''Atlanta'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by

Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glov ...

. The series follows college dropout and

music manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee the day-to-day ...

Earnest "Earn" Marks (Glover) and rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles (

Brian Tyree Henry Brian Tyree Henry (born March 31, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series ''Atlanta'' (2016–2022), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstan ...

) as they navigate a strange, seemingly otherworldly, Atlanta hip hop scene. ''Atlanta'' also stars Lakeith Stanfield as Darius, Earn and Alfred's eccentric friend, and

Zazie Beetz Zazie Olivia Beetz ( ; ; born June 1, 1991) is a American actress. She stars in the FX comedy-drama series ''Atlanta'' (2016–22), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy ...

as Vanessa "Van" Kiefer, Earn's on-again-off-again girlfriend and the mother of his daughter. The series produced by RBA, 343 Incorporated, MGMT. Entertainment, and FXP and is primarily set and filmed in Atlanta and the surrounding Georgia area; the third season features international filming locations. ''Atlanta'' is one of the only American cable television series to feature an all-Black writing staff (featuring Glover as writer, executive producer, and showrunner), with much of the focus set on examining race,

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...

, the American Dream,

existentialism Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and val ...

, and modern

African-American culture African-American culture refers to the contributions of African Americans to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. The culture is both distinct and enormously influential on Ameri ...

through an Afro-Surrealist lens. It is also notable for its use of

bottle A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal s ...

and standalone episodes, which often do not feature the main cast. ''Atlanta'' premiered on September 6, 2016, and was initially exclusively broadcast on cable channel FX in the United States and internationally through the Fox Networks Group; after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2017, the series became available internationally on

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

, and was distributed in the United States by

Disney–ABC Domestic Television Disney–ABC Domestic Television (doing business as Disney–ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution, and formerly named Buena Vista Television) is the in-home sales and content distribution firm of Disney Platform Distribution, a s ...

. The fourth and final season concluded on November 10, 2022, with the series containing 41 episodes overall. ''Atlanta'' is often regarded as one of the greatest television series of the 21st century. It has received numerous awards and nominations, including two

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

s for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy; Glover has received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy, and two

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s, one for

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The award is presented to the best performance by a lead actor in a television comedy series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy ...

and one

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is presented to the best directing of a television comedy series. Winners and nominations 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Total awards by netwo ...

, the latter being the first ever awarded to an African-American.

Plot

The series follows Earn (

) during his daily life in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

, as he tries to redeem himself in the eyes of his ex-girlfriend Van (

), who is also the mother of his daughter Lottie; as well as his parents and his cousin Alfred (

), who raps under the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

"Paper Boi". Having dropped out of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, Earn has no money and no home and consequently alternates between staying with his parents and his ex-girlfriend. Once he realizes that his cousin is on the verge of stardom, he seeks to reconnect with him in order to improve his life and the life of his daughter. Although there is an overarching story depicting Earn and Paper Boi's struggles as the latter ascends through the hip hop scene, the series has been noted for its lack of emphasis on multi-episode story arcs, instead using a somewhat surrealistic style of episodic storytelling that Glover has likened to short stories, as have some critics.

Cast and characters

Main

as Earnest "Earn" Marks – a

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

dropout turned music manager for his cousin Alfred. Earn is intelligent but cynical and often reckless and initially struggles with homelessness and poverty. He is also in an on-again-off-again relationship with Vanessa, with whom he shares a daughter, Lottie. ** Glover also portrays Teddy Perkins in the episode of the same name, a mentally disturbed recluse with bleached skin. ** Glover also portrays Kirkwood Chocolate in the episode " Work Ethic!", a film and television magnate who produces entertainment that exploits black people. *

as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles – Earn's cousin and a rapper who exhibits signs of depression and moral dilemma as he navigates his newfound fame. * Lakeith Stanfield as Darius – Alfred's and Earn's eccentric

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

-born friend, who often expresses comments on various aspects of the human condition. *

as Vanessa "Van" Kiefer – Earn's on-again-off-again biracial

Afro-German Afro-Germans (german: Afrodeutsche) or Black Germans (german: schwarze Deutsche) are people of Sub-Saharan African descent who are citizens or residents of Germany. Cities such as Hamburg and Frankfurt, which were formerly centres of occupation ...

girlfriend, Lottie's mother, and former grade school science teacher. Van often struggles with the pressure of raising her daughter.

