The series follows college dropout and music manager Earnest "Earn" Marks (Glover) and rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles (Brian Tyree Henry) as they navigate a strange, seemingly otherworldly Atlanta hip hop scene.

Atlanta is one of the few American cable television series to feature an all-Black writing staff (featuring Glover as writer, executive producer and showrunner),[6][7] with much of the focus set on examining race, class, identity, the American Dream, existentialism and modern African-American culture through an Afro-Surrealist lens.

The series follows Earn (Donald Glover) during his daily life in Atlanta, Georgia, as he tries to redeem himself in the eyes of his ex-girlfriend Van (Zazie Beetz), who is also the mother of his daughter Lottie, as well as his parents and his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry), who raps under the stage name "Paper Boi".

Liam Neeson and Soulja Boy make appearances that reference their 2019 controversial comments and "Crank That" dance, respectively.

[19] Brian McKnight, Sinbad and Jenna Wortham appear in a mockumentary while Cree Summer features as a drugstore customer.

[29] Glover revealed that the second season takes inspiration from Tiny Toon Adventures, specifically How I Spent My Vacation.

[30] The series was renewed for a third season in June 2018, which was originally planned for a 2019 premiere,[31] but was delayed due to scheduling conflicts.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Ambitious and refreshing, Atlanta offers a unique vehicle for star and series creator Donald Glover's eccentric brand of humor—as well as a number of timely, trenchant observations.

[45] David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle gave it a highly positive review, writing: "The scripts for the four episodes made available to critics are as richly nuanced as anything you'll see on TV or, to be sure, in a movie theater.

"[52] Sonia Saraiya of Variety also praised the series, declaring it a "finished, cinematic, and beautiful production that may be one of the best new shows of the fall".

The site's critical consensus reads, "Donald Glover continues to subvert expectations with a sophomore season of Atlanta that proves as excellent as it is eccentric.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Atlanta takes Paper Boi and his entourage out of Georgia, but this inspired third season proves that the more things change, the more they stay weird.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Foregrounding its characters and namesake again after an anthological sojourn in Europe, Atlanta closes out in its sweet spot: funny, insightful, and weird as hell.