History Series / Barry

** Presumably also the case with her and Barry's production of ''Theatre/TheFrontPage'', taking a cue from the GenderSwap film adaptation ''Film/HisGirlFriday''.

* BaldOfEvil: [=NoHo=] Hank, who doesn't even have eyebrows.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Stovka, the badass assassin brought in by the Chechen mob in "Make the Unsafe Choice"...or rather the formerly badass assassin, as now he's just a gaunt old man with a vacant stare and a cane. When Fuches asks how old he is, Stovka says "Forty-five."

* AffablyEvil: NoHo Hank is a high-ranking member in a mob and has no qualms about murdering people and doing other criminal activity. He's also unfailingly friendly, polite, and helpful.
** The Bolivian crime boss Cristobal Sifuente also counts. He's a ruthless kingpin, but he's also very polite and genial. Right after telling Goran he's going to kill some of Goran's men as revenge for his own men that Goran got killed, he recommends several self-help books to Goran and even offers to buy them for him. He even says that he would have let Gornan in on his drug business if Goran had actually asked instead of just attempting to take it by force.

* TheseHandsHaveKilled: While Barry is a hardened combat veteran turned hardened hitman, his old buddy Chris is neither (Chris was in supply in the Marines). He breaks down in episode 1-7 after having to kill one of the Bolivians--and makes the big mistake of telling Barry about it.
* VerbalIrony: Tons of this at the end of episode 1-7, when Sally, ecstatic after Barry's emotional delivery of "My lord, the queen is dead" helps her to launch into a great rendition of the "tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" soliloquy, tells him that "you're a real actor" and that he should do whatever he did to prepare every time he has to act. Barry of course is suffering from RealLife hysterics after murdering his friend Chris.
* VillainProtagonist: Barry, who for all his attacks of conscience and his desire for a new career is still a ProfessionalKiller. This is brought home in Episode 1-7 in an excruciating sequence where Barry murders his friend Christ to stop Chris from going to the cops.

* BadBadActing: Happens a lot in the acting class. The truly awful Shakespeare class in "Do Your Job" is a standout.

* EnhanceButton: DiscussedTrope. When the detective brings the blurry picture (of Barry) to the class, they tell her that she should just use the Enhance Button like on ''Series/{{CSI}}''. The detective has to explain that the Enhance Button isn't real.

* ShoutOut: When Barry first goes into the acting class, Sally is doing Creator/JulianneMoore's pharmacy monologue from ''Film/{{Magnolia}}''. ("Don't you call me lady!"). Then Barry and Ryan do a scene from ''Film/TrueRomance''.

* BaldOfEvil: NoHo Hank, who doesn't even have eyebrows.

Hader plays Barry, a veteran of the Afghanistan war who now works as a hit man. He is clearly being stressed out by the job of murdering people, suffering from depression and lack of sleep. His depression is not helped when he's sent out to Los Angeles for a job and he finds out that his latest target isn't the usual criminal dirtbag, but rather a fitness instructor who's having an affair with a {{Mafiya}} kingpin. Barry follows the fitness instructor around and winds up tailing him to--an acting class. Barry is bit by the acting bug, and decides to change his life.

* DawsonCasting: InUniverse. In "Make the Unsafe Choice" Sally is pretty upset to find herself auditioning to be the mom of another actres that is the same age.

* BlackComedy: A sitcom about a hit man trying to make it as an actor. In one episode, one of the Chechens sends Barry a text that says "KILL PACO!", and then confetti rains down in Barry's phone.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Stovka, the badass assassin brought in by the Chechen mob in episode 1-3...or rather the formerly badass assassin, as now he's just a gaunt old man with a vacant stare and a cane. When Fuches asks how old he is, Stovka says "Forty-five."

* BlackComedy: A sitcom about a hit man trying to make it as an actor.

* ShowerOfAngst: Barry is in obvious distress after completing a job in premiere episode "Make Your Mark", leaning against the wall of the shower with his eyes closed.

Creator/StephenRoot plays Fuches, Barry's uncle and his agent in criminal affairs, who is none too thrilled about Barry pursuing a new career. Henry Winkler plays the teacher of Barry's acting class.