho at The Playlist.

Does anyone else think it’s a little quiet out there? And it’s not just because the writers are on strike. After a few years of almost too much television to watch, especially around Emmy deadline season, the first half of 2023 has been relatively… quiet. Part of it is the decline of one-time critical darlings from the peak of the TV mountain with new seasons of “Yellowjackets” and “Ted Lasso” falling short of viewer expectations.

Continue reading The Best TV Of 2023…So Far at The Playlist.

Based on the number of television shows going into production, “Peak TV” is technically on the wane. Judging by the three programs HBO is currently releasing on Sunday nights – “Succession,” “Barry” and “Somebody Somewhere – there has not been a discernible drop in quality. Not yet, anyway. That was even more apparent after tonight’s episode of “Barry” season four, “it takes a psycho,” where director Bill Hader and writer Taofik Kolade pull off a shocking bait and switch that is arguably one of the most heartbreaking moments of the entire series.

Continue reading ‘Barry’: Anthony Carrigan On NoHo Hank’s Shocking Choice [Interview] at The Playlist.

With “Barry” Season 4 officially debuting on HBO recently, it’s time to talk about the future. Well, the show doesn’t have much of a future, considering this is the final season. However, for star-writer-director-creator, Bill Hader, the success of “Barry” is likely going to be a huge help when he goes to a studio for his next project. And it appears that he already has ideas about what projects he’d like to make next.

Continue reading Bill Hader Has Ideas For Films He’d Like To Direct Next Including A “’Barry’-Like” Horror at The Playlist.

Not to be a downer, but “Succession” isn’t the only great show ending this spring. Bill Hader and Alec Berg‘s genre-breaking dramedy “Barry” is also coming to a close with its fourth season. And like its HBO stablemate, there are massive surprises and “must-see” episodes that will set social media buzzing. The program’s end also means saying goodbye to one of the best portrayals on television this decade, Henry Winkler as Hollywood acting teacher Gene Cousineau.

Continue reading ‘Barry’s’ Final Season: Henry Winkler Revisits The Delusion Of Gene Cousineau [Interview] at The Playlist.

While “Succession” crowds headlines with the unexpected twists of its final season, Barry Berkman is right around the corner, waiting to do the same to HBO subscribers. The cable king is losing two of its all-time biggest critical darlings this year as the final season of “Barry” premieres on April 16th with two episodes before its final run of six. Like “Succession,” this is a show that’s relishes taking thematic and tonal risks, and it similarly pushes its characters to a breaking point in this final season, leaving few doors open for a return.

Continue reading ‘Barry’ Season 4 Review: The Final Season of HBO’s Hit Comedy Pushes Characters To A Violent Conclusion at The Playlist.

April is an unrelenting month of releases, with television seemingly adding on new series or returns every other day. While tough to keep track of it all, there’s still a list of those we think are best prioritized. There are two returning Apple TV+ series, a new show starring Steven Yeun, two adaptations of ’80s thrillers, the finale of an HBO critical darling, and smaller, off-the-beaten-path picks that are still worthy of note.

Continue reading 16 April TV Shows To Watch: ‘Barry,’ ‘Dead Ringers,’ ‘Beef,’ ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ & More at The Playlist.

There is only one major question when it comes to the 2023 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series: Can anyone stop a “Ted Lasso” threepeat? Like “Veep” between 2015 and 2017, “Modern Family” between 2010 and 2014, and “30 Rock” between 2007 and 2009, the Apple TV+ phenomenon is attempting to become just the fourth series to win the category three years in a row.

Continue reading Comedy Series Emmys 2023 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

HBO’s been pulling a lot of shockers lately. Or at least, the showrunners of series’ on HBO have. First, out of nowhere, HBO’s hit drama series, “Succession” announces very last minute that season four is its last—surprise!— and another shocker just a few weeks later was that Bill Hader’s comedic assassin thriller, “Barry” was calling it quits. Hader had long said that season four was written during the pandemic and then would be tweaked, but it was long ahead of schedule, and he suggested it would at least hit a fifth season.

