Catching up with Palisadians

The Post Goes Through Past Shows and Movies Featuring Locals

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Looking for something to watch while spending more time at home? While stay-at-home orders remain in place, the Palisadian-Post will supplement our Reel Pali section—which features an upcoming or recently released TV show or movie that includes a Palisadian—with a story that dives into any features and shows that also highlight Palisadians, no matter when it was released.

For our first week, I binged the first two seasons of HBO’s “Barry,” which features Marquez Knolls resident Bill Hader in the eponymous lead role.

Wow.

The dark comedy-crime television series, created by Alec Berg and Hader, premiered on March 25, 2018. It has since garnered 30 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, with Hader taking home the prize for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in both 2018 and 2019.

The only negative thing I have to say about the show is that there are only 16 half-hour episodes so far, so I was able to move through it too quickly.

The show follows Barry Berkman, a low-level hitman from Ohio who finds himself in Los Angeles for a job he does not want to complete. He follows the target to an acting class where he meets a community that resonates with him—including a potential love interest, Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg).

Season one delves into Barry’s world as he tries to get out of his hitman work, but his boss, Monroe Fuches, played by Stephen Root, does not make it easy.

The writing is smart—down to my personal favorite character, NoHo Hank, a hospitable Chechen gangster played by Anthony Carrigan. His input, mannerisms and actions stole each scene he was in. Favorite moments include text messages exchanged between Barry and Hank, which include emojis for flair.

“Barry,” which falls into action, comedy, crime and drama, is best watched after the kids go to bed, as it includes profanity and violence, as well as some scenes that are frightening and intense, earning it a TV-MA rating.

The premiere date for season 3 has not yet been revealed, but catch up on past episodes on Hulu, HBO Now, Amazon Prime and more.