4 out of 5

Created by: Donald Glover

covers season 1

FX is the perfect channel for Atlanta.  The liberal tastes of Always Sunny without the stricter ‘comedy’ focus of Comedy Central; home of the very like-minded Louie (and its now spiritual followup Better Things); a place where Damon Glover’s smirking and self-effacing humor can ride along with comfortable, earthy direction from series director Hiro Murai.  The duo – along with some other reliable contributors – manage to concoct 30 minute explorations of a place that, for all i I’ve-never-been-there know, is nothing like the real Atlanta, but sure as hell feels like a ground-level view of it, or at the very least some really real place, with apparent dangers and rundown realities visible, bit filtered through a comedic-tinged lens.  Which is where the Louie comparison is apt, as C.K. employed a similar vibe to discuss single-father, regular-Joe grumpitude; Glover’s Atlanta goes for black living, regular-Joe slackertude, which is intensely more relevant in our current hyper-aware state of our various biases.  (Time will tell, when you read this review ten years from now, if 2016 proved to be especially notable in any real way regarding those focuses.)

But don’t let the relevance put you off if you’re in search of entertainment. The intelligence fueling Atlanta is its bemused take on these concepts, as well as normalizing what might seem like a completely inaccessible world for many of us, or perhaps de-glorifying it and/or also normalizing it for the real life ‘paper bois’ hustling in a similar fashion.  That is – and hopefully the inherent ignorance of this statement is pardonable – Atlanta is a very black show, but it’s presented in a way that’s thoughtful enough to allow for many points-of-view(er), and is equally willing to take the piss out of any of those views.  That alone is a tough accomplishment, especially to do without feeling like you’re pandering to or talking down to whichever given demographic.

However, going back to the Louie comparison, whereas that show stumbled by being a bit too preachy, Atlanta plays the young man’s game of cracking wise about a lot of things without making any clear statement.  Not that I know what that statement should be, but there’s observational comedy and then there’s the comedian who points at something, and we all sort of chuckle, but there’s no further comment as to what we’re looking at or why.  The former variation doesn’t require an equivocal conclusion, but id say the main difference is that it shows some active contemplation by providing some thinking points, perhaps just by showing a character dealing with the same.  Atlanta doesn’t arrive at this until its very last episode, which has main character ‘Earn’ (Glover) very literally stepping away from the season’s events to contemplate then in isolation.  It’s a suddenly reflective, quiet moment, and an excellent way to end the season, potentially suggesting that the show’s awareness will grow in concert with its lead character’s.

Elsewhere, episode by episode we get ringside seats for cringe-comedy co-opting of a culture – from within and outside of that culture – as well as a tongue-in-cheek (but again, probably close to the truth) look at the ridiculous trials and tribulations related to fame and status and always-on culture, via the show’s main plot-thread of Earn’s attempted management of his cousin and upcoming rapper ‘Paper Boi’s (Brian Tyree Henry) career.  But it’s certainly more fleshed-out than that.  Paper Boi – Alfred – may have a stereotypical attitude toward getting paid and the rap game, but the show gives the actor room to add notes of humanity to the character (although his crony Darius (Keith Stanfield) is generally just a comedic foil), and Earn’s day-to-day is, in part, driven by his desire to do right by his ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Zazie Beetz), with whom he raises their child, still living in her apartment and sharing her bed and yes it’s amusingly complicated butnoh-so-simple at the same time.  As with Paper Boi, Vanessa plays a particular role as a plot stepping stone, but every judgmental look she offers gets backed up by a conversation or scene which hints at her perspective on things.  And this can Atlanta embrace some of its dramatic elements, or ably function without having ro reach for a laugh every minute.

Still, the uncertainty of focus I’ve described infects much of the show, both directly in terms of the point of it all, and indirectly; like, what kind of show is this, and who is it about?  We only vaguely stick to a timeline, and the show sporadically abuses a type of magical realism that, while humorous, sprinkles confusion over our perspective.  And its Earn’s story, except when he’s not present for most of the episode.  Again, none of this is lacking in entertainment, but it undermines the impact a bit as you can’t get settled.  Tossing in a final Louie comparison, while I didn’t enjoy the ‘dramatic’ episodes of Louie as much as the weird ones, I think C.K. transitioned the viewer to the style by sticking to yuks for season 1 and 2 before slowly shifting tone.  Atlanta is, instead, front-loaded with its different approaches.

But, hey, maybe that style will pay off.  I’ll have the chance to see, as I’ll absolutely be back for season two.  While Glover’s Atlanta might ultimately emerge from its ten episodes without a clear point, the different stabs it takes at culture are incredibly smart, and presented with charm and humor.  And, most importantly – y’know, from a TV junky perspective – extremely entertaining.