Childish Gambino debuts new FX series, Atlanta

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Television’s latest coming-of-age dramedy, “Atlanta,”premiered last week.

Television’s latest coming-of-age dramedy, “Atlanta,premiered last week. The series portrays two cousins trying their hand at success in the rap game. On its debut night, “Atlanta” premiered two 30-minute episodes to start off the 10 episode season.

The show’s creator, Donald Glover, also known as the rapper Childish Gambino, further unmasks his multiple talents, starring as Earn Marks, the show’s protagonist.

Despite making an effort to get his life together during the show, Earn’s circumstances work against him. He’s fallen out with his baby mama, his parents won’t let him in the house because they know he needs money and his friends don’t respect him. This leads Earn back to his cousin Alfred Miles, aka Paper Boi, after hearing from an old friend that Paper Boi is starting to blow up after releasing his new song.

The setting, Atlanta, Georgia, is vital to understanding the characters’ backgrounds and the potential challenges they may face, which is reflected from the very beginning of the first episode. To give you an idea of the brilliant and immediate intensity of the show, one of the opening scenes consists of Paper Boi arguing because some “punk” kicked off his side-view mirror. Things quickly escalate and, suddenly, we hear a gun go off. You’ll have to watch the show in order to find out what happens next.

The show’s genius is displayed in scenes such as Earn’s day in jail and Paper Boi’s interaction at the wing restaurant where hilarious interactions meet with serious topics.

Simple descriptions don’t do this series justice. “Atlanta” is well-written, well-shot and funny at all the right moments. There’s a reason this show is receiving widespread critical acclaim, including a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 90/100 on Metacritic online.

Luckily for you, the first episode is available on FX’s YouTube account and the second episode is floating around on somewhere on the internet, if you choose to go hunting for it. Catch up on these introductory episodes and then tune in Tuesday nights at 10/9pm on CT.