Every Season Of Donald Glover's Atlanta, Ranked

It is no secret that Donald Glover has one of the most eclectic careers in Hollywood. Much of his work is rooted in comedy that dates back to the mid-2000s with the internet sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy, which led to landing a position on the writing staff of "30 Rock" and arguably his breakout role as high school quarterback turned Greendale Community College student Troy Barnes in "Community." Not to mention, Glover is arguably just as recognizable to the public for his Grammy-winning music career under his former stage name, Childish Gambino. But in a career filled with highlights that any creative would kill to accomplish at least once in their lifetime, perhaps no project defines Glover's modus operandi as an artist more than his acclaimed dramedy series, "Atlanta."

The show premiered on FX in 2016 at an inflection point in Donald Glover's career. Around the same time of the series' premiere, he landed acting roles in multiple film franchises that he referenced in his Childish Gambino albums, including Spider-Man (Aaron Davis/Prowler), Star Wars (Lando Calrissian), and "The Lion King" (Simba). He also released "Awaken, My Love!" whose album artwork was revealed in the "Juneteenth" episode of "Atlanta." He once described the show — which he created, served as showrunner for, occasionally directed, and of course starred in — as "'Twin Peaks' with rappers." With his signature satirical storytelling mixed with surrealist imagery that evokes the likes of the late great David Lynch, Glover used "Atlanta" as his canvas to explore race, class, and relationships, among other topics, against the backdrop of the hip-hop music industry. 

With four seasons and 41 episodes, "Atlanta" was the source of some of the boldest, funniest, most abrasive, and most thoughtful television series of the last decade. Along with further catapulting Glover into the creative stratosphere in Hollywood, it also served as a canvas for then up-and-coming actors Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz to break through with audiences. Each season of "Atlanta" showcases some remarkable, subversive storytelling, so much so that it would make even Florida Man pause. Here's our ranking of every season of "Atlanta."

While I contend that there is no bad season of "Atlanta," season 3 is the weakest of the four. To be fair, much of that is because critics' and fans' anticipation was at an all-time high, given that we had to wait nearly four years to reunite with Earn, Al (AKA "Paper Boi"), Darius, and Van following the cliffhanger ending of season 2. Much of season 3 is set in Europe, where Paper Boi is touring, and our four central characters get caught up in some wild misadventures during their stay. One of the most notable episodes of the series is "New Jazz," which centers on Al, who, after taking an edible, meets Liam Neeson in a bar at the "Cancel Club." This leads to the two having an awkward, hilarious conversation addressing Neeson's controversial comments he made in 2019 while promoting his film "Cold Pursuit."

However, season 3 is bogged down by having a few too many anthology episodes that do not feature the core four characters. The season premiered with "Three Slaps," which set the tone for the surrealist season to follow and even ends with Earn waking up, deeming the entire episode as his own twisted dream. Donald Glover was clearly eager to explore topics such as child protective services, reparations, and colorism, but having four out of the 10 episodes of season 3 be standalone stories not featuring the core group felt a bit too abrasive for fans who were eager to reunite with these beloved characters after nearly four years. With that being said, "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga" is still one of the most biting social commentaries of the entire series, with perhaps the best closing shot of any episode. For what it is worth, Glover has described season 3 as his personal favorite of the four, which goes to show that he is eager to explore the topics that interest him, even if it is too subversive for most audiences. If anything, season 3 is integral to the J.R. Crickets' lemon pepper wet comfort food to come with the fourth and final season.

Following a polarizing season 3, "Atlanta" returned to the viewers' comfort zones (while simultaneously challenging them) with season 4. The final two seasons were shot back-to-back, so it's clear that Donald Glover was eager to maintain that signature surrealist spark until the very end. Season 4 brings the core four back to the series' namesake hometown, and their respective journey depicted in the final episodes reflects the viewers' relationship to the series overall. In discussing season 4 with GQ, Glover described the feeling of returning to J.R. Crickets for those beloved chicken wings after a long trip away from home. However, he expresses that "those chicken wings don't taste the same," given that exploring the world beyond your hometown leads to broader perspectives and new horizons.

