On September 6, 2016, FX released "Atlanta," a new drama created by and starring Donald Glover. Glover plays the character Earnest "Earn" Marks, a Princeton dropout now living back in his hometown. When his cousin Alfred begins to receive acclaim for his track, "Paperboi," Earn sets out to manage this up-and-coming talent. The series follows these characters as they navigate their burgeoning success. The gritty realism of "Atlanta" is a clear divergence from the bombastic humor of "Community," the show in which Glover played the jocular and endearing former football star, Troy Barnes. Instead, "Atlanta" is direct and uncensored realism, providing a deeply personal view of, specifically, African American life in the inner city.
The moment I fell in love with this show was in the first scene after the opening credits. Glover's character, Earn, lays in bed listening to music next to his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Van (Zazie Beets). She awakens and Earn begins to describe a dream in which he is swimming through an ocean of seaweed that form hands that pull him under. The two essentially talk about nothing, romping around in the bed with child-like banter between them. The moment is so understated, yet so real. This sort of downplayed acting sets the tone for the rest of the show. Earn's character is reserved and secretive; not even his parents know why he dropped out of Princeton. This subtleness of character allows for the city to really speak for itself. Filmed on-location, "Atlanta" is an honest, uncensored depiction of the engaging characters that populate the gloomy city.
From those first moments on, the show slowly comes alive as we are shown the players that adorn Earn's road to fame. Earn's parents are loving and concerned, yet jaded to Earn's constant requests for money. Alfred "Paperboi" Miles is contemplative, yet self-assured. Darius is a sort of visionary, accompanying Paperboi, spouting vague, yet prophetic nonsense. Van deeply cares for Earn and their child, yet recognizes his current inability to support the family and goes on to date others. Each of these characters is nuanced and engaging, uniquely molded by the city. With each new episode, we are given multiple vignettes of Atlanta's denizens and, with those glimpses, viewers come to understand the richness of the city while also being made aware of intrinsic issues within that community.
"Atlanta" is easily one of my new favorite shows for its bold, unique voice, engaging characters and accurate sense of place. Extended moments of intimate dialogue are punctuated with high-intensity drama. The realism of this show is so engaging and the writing is poignant and hard-hitting. I am excited to follow the arc of this show and explore a niche of my home city that I am so unfamiliar with. The pilot episode garnered promising ratings, setting the stage for an amazing season of television.
The pilot episode of this amazing new series is available on YouTube.