Recurring

* Harold House Moore as Swiff (season 1) – Earn's friend and co-worker * Khris Davis as Tracy (season 2; guest season 4) – Alfred's recently paroled friend who often clashes with Earn. * RJ Walker as Clark County (season 2), an egotistical, commercialized rapper that Alfred befriends. Darius and Earn view him as an industry plant. The series also features guest appearances by celebrities who portray fictionalized versions of themselves.

Offset Offset or Off-Set may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Off-Set", a song by T.I. and Young Thug from the '' Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' * ''Offset'' (EP), a 2018 EP by singer Kim Chung-ha * ''Offset'' (film), a 200 ...

, Quavo, and Takeoff portray Alfred's drug suppliers. Gunna and Jai Paul appear as a partygoer and a poker player, respectively.

Lloyd Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown" ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), America ...

and

Jaleel White Jaleel Ahmad White (born November 27, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel on the sitcom '' Family Matters''. The character was originally intended to be a one-time guest appearance on the show; however, he ...

feature as participants in a charity basketball game. Jane Adams plays an agent who confuses Earn for someone else. Michael Vick portrays a quarterback who challenges club-goers to foot races. Alexander Skarsgård portrays a sexually-depraved cannibal.

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on '' Th ...

and

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence, after his self published debut single " Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peak ...

make appearances that reference their 2019 controversial comments and "Crank That" dance, respectively. Brian McKnight, Sinbad and

Jenna Wortham Jenna Wortham is an American journalist. They work as a culture writer for '' The New York Times Magazine'' and co-hosts ''The New York Times'' podcast ''Still Processing'' with Wesley Morris. In 2020, with Kimberly Drew, Wortham published '' B ...

appeared in the mockumentary about Thomas Washington. In the series finale,

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in '' Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and ...

was a customer Darius talked to at the drugstore.

Episodes

Production

FX first began developing the show in August 2013, and then the pilot was ordered to series by FX Networks in December 2014. It was directed by Hiro Murai and shot in Atlanta. It got picked up to series with a 10-episode order in October 2015. Glover, who grew up in Atlanta and also works as a musician, stated that "the city influenced the tone of the show". The series is also notable for having an all-Black writing staff, which is virtually unheard of in American television. The writer's room consists of Glover himself, his brother Stephen Glover, and members of his rap collective 'Royalty' including Fam Udeorji (Glover's manager), Ibra Ake (Glover's longtime photographer), and Jamal Olori. Stefani Robinson, a writer for '' Man Seeking Woman'', and Taofik Kolade round out the writer's room. During an interview with ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', Glover stated the characters smoke

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

because "they have PTSD — every Black person does". The show is shot in

2K resolution 2K resolution is a generic term for display devices or content having horizontal resolution of approximately 2,000 pixels. In the movie projection industry, Digital Cinema Initiatives is the dominant standard for 2K output and defines 2K resolu ...

, produced and edited by Kyle Reiter and Isaac Hagy, and broadcast on FX in

720p 720p (1280×720 px; also called HD ready, standard HD or just HD) is a progressive HDTV signal format with 720 horizontal lines/1280 columns and an aspect ratio (AR) of 16:9, normally known as widescreen HDTV (1.78:1). All major HDTV broadcas ...

. In January 2017, the series was renewed for a second season; however, FX announced the series would not return until 2018 due to Glover's busy production schedule. Glover revealed that the second season takes inspiration from ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation a ...