Continue reading ‘Barry’ Season 4 Trailer: HBO’s Lovable Killer Tries To Convince Himself He’s A Good Person In The Final Season at The Playlist.

Recently, it was revealed that one of HBO’s most celebrated series, “Succession,” would be ending its run after the new fourth season. Well, HBO is actually going to be saying goodbye to another acclaimed, award-winning show this spring, as “Barry” comes to an end after its fourth season.

READ MORE: The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2023

As seen in the teaser for Season 4, “Barry” picks up after the surprising events of Season 3.

Continue reading ‘Barry’ Final Season Trailer: Bill Hader’s Emmy-Winning Comedy Series Is Ending With The Upcoming 4th Season at The Playlist.

Yes, we’ve covered the Best TV of 2022, and we’ve covered the Most Anticipated TV of 2023 (and there may or may not be Best Performances, we’re running out of gas), but with such an amazing year of television— given the streaming age of #TooMuchContent has given us a massive overflow of TV— we couldn’t help, but try and highlight more deserving work with the Best Episodes of TV too. 

READ MORE: The Best TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2022

This list may be seen as highly subjective, and that’s ok, aren’t they all?

Continue reading The Best Episodes Of TV In 2022 at The Playlist.

Two years ago, Bob Iger pointed to the rafters and said, the future of our business is on streaming and Disney+. By then, everyone had a streaming service or one in the works, and it ushered in the age of #TooMuchContent. However, as we know, after the Wall Street Netflix crash of April 2022, which impacted the entire industry as the stock market totally reevaluated the worth of all streaming services, things are changing.

Continue reading The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2023 at The Playlist.

The streaming age might be in flux as we speak. The biggest story of the year, without question​​—which maybe some people don’t recognize as the biggest story of the year, but trust us, it was— was the Netflix stock crash of April 2022. After years of flying high, Wall Street suddenly turned on Netflix, turned on streaming, and started rethinking their evaluations of the profit margins on streaming. This news rocked the film and TV industry.

Continue reading The Best TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2022 at The Playlist.

The most crowded season in television history just came to a close for Emmy voters, leaving professionals scrambling to figure out how to dig out from the weight of so many new and returning shows. Programs that had been delayed because of COVID like “Atlanta” and “Barry” came roaring back, and all of the major networks and streamers seemed to invest in the Limited Series game. The result was a sense that television had become almost overwhelming, making it harder than ever to hear the best voices through all the noise.

Continue reading The Best TV Of 2022… So Far at The Playlist.

In today’s episode of Bingeworthy, our revitalized TV and streaming podcast, co-hosts Mike DeAngelo and Rodrigo Perez dive into HBO Max’s beloved series, “Barry” from Bill Hader and Alec Berg. The show follows a hitman named Barry (Bill Hader) who stumbles into an acting class on the job and finds a real passion for theater. As the lines between his life as a hired killer and as an actor begin to blur, Barry must do all he can to keep his new life afloat without anyone finding out about his dark past and other, more deadly pursuits (read our Season 3 review here). 

After our hosts discuss the show, actor Anthony Carrigan stops by to talk about bringing everyone’s favorite Chechen mobster, Noho Hank, to life.

Continue reading ‘Barry’: Anthony Carrigan Talks Becoming Noho Hank & ‘Barry Season 3 [Bingeworthy Podcast] at The Playlist.

Created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader, HBO’s Emmy Award-winning “Barry” continues to be such a deceptively smart show about the human condition, while also being one of television’s funniest half hours. And the good news is that it picks up after a three-year hiatus as if no time has passed at all. It’s still one of the sharpest comedies on TV.

“Everybody deserves a second chance.”

“That’s not how it works.”

The main theme of the brilliant third season can be summarized in that exchange: second chances, and how people are led to believe that it’s up to them when they get to take them.

