Dexter’s Spiritual Successor on HBO was a much better TV show than Michael C. Hall’s 8-season series

Although Barry didn’t last that long DexterIt’s hard to deny that the HBO show’s spiritual successor was an all-around better series. It’s not uncommon for a sequel or prequel to outperform its predecessor. The Godfather Part 2 is probably better than The Godfatherand many critics claim so You better call Saul managed to trump breaking Bad in his final episodes. However, although Dexteris the prequel original sin And its upcoming revival proves that the series is still popular. It must be frustrating when a series is outdone by a series that merely shares its general premise.

Related

10 Moments We Stopped Loving Dexter Morgan

While viewers can still love Dexter Morgan despite his serial killing habits, other actions were just a step too far for audiences.

2018 Barry is not a sequel to Dexternor does it have anything to do with what is to come Dexter start anew resurrection. However, HBO’s Bill Hader vehicle shares many similarities with the previous Showtime hit. Based on the novel series of the same name by author Jeff Lindsay, Dexter is a darkly comic crime drama about a traumatized serial killer who only murders serial killers and adheres to a strict but entirely self-created moral code. In comparison Barry is another darkly comic drama about a traumatized killer trying to balance contract killing with his passion for acting.

How Barry was a spiritual successor to Dexter

Barry and Dexter both explored killer antiheroes with dark hearts

Both Dexter And Barry Focus on murderous title characters balancing their secret livesThey strive to improve themselves, but for various reasons cannot stop killing others. Barry And Dexter Share a pitch-black sense of humor and an uneven, nervous tone that takes some getting used to for new viewers. Both series are also about the title characters trying to hide their double lives from innocent people who, in their eyes, might one day help them lead a normal life. Barry is a spiritual successor of Dexterbuilding on the best qualities of the show.

Unfortunately for Dexterthat also means that Barry avoided the pitfalls of the earlier show. Where DexterThe infamous plot twists were occasionally frightening, Barry had a more down-to-earth tone that left plenty of room for drama and action, but rarely seemed unintentionally outlandish. Barry loved absurdity and dry humor, but never shied away from the harsh reality of killing Dexter tended in later seasons to glamorize the antics of its title character. While DexterThe smaller storylines contained ridiculous twists, Barry in later seasons, turned the series’ sharp satirical gaze on the series itself.

Dexter was great, but Barry was a much better TV show

Barry had a more complex and nuanced title character

While Dexter got sillier as the show went on, Barry become much darker. What started as a somewhat absurd comedy became an existential nightmare with only fleeting moments of comedic relief, but this gradual change in tone benefited the series. Barry did both Dexter And breaking Bad could notwhich begins as a bizarre crime drama with comedic elements and touches of real darkness and gradually turns into a pitch-black drama with some scenes of pure horror. Included Barry addressed real-world issues such as PTSD, addiction and trauma in a more nuanced way than Dexter.

Dexter was a fun show, especially because the show was so over the top, but BarryThe ending of ‘s proved that DexterThe infamous ending really was as bad as critics claimed. As opposed to Dexter, Barry gave its murderous anti-hero a tragic character arc that had a fitting, compelling conclusion. Dexter repeatedly refused to finally kill the series’ hero, but still wanted to stick to his high stakes Barry Important characters were often killed off to demonstrate the series’ commitment to treating violence with comparative realism. BarryThe edge of ‘s became sharper over time while DexterAs the show progressed, his edge became weaker.

Barry avoided the mistakes Dexter made with his ending

“Barry’s End” was a perfect conclusion to the acclaimed series

BarryBeginning as a broad comedy, the series was able to surprise viewers by gradually becoming darker and deeper while DexterThe strong start worked against the series’ later seasons. As viewers grew to believe in Dexter, the series went to ever sillier extremes to ensure his double life remained a secret. In contrast, Barry In season 4, Hader’s protagonist’s story became increasingly darker with each episode. Where the latter started as a silly show and became more serious, Dexter I took the opposite route.

Although Dexter had a lot to offer and the franchise remains popular after the upcoming additions. Barry was a sharper take on a similar theme. Barry‘s story is a perfect fit for anyone looking to replace her Dexterbut it’s hard to ignore how much more tonally coherent the series was than its more outwardly dramatic predecessor. For all DexterDue to the positive qualities, the show as a whole cannot compete with Hader’s magnum opus. Even as that Dexter Franchise expands its reboots and prequels, Barry remains a stronger engagement with the same morally ambiguous topics.

Your changes have been saved

My list

My favorite TV showsMy watchlist

Barry

Pour

Bill Hader, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, Henry Winkler, Stephen Root, D’Arcy Carden, Paula Newsome, Jessy Hodges, Robert Wisdom, Glenn Fleshler, Sarah Burns, Gary Kraus, Fred Melamed, Zachary Golinger, Patricia Fa’asua, Andrew Leeds, Rightor Doyle, JB Blanc, Nick Gracer, Turhan Troy Caylak, Tobie Windham, Andre Hyland, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Elsie Fisher, Charles Parnell, Christopher Marquette, Dale Pavinski, Miguel Sandoval, Laura San Giacomo

Release date

March 25, 2018

Seasons

4

network

HBO Max

Expand