The conclusion of Season 2 was a cliffhanger. Fuchs (Stephen Root), Barry’s (Bill Hader) former murder broker who has turned against him, showed Barry’s acting teacher and mentor Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler) the body of his missing girlfriend, Det. Janice Moss (Paula Newsome), whom Barry murdered at the end of Season 1 after realizing he was the killer she was pursuing.

Gene recalled what Fuches murmured in his ear as he showed him Janice’s body in the final moments of Season 2: “Barry Berkman did this.” As a result, Season 3 will introduce a new and direct rivalry between Barry and Gene.

Apart from that, little is known about what will happen in “Barry” Season 3 or when it will air on HBO and HBO Max. However, the statements made by Hader and company regarding the future of “Barry” are quite promising. Here is what we currently know.

When Will Barry Season 3 Be Released?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Barry” was renewed for a third season while the second was still airing. Season 3 would have premiered in 2020 if not for the COVID-19 epidemic, but the timetable was modified and the third season did not begin filming until early this year, Deadline reports.

However, Henry Winkler contradicted that claim in March, assuring The Hollywood Reporter that he will return to “Barry” this summer, leaving us uncertain about the shooting timetable at this point.

Whatever happens, there is no premiere date set yet, and given HBO’s current slate of shows and this specific show’s somewhat late production resumption during the pandemic, it appears doubtful that the show would screen in 2021. However, we shall see.

The good news is that Hader, co-creator Alec Berg, and team writers wrote the entirety of Season 4 during their production downtime. Hader revealed to Seth Meyers in January that they wrote the fourth season during quarantine, even though it had not been formally greenlit. And, despite the lack of an official renewal, HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys believes “Barry” is quite likely to receive a fourth season.

“Typically, we don’t pick up things until they air, but if I had to guess, I’d say yes,” Bloys told Deadline.

What’s the Plot of Barry Season 3?

Regarding the plot, it will almost certainly pick up where Season 2 left off, with Barry dealing with Gene discovering his true identity, the fallout from single-handedly slaughtering a temple full of Chechen, Burmese, and Bolivian gangsters, his evolving relationship with Sally, and potential advancement in his acting career following an audition that impressed director Jay Roach.

Hader explained to TV Guide following the Season 2 finale that he didn’t want the program to devolve into a succession of comedic “near-misses,” and hence needed Gene to discover Barry murdered Janice. However, he had no idea what would happen next. “So that is how [Season 3] will begin,” he explained.

“‘What happened to Moss?’ was the first day of writing Season 2. We had no idea what had happened to Moss. And then, I’m sure, in Season 3, we’ll say, ‘OK, we dealt ourselves a bad hand here,’ but I believe the first thing we’ll say is, ‘How is Barry emotionally?’ And, more importantly, where is Cousineau and what is he doing with this information?’ and so forth.”

Who’s in Barry Season 3’s Cast?

All of the primary characters from “Barry” are expected to return. That includes Bill Hader as former Marine-turned-hitman-turned-aspiring actor Barry Berkman, Henry Winkler as acting teacher Gene Cousineau, Sarah Goldberg as Barry’s narcissistic girlfriend Sally Reed, Stephen Root as Barry’s nemesis Monroe Fuches, and Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank, the fan-favorite genial Chechen mobster who simply wants to be Barry’s best friend.

Apart from that, it’s difficult to predict who will return for Season 3. Cristobal (Daniel Irby), the Bolivian cocaine boss, escaped Barry’s bloodbath at the end of Season 2, so we may see him again. Perhaps some of Gene’s classmates, such as D’arcy Carden, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Darrell Britt-Gibson, who was Daniel Kaluuya’s Oscars guest, will return.

Or will we learn what happened to Lily (Jessie Giacomazzi), the young girl who looked to be possessed by the soul of a “feral mongoose” in the episode “Ronny/lily” and vanished into the night? Wouldn’t we rather not?

Season 3 has not yet been confirmed with any new series regulars or guest stars.

How to Watch Barry

In Barry, Bill Hader

Bill Hader first gained notoriety during his eight-year run on Saturday Night Live (2005–2013), as well as appearances in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Superbad, Tropic Thunder, Adventureland, and Trainwreck. While he displayed a darker side in the 2014 film The Skeleton Twins, Barry was a completely different ballgame for the actor.

As Barry Berkman, Hader not only gets to play a familiar fish-out-of-water role as an assassin attempting to reset his life by becoming an actor, but he also adds an emotional weight and surprising darkness to the character as he battles past trauma and wrestles with what may be his innate sense of violence. Anyone who has watched the show understands why he was nominated for two Emmys for his work.

Hader’s contribution to the series extends beyond his on-screen work. He is also a co-creator and co-writer alongside Alec Berg, as well as a director of many episodes. According to Collider, Hader will direct five episodes of Barry season three.

Barry Season 2 Recap

Barry season 2 begins with Barry attempting to continue improving as an actor while still enjoying his new relationship with Sally. However, external variables such as Fuches, NoHo Hank, and the fact that he murdered Detective Janice Moss (who also happened to be Gene’s girlfriend) complicate matters.

NoHo Hank, the Chechen mob’s top head, seeks Barry’s assistance in attempting to eliminate a new threat to his relationship with the Bolivian mob leader. When Barry refuses, Hank attempts but fails to assassinate him. Barry eventually agrees to assist him by teaching his team but states that this is the last thing he will assist him with.

Meanwhile, Fuches seeks to deceive Barry by collaborating with the authorities to get him to admit to murdering Moss. When he does (hoping for the same relief he felt when he told Gene about killing a civilian during his Marine days), Detective Loach intends to blackmail Barry into killing his ex-new wife’s partner rather than arresting him.

He receives more than he bargained for from the boyfriend and his daughter, both of whom are master martial artists, but both the boyfriend and Loach perish in the encounter.

Sally returns to acting class and attempts to get the attention of talent agencies with a speech on her past marriage. Sally initially portrays herself as someone who stands up to her abusive ex-husband, but ultimately performs the painful reality of the scenario that caused her to become more submissive.

The emotion she elicits catches the attention of a talent agent, who requests that she perform the piece for a 400-seat theatre. When the time comes for that performance, she withdraws and reverts to the scene in which she confronts her ex.

Gene is also caught in the crossfire of Barry and Fuches’ relationship. Fuchs, posing as a private investigator, leads Gene into the woods and shows him Moss’s body, which he discovered and placed in the trunk of a car. He whispers something into Gene’s ear and then calls the cops as Gene, confessing to murdering Moss.

Barry goes to the scene after knowing Gene was with Fuches, but Gene has already been arrested. Barry is still able to place a Chechen pin Hank provided him next to the body, which ultimately exonerates Gene because the authorities now assume the crime was committed by a gang.

However, Fuches was not finished. He attempts to unite all of the gangs, but when Hank informs Barry that he is collaborating with Fuches, Barry erupts into a passion and strikes the Buddhist temple where they are all congregating, killing almost everyone except Hank and Fuches, who escapes.

Gene awakens with a start in the dying seconds, and it is revealed what Fuches told him when he examined Moss’ body, “Barry Berkman did this.”