Continue reading ‘Barry’ Season 3 Review: Bill Hader’s Brilliant Hitman Series Remains The Sharpest Comedy On TV at The Playlist.

You have to keep your eye out for it because it is an action sequence with a lot of quick cuts, but there’s one rather peculiar object in the background of the convenience store shoot-out in “Grosse Pointe Blank” (which hit theaters 25 years ago). The items shot up and blown apart by contract killer Martin Blank (John Cusack) and the man who’s trying to kill him (Benny Urquidez) are your typical 7-11 fare: potato chips, sodas, sports drinks, breakfast cereals.

Continue reading ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ At 25: How A Knock-Off Became A Groundbreaker In The Assassin-In-Existential-Crisis Comedic Subgenre at The Playlist.

Hitmans with a conscience, trying to distance themselves from their moral wrongdoings are something you’ll see us get into a little bit deeper this week. Still, if we’re going to discuss the most morally-conflicted assassin these days, it’s none other than Bill Hader in “Barry.” And the third season of this Emmy-winning dark comedy series—which Hader directed all the episodes minds you returns Sunday, April 24, on HBO.

Continue reading ‘Barry’ Season 3 Trailer: Bill Hader Can’t Bury A Violent Dark Past Which Returns April 24 at The Playlist.

We continue to repeat ourselves, but it’s because it’s true —there’s a terrific amount of television coming out on a month-to-month basis currently, and so much of it looks so good it arguably borders on eating cinema’s lunch. While based on the prestige that follows it, we’re able to tell the absolute must-watches such as the return of fan and critic favorite series “Russian Doll,” “Barry,” and “Better Call Saul,” there are plenty more that are premiering in April that will also require time and energy.

Continue reading 15 TV Shows To Watch In April: ‘Slow Horses,’ ‘Tokyo Vice’ & ‘Barry’ at The Playlist.

HBO‘s fantastic action-comedy series “Barry” hasn’t aired since 2019, as the pandemic hit in early 2020 just after season two ended and threw a wrench into their plans to shoot season three. They ended up shutting down two weeks before the start of filming, with all of the season’s scripts written. Now, season three is finally on the way and the show’s star/creator Bill Hader is speaking about the delayed development/production, offering some insight on season four.

Continue reading ‘Barry’: Bill Hader Plans To Direct All Season 4 Episodes at The Playlist.

Bill Hader and Alec Berg have struck television gold with “Barry.” Since the pair’s co-created the series for HBO, it’s nabbed thirty Emmy nominations over its first two seasons and six wins, including an Outstanding Lead Actor victory for Hader. No wonder HBO renewed the show for two more seasons shortly after season 2 began in April 2019.

READ MORE: The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2022

Now, after a three-year COVID-induced hiatus, “Barry” returns for its third season.

Continue reading ‘Barry’ Season Three Trailer: Bill Hader Returns As The Emmy-Winning Conflicted Ex-Hitman This April at The Playlist.

It’s been almost three years since the second season of the Emmy-winning “Barry” graced our screens. Following pandemic shooting delays, the third go-around is finally in sight. If you were hoping that the series namesake might finally escape his past life series co-creator and star Bill Hader has some bad news for you. Speaking during a virtual Television Critics Association panel this past week, Hader deadpans, “Even more bad things” in Season 3.

Continue reading ‘Barry’: Bill Hader Jokes “More Bad Things Happen” In Season 3 [TCA] at The Playlist.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, though we do encourage you to read our intro and list of the Best TV Shows & Mini-Series of 2021, there is a lot of television out there and it’s only growing. And growing immensely. With the advent of the streaming age and then the super-charged streaming age of the last two/three years. In trying to catch up to Netflix, Disney+ launched November 2019, AppleTV+ and HBO Max weren’t far behind and now pretty much every company in movies and television has its own streaming network.

Continue reading The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2022 at The Playlist.