Atlantais one of the most unique and intelligent TV shows of the last decade. The whole series is littered with clever setups, hilarious payoffs to their jokes, outstanding performances, and incredible direction. This Atlanta-based comedy-drama created byDonald Gloveris focused on the journey of college dropout turned music manager Earnest “Earn” Marks (Glover) and his rapper cousin Paper Boi (Bryan Tyree Henry) as they attempt to make their way in both life and the rap world.
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Supporting the duo is theirenigmatic friend,Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), and Earn’s resourceful ex, Van (Zazie Beetz). The series made its debut on FX on July 02, 2025, with the fourth and final season premiering on July 24, 2025.The show as a wholehas a 97% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Glover has earned multiple awards thanks to the hard work of him and his team, most notably two Emmys after the first season: one for acting and one for directing.
4Season 4: 96%
After spending the previous season overseas in Europe, the show goes back to where it all started, in Atlanta. To many, Season 4 is considered a noticeable improvement over the previous season, with many pointing out that it spends more time with the core cast instead of the standalone, anthology-type episodes.
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However, the final season still includes elements of the previous season’s standalone episodes. This time, they are more blended into the core cast’s objective, the second episode of the season, “The Homeliest Little Horse,” being a good example. The season felt nostalgic in many ways, mimicking much of the vibe of the first two seasons with its cinematography, tension, and overall creativity. The first three episodes of season four hover around a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas the next six are 100%.
3Season 3: 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes
After a four-year absence,Atlantareturned with its third season earlier this year. Offering a different kind of format, where four of its ten episodes were stand-alone storylines, and none included the core cast. It is the most divisive of all four seasons scoring a 65% audience score in contrast to its 97% critical score. When the episodes are focused on the core cast, it follows them on Paper Boi’s European tour, leading to wacky adventures, stunning encounters, andrandom celebrity cameos.
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The season was at its best when it focused solely on Paper Boi, exploring unexamined aspects of the character through the lens of fame and status. The standalone episodes were fine and offered some interesting intellectual analysis on specific relationship dynamics, but the fact that none of the core cast is involved in these episodes will leave some audiences wanting more from the show.
However, the finale was able to connect a few of them in an exciting way. In addition, it was also able to answer many questions concerning Van’s behavior throughout the season while creating a wild connection to another celebrity. Despite all of that, it was able to have an emotional explanation through a heart-to-heart conversation between Van and her friend, the two discussing her recent mental health struggles, which led to her actions in Europe.
2Season 1: 97%
Season 1 made a great first impression, immersing the audience into the world of Atlanta. The first season received widespread praise for its cast, creative direction, social commentary, and originality. It consistently attempts risky and weird storylines that occasionally get surreal, but it always stays true to its characters.
Each episode shows how confusing, cruel, and chaotic life can be. Much of the first season is focused on Earn’s journey of going from a broke guy who struggles to support his family to a capable adult in his family’s eyes and being a competent manager to his cousin, Paper Boi. Despite all the challenges life presents, Earn shows that when you decide to show up for yourself, you may change your whole life.
1Season 2 (‘Robbin’ Season'): 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes
Robbin' Seasonexplores how fame brings more money and more problems and how those new problems can be shared among your peers. This season is a fantastic follow-up to the epic first season; it maintains its high quality of writing, directing, and world-building while challenging itself to keep the show feeling as fresh as ever. Throughout the second season, the show frequently experiments with aspects of different genres. For example, in the “Teddy Perkins” episode,directorHiro Muraiworks with a lot more dramatic and horror-based tropes creating a fascinating and shocking journey for Darius, sometimes making it feel like it could be a sequence out of aJordan Peelemovie instead of Atlanta.
Many consider this episode to be one of the most memorable and insane of the entire series. It was remarkable to see how the show kept you guessing from episode to episode throughout that season, mostly because the “Teddy Perkins” episode was between a stressful comedy in “Barbershop” and a celebrity scavenger hunt in “Champagne Papi.” Critics and fans praised it for not falling for the sophmore slump and raising the bar. The show ended up getting nominated for eight more awards at the 70th Primetime Emmys.
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