Tensions run high in the trailer for Barry's third season

Barry’s back, and trouble’s brewing. Right on the heels of his latest murder, the eponymous Barry is looking to change his ways—but from the looks of the trailer for season three, old habits die hard.

In the third season, here’s where we find Barry (Bill Hader):

Desperate to leave his violent past behind in favor of his newfound passion, Barry (Hader) is attempting to untangle himself from the world of contract killing and fully immerse himself in acting. But getting out is messy. While Barry has eliminated many of the external factors that pushed him towards violence, he soon discovers they weren’t the only forces at play. What is it about his own psyche that led him to become a killer in the first place?

The Emmy-winning series has kept fans hankering for a third season since 2019, when the dark comedy capped off its second season with a steep cliffhanger. In our review of the second season finale, Vikram Murthi wrote:

A stellar finale written by Alec Berg and Bill Hader, “berkman > block” caps off a great season of television by masterfully tying off every loose end, even ones that were tossed off or buried, and seamlessly connecting the series’ two worlds, thematically and narratively. What’s most impressive is that it never once feels tidy or closed off. On the contrary, the airtight writing only amplifies the emotional messiness, illustrating how the characters’ actions can’t be reduced to psychologically pat explanations. People are driven by many conflicting passions, by both positive and negative behavior, by an overwhelming self-awareness and an irrepressible impulse. Berg and Hader go to great lengths to capture the internal contradictions and their unfortunate outcomes.

Alec Berg and Hader serve as the series’ co-creators, executive producers, directors, and writers. The third season will see Stephen Root return as Monroe Fuches along with Sarah Goldberg as Sally, Anthony Carrigan as Noho Hank, and Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau. This season’s recurring cast includes D’Arcy Carden as Natalie Greer and Michael Irby as Cristobal.

Barry returns to HBO on April 24.