It is going to sound like I am going out on a limb, but this needs to be said. Atlanta is one of the best TV shows to ever exist. I know that is a bold statement and, yes, I know this type of stuff is subjective, but let me explain. 

Being in the same genre as Shameless, Barry, GLOW, etc., Donald Glover’s (also known as Childish Gambino) dark comedy excels by doing conventional narratives for a deeper story regarding the modern black American experience. On the surface, Atlanta seems pretty basic. You might think it’s a show about family and friends trying to make it big in hip-hop. Actually, it’s a collection of portraits that demonstrate how hard it is for some people to survive in their own surroundings, which, in the show’s case, is the city of Atlanta. These portraits are well made and thought-provoking, mainly because the FX series is allowed to use elements from horror, drama, and comedy (basically any genre they want to paint their world that isn’t limited to a typical black story). 

Having an all black writing staff and young directors, Atlanta pushes the envelope farther by choosing not to pander to its audience. Nothing from the story to the casting was predictable, which adds to its unique charm. In the episode “Black Justin Bieber,” the audience is challenged to reexamine their own definitions by considering one simple question. What if Justin Bieber was black? Well, in Atlanta, he is. That episode highlights social inequality by changing the audience’s reality in a way. A reality where a troubled pop star is forgiven multiple times because of white privilege. 

Atlanta’s unorthodox storytelling doesn’t just aim for Donald Glover fans, Childish Gambino fans, black viewers, or people of the right demographic. It aims for the creative intellectual in all of us. Atlanta is what Jordan Peele’s Get Out would have looked like if it was on television. Provocative themes like cultural appropriation and interracial relationships are handled with a subtle and often surreal touch. Rather than a bunch of laughs from actual jokes, a lot of those moments involve reflection and bizarre irony. 

It also features a cast with talent to shine on the big and small screen. Donald Glover stars as Earn, a Princeton dropout who’s suddenly given another chance by managing his cousin Alfred’s (played by Brain Tyree Henry) rap career, also known as Paper Boi. The rest of the cast is Darius (played by LaKeith Stanfield), who is Alfred’s oddball roommate, and Vanessa (played by Zazie Beetz), the mother of Earn’s child. The city of Atlanta stars as the closest thing to an antagonist with its poverty, crime, arrogant celebrities, ghosts, etc. 

As one of Hollywood’s fastest rising stars, Glover chooses to step back for good chunks of each season in order to allow other characters to grow. His supporting cast fully embraces the journey with performances that are both powerful and natural. The talent on both sides of the camera is what makes it possible to understand characters like Paper Boi on a much deeper level. Paper Boi is not just as a rapper but  someone who’s paranoid of the hood he’s trying to escape and the white girls that cover his music on YouTube. Since we’re talking about Alfred, who could forget his standout performance in the Season 2 episode, “Woods”? A couple of years after the passing of his own mother, the brilliant Bryan Tyree Henry embodies a lost soul as Paper Boi experiences one of television’s greatest examples of self reflection on the anniversary of his mother’s death. Over a day-long walk around Atlanta, the rapper faces traumatic challenges which help him get that clarity he needs. 

You have to remember—not everything in Atlanta is serious. It is still a comedy. There are gems like Clark County (another rapper in the show), the proud commercial sellout and music rival to Paper Boi. You also have the hood famous barber, Bibby, who loses his reputation with Paper Boi in one episode in season two. The randomness of all of it speaks to the strength of Atlanta’s fictional world. Each episode comes across like a short, graphic peek into their universe that stands free from fan or FX related influences. 

While the show is weird and a bit scattered, Atlanta works because it succeeds in pulling growth, humor, and perspective from everyday people and struggles. It finds a way to be something that we can relate to and learn from. What else can we ask for from television? I’ll tell you— that’s for season three and season four to come out. Donald has tweeted out that both of those seasons will be peak television, and I can’t wait for them.