Atlanta – Fall TV 2016
ATLANTA — Pictured: (l-r) Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred Miles, Keith Standfield as Darius, Donald Glover as Earnest Marks. CR: Matthias Clamer/FX
The Fall 2016 TV season is here! A few shows are jumping the gun to get their premieres in before you have to play the game of what to watch, DVR, and stream on Hulu or whatever other app you prefer the next day. Atlanta is a new series on FX that made the plunge a few weeks ahead of the procedurals and high concept shows that you know won’t last. Helmed by the fantastic actor/writer/rapper Donald Glover/ Childish Gambino.
Atlanta focuses on Earn Marks (Donald Glover), an ambitious man who hasn’t found his path yet, and his cousin Alfred Miles aka Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry). Paper Boi had a song blow up online and is poised to become the next big thing in Atlanta’s rap scene and possibly rap as a whole. Earn moves to manage Paper Boi but has to prove he has value and isn’t just another hanger on. Earn is also trying to patch things up with his sort of ex, sort of current girlfriend Vanessa (Zazie Beetz). Vanessa is the mother of Earn’s child and there is a clear connection between the two of them. Earns cavalier attitude and lack of success keep the two apart.
Glover got picked up out of NYU by a legend in comedy and show running, Tina Fey. He was an Emmy winning writer on 30 Rock before the age of 25. Starting a rap career on the side it was expected Glover would be a Lonely Island type joke rapper but he is legitimately good and writes some very witty lines. Not to make this write up of Atlanta a biography about Glover, but Glover and Atlanta are the same animal. Atlanta is Glover’s personal pet project. He spent years shopping it around and once FX picked it up he spent years more developing the concept and pilot as perfectly as he could.
It’s clear in watching the series that Glover put a lot of himself into the script. Dipping into aspects of his own background (aspects, not exact story arcs) and putting a lot of what he sees happening to his peers. The show rings true on all fronts. It’s too early to say if they ring a little too true to life at times however.
Billed as a comedy, Atlanta is more Dramatic than anything. A snapshot of life. It’s mundane for the most part. This isn’t meant as an insult; quite the opposite. People’s daily lives aren’t full of gut busting comedy, extended periods of elation, and life changing moment after life changing moments. The big emotions come in waves, the life changing moments are often subtle and only seen as such long after they’ve passed.
The first few episodes have set the stage that watching Atlanta will have the same cadence as watching life. The episodes are quiet and dry for the most part with over the top actions occurring only every so often. It makes for a unique viewing experience. The big beats in the story feel bigger since the surrounding actions are so typical. Being true to life is a great angle for a show to take but it needs to move along. In three episode the character growth has been minimal. If you only get a 25 minute glimpse into these characters every seven days the wait has to be made worth it.
Since the show’s plot is largely based on an up and coming rapper there is hope for the musical aspects. Singing competitions, Empire, Nashville, The Get Down, Galavant, and who knows how many other musical based shows are at an all time high. These productions vary greatly but it’s clear people like musicals, music, and stories about that seemingly glamorous world. The first three episodes only touch on a single song, the song that will bring Paper Boi his fame, but there is hope for a whole lot more as the characters step out of the mundane and into the Atlanta rap scene.
As far as the rapping and music of the show goes, there is a huge wasted opportunity if Glover doesn’t get his character, Earn, to step up at a point. Glover, or rather Gambino, is a phenomenal rapper who is in charge of the show. Rap is all about self promotion and bravado so skipping out on the chance to showcase his skills on his own show would be a shame. Of course, there’s just a good a chance that this doesn’t happen since that’s exactly what anyone who knows what Glover does will be expecting it.
The biggest issue with Atlanta is the choices in cinematography. The show is often over exposed and scenes harshly backlit. The characters are never center frame, which is a fine choice to set a tone, but the characters are sometimes so far from center screen they are hardly on the screen at all, yet they are the focal point of what’s happening. Watching the series gets irritating to the eyes and takes you out of the story, especially in the slower moments of character contemplation.
The future of Atlanta is unclear but based largely on the talent behind the show and the dry wit of it I’m on board until the end of the season. At 25 minutes an episode something needs to start happening but it’s not such a long dry time commitment that patience from the audience is too much to ask. Being into rap isn’t a requirement to enjoy this show, neither is being a fan of Glover or his previous works.
