10 Greatest Original TV Heroes Of The Last Decade

7. Barry Berkman: Barry (2018- )

One of two decade late comers to this list, Barry’s 30 Emmy nominations in just 2 years make it somewhat of an aberration. Bursting onto the scene in March 2018, Barry was able to stand head and shoulders above its peers, even on notorious American heavyweight HBO.

SNL alumni Bill Hader’s titular Barry is a pretty complex guy. A trained killer with a chequered past, battling with depression and loneliness, who ends up finding comfort in the unexpected form of amateur theatre? Hell of a premise, I know.

Part of what has made Hader’s performance so memorable in this, is that he seems to be playing against type. SNL guys are usually famed for an uncontainable frenetic energy, broad strokes comedy and larger than life, caricatured performances. But in Barry, Hader has crafted a more complex character, playing deadpan whilst hinting at a depth of emotional instability still yet to be plumbed.

Barry’s first attempt at ‘acting’ on screen is a masterclass in wooden and tragically misjudged performance, something more of a skill than it is given credit for. There’s just something so strangely relatable about Barry; that hard to define, everyman character. To get that out of an emotionally unstable hitman is a hell of an achievement.

Season 1 built to a masterful conclusion and there was much trepidation from fans when season 2 launched last year. Having delivered such pathos and drama in the finale, questions were asked over whether a second season could recapture the magic. But going from a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes to season 2’s unblemished 100% score, tells its own story.

Delving even deeper into the dramatic heft of the story and allowing the darker elements of tragedy in the story time to breathe, Barry has gone from strength to strength and looks sure to be a name still on everyone’s lips in the decade to come.