With very little waiting since the first teaser dropped, Atlanta premiered the trailer for the show’s fourth and final season, which sees Earn, Al, Van and Darius go back to their home city as entirely different people on September 15.
Last week’s first look took on a psychedelic feel, as that first preview showed a ton of flashbacks to some of the comedy’s greatest moments, so it was only a matter of time until a full trailer was revealed. Naturally, the biggest takeaway is Atlanta returning to its namesake setting after Paper Boi’s European tour took the show to new territories not only geographically, but also in a metaphorical sense as Atlanta’s most unique season.
This time around, as Donald Glover himself puts it, Atlanta becomes more grounded by exploring “people more than ever before, [because] we’re right now living in a time where we don’t give people the benefit of the doubt.” which should leave behind last season’s penchant for fantasy and bottle episodes. Atlanta's final season, starring Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz, and Lakeith Stanfield will premiere on the same Thursday slot, starting September 15, both on FX and Hulu, though an official episode count is still not available.
The trailer finally shows Earn not having to constantly worry about money as the protagonist admits “I'm not upset about anything. I mean, not to flex but work is good,” during a therapy session; while on the other hand, he and Van are shown sharing a bed not as lovers now, but instead as parents. At the same time, Al can be seen living his best rapper life, whereas Darius looks bound to be stuck in absurdity at some undisclosed spa location.
That is not to say Atlanta is leaving behind its signature humor nor its fascination with blurring the lines between reality, fiction, satire, and social commentary, because both Van and Darius appear to experience some surreal moments such as the former walking past a mysterious hall and the latter screaming his lungs out. As expected, race will surely play a big role in the script, with Al having an awkward conversation with a white man and Darius not quite fitting in with the spa’s women being some early samples of this.
For years Atlanta has been one of television’s smartest comedy series, as it even had fans pining for years over its third season. Now, the series’ last few laughs are just a few weeks away in what will be Atlanta's final conceptual project.
Atlanta’s final season will premiere on September 15, 2022.