HBO Renews Comedies ‘Silicon Valley’ and ‘Barry’

HBO has renewed rookie comedy Barry and veteran comedy Silicon Valley. Created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader, Barry launched its eight-episode first season March 25. Hader stars in the title role as a low-rent hitman from the Midwest who finds himself drawn into a community of acting students while on a hit job in LA.

A collaboration between Mike Judge and Alec Berg, Silicon Valley returned for its eight-episode fifth season March 25. The show takes a comic look at the epicenter of the high-tech gold rush, where the people most qualified to succeed are often the least capable of handling success.

Executive producers on Silicon Valley are Judge, Berg, Clay Tarver, Michael Rotenberg, Tom Lassally, Jim Kleverweis and Jamie Babbit.

“While Barry has delighted audiences with its deft interplay of comedy and drama, Silicon Valley remains as brilliantly and frighteningly prescient as ever,” said Amy Gravitt, executive VP, HBO Programming. “We’re thrilled that these two smart, funny shows are returning for another season.”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.