'', specifically '' How I Spent My Vacation.'' The series was renewed for a third season in June 2018, which was originally planned for a 2019 premiere, but was delayed due to scheduling conflicts. In August 2019, FX renewed the series for a fourth season and announced that the third and fourth seasons would begin filming in early 2020, with each season consisting of eight episodes. In January 2020, FX announced that the third season's episode count was increased to 10 episodes, and that both seasons were planned to air in 2021–season 3 in January and season 4 later that year. Both seasons were also planned to be shot together and that one of the seasons would be filmed outside the United States. However, production was postponed in March 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. In September 2020, it was reported that the third season would not be able to make the January 2021 premiere date that was originally planned. Filming for the third and fourth seasons began in early April 2021, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, with additional filming in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. By August 2021, filming for the third season was completed and production began on the fourth season in Atlanta, and it was confirmed that the third season would premiere in early 2022. The third season premiered with two episodes on March 24, 2022. By February 2022, both seasons three and four had completed filming, and it was announced that the fourth would be the final season.

Reception

Critical response

''Atlanta'' has received widespread acclaim from television critics. The review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

gives the first season an approval rating of 97% based on 123 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Ambitious and refreshing, ''Atlanta'' offers a unique vehicle for star and series creator Donald Glover's eccentric brand of humor—as well as a number of timely, trenchant observations." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the first season has a score of 90 out of 100, based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

David Wiegand Robert David Wiegand (May 19, 1947 – April 30, 2018) was an American journalist and short-story writer, head of arts and entertainment for the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Life and career Wiegand was born in Rochester, New York, where he gradua ...

of the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...

'' gave it a highly positive review, writing: "The scripts for the four episodes made available to critics are as richly nuanced as anything you'll see on TV or, to be sure, in a movie theater. You will not only know these characters after only one episode, you'll be hooked on them, as well. In so many areas, ''Atlanta'' sets the bar exceptionally high." Sonia Saraiya of '' Variety'' also praised the series, declaring it a "finished, cinematic, and beautiful production that may be one of the best new shows of the fall." The second season received further critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 98%, based on 200 reviews, with an average rating of 9.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Donald Glover continues to subvert expectations with a sophomore season of ''Atlanta'' that proves as excellent as it is eccentric." On Metacritic, the second season has a score of 97 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". In 2019, ''Atlanta'' was ranked 10th on ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

''s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century. The Writers Guild Foundation listed the season 1 episode "Streets on Lock" as having one of the best scripts of 2010s film and television, writing, "The story features fully realized supporting players and miscreants, but right when we start laughing, everything takes a sour turn, causing us to reflect on what we’re really laughing at". The third season has a score of 93 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 97%, based on 130 reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Atlanta'' takes Paper Boi and his entourage out of Georgia, but this inspired third season proves that the more things change, the more they stay weird." The fourth season has a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 10 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 96%, based on 98 reviews, with an average rating of 9.0/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Foregrounding its characters and namesake again after an anthological sojourn in Europe, ''Atlanta'' closes out in its sweet spot: funny, insightful, and weird as hell." In 2022, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' ranked ''Atlanta'' as the ninth-greatest TV show of all time.

Accolades

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

International broadcast

The first season was broadcast in the UK on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

, from May 13, 2018, to June 17, 2018.

Home media

''The Complete First Season'' was released on DVD in Region 1 on March 6, 2018, and ''The Complete Second Season (Robbin' Season)'' was released on DVD on December 17, 2019.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Atlanta (TV series) 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2010s American surreal comedy television series 2010s American black television series 2016 American television series debuts 2022 American television series endings 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2020s American surreal comedy television series 2020s American black television series American black television series Best Musical or Comedy Series Golden Globe winners Culture of Atlanta English-language television shows FX Networks original programming Hip hop television Peabody Award-winning television programs Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Television shows filmed in Atlanta Television shows filmed in France Television shows set in Atlanta Television shows shot in London Television series by 20th Century Fox Television