SMay 28: Mark it for posterity. This weekend marks the end of an era for television. On HBO in the US, Sky and NOW in the UK, heir will end, after four seasons. The comedy-drama, about the fierce power struggles between a family of media moguls, is now widely accepted as the best TV series of the past decade and one of the few contenders. Winner of the Best Movie of All Time award. . Immediately afterwards, on the same channel(s), Barry – the clever, slick drama about an assassin turned actor – will air its the last episode, also lasted only four seasons. Overnight, the medium of television will become much poorer.

At a glance – and if you ignore any ongoing strikes by series writers – the TV scene is generally very good. Last year saw more TV shows than ever before, many of which featured lavish production budgets and big-name movie stars. This year has seen a number of film-worthy series hit the screen, including Our last, Poker Face, party And Jury duty. But none of these programs can hold a candle to heir. In modern television, there’s a lot of good stuff and a terrible scarcity of really great stuff. Barry used to be one of heirits closest rival, and it’s not particularly close. excellent Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul also finished last year, so did Donald Glover’s Atlanta: how many “current best shows on TV” from a year ago will still appear next week? It’s all pretty past looking.

I suppose there are reasons to be happy. In spite of Barry coming to a close, its creative star (and last season, sole director) Bill Hader has established himself as a creative force worth watching. the Old Saturday Night Live funnyman has been an interesting presence in film and television for over two decades, but Barry was a revelation: who knew that such dark Coenesque depths lurked in the man once known to be Very badhis squishy cop? Whether Hader turns to film or sticks with TV, Barry Definitely a sign that there are big things to come. (Even though he said independence earlier this year, his first business order, afterBarrywill get her first vacation in a decade.) The same can be said for the other cast and crew members, such as Sarah Goldberg, who is equally brilliant as the troublesome partner. puppet of the character Hader, and Hiro Murai, who is one of the most assured and impressive directors working in the environment.

This line of thought also applies to heirthe creator of Jesse Armstrong previously co-created one of the funniest British sitcoms ever made, in peek show. heir often gives the impression of bottled lightning but this is not necessarily the case. It can constantly add new cast and change the direction of the story without ever losing any momentum; Mainly this is a testament to the power of its writing. Great artists don’t suddenly go bad overnight. Whatever comes next won’t be heirBut who’s to say it can’t be as good?

For heavy pessimists like me, it’s easy to look at this Sunday and conclude that we’re simply running out of great television. But in a creative industry as vast as this, there’s always something to look forward to. Notable series such as Bear And hack can still run for many years. WireDavid Simon’s consistently produces excellent work, whether it’s indie miniseries (We own this city; Conspiracy against America) or a longer form (The Deuce; Treme). On the UK side, Shane Meadows returns next week with new historical drama Gallows; His oeuvre is as rich and essential as it is. So yes, TV can lose its crown on Sunday. But it won’t declare bankruptcy anytime soon.

‘Success’ and ‘Barry’ available to watch in UK on Sky and NOW