Season 4 highlights include "The Homeliest Little Horse," which tells two seemingly separate stories that are revealed to connect in a dark, twisted way that informs us more about Earn's personal growth (and/or lack thereof) since we first met him in season 1. "Crank Dat Killer" is also noteworthy in successfully incorporating real-life viral hip-hop trends, right down to featuring the real Soulja Boy in a guest-starring role, while "Work Ethic!" is a wonderful Van-centric episode, that also serves as a brutal commentary on Tyler Perry's career. Season 4 also includes the anthology episode, "The Goof Who Sat By The Door," a faux-documentary episode recanting the in-universe canon of Thomas Washington, a black animator accidentally voted in as the new Disney CEO, who uses his position to make "the blackest movie of all-time," which is none other than the 1995 cult classic "A Goofy Movie." (/Film even spoke with the director of "A Goofy Movie" and got his reaction to the episode.) The series finale, "It Was All a Dream," serves as a fitting conclusion, giving viewers one more adventure with Darius, the character that personifies the essence of "Atlanta."

Right from the pilot episode, it was clear that Donald Glover had something special on his hands with "Atlanta." Season 1 introduced audiences to the zany, adventurous world of Glover's mind, exemplified by his beloved core four main characters. Earn, Al, Darius, and Van are all given equal attention in their respective character arcs, featuring depth and pathos that are comparable to some of the most acclaimed prestige television dramas that were on at the time. Glover really was onto something when he said he wanted to make "'Twin Peaks' with rappers," immersing audiences into the unique, surrealist world that included memorable side characters such as the Migos drug gang portrayed by the real-life Georgia hip-hop trio of the same name; Zan, an obnoxious influencer; and pop star Justin Bieber, who is portrayed in "Nobody Beats the Biebs" as a young Black artist in one of the show's bolder explorations into race and popular culture.

But perhaps the most memorable episode of season 1 is "B.A.N.," which won Donald Glover an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing. The episode, featuring Paper Boi on an unpaid interview spot on the Black American Network, serves as a brilliant introductory point for newcomers to "Atlanta" if they want to sample the series' sense of humor and social commentary. In particular, the segment centering on Antoine Smalls, a Black man who claims a "Transracial" identity as a 35-year-old white man from Colorado, is a masterclass of joke-writing that is brilliantly set up and is paid off spectacularly in the episode's conclusion.

Glover and his collaborators set the table brilliantly with "Atlanta" season 1, but it's season 2 that serves as the series' creative apex. Titled "Atlanta: Robbin' Season," all 11 episodes feature some of the show's most iconic moments. Beginning with the season premiere "Alligator Man," viewers are treated to perhaps the series' best guest star in Katt Williams as Uncle Willy. Williams' unforgettable performance earned him a well-deserved Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Not to mention, Darius's "Florida Man" monologue further popularized the meme within the cultural zeitgeist, featuring some bonkers imagery — all of which is based on real-life headlines from the Sunshine State.

"Atlanta: Robbin' Season" also prominently features one of the series' most memorable recurring characters in the eccentric Tracy, portrayed by the underrated Khris Davis. Tracy is a scene stealer in "North of the Border," which was one of the wildest misadventures that Earn, Al, and Darius embark on in the entire series (it involves D4L's "Laffy Taffy"). In one of the more heartfelt episodes, "FUBU" gives viewers a glimpse into the childhood of both Earn and Al, giving us insight into their complex relationship. However, it's the infamous "Teddy Perkins" that serves as perhaps the series' most defining episode, much of which is thanks to Donald Glover's unsettling and peculiar performance as the episode's titular character, who serves as a cautionary tale on abuse and ambition within the arts, giving viewers inseparable parallels to Michael Jackson, among others.