Donald McKinley Glover has always been the lovable weirdo. From his days writing on 30 Rock, to the Spider Man speculation (cue audible hyperventilation) and all the way to his hip-hop act Childish Gambino (may I also say that it is quite criminal that the Childish Gambino -- Chance The Rapper collaboration has not see the light of day). At 32 his resume reads like a memorandum of accomplishment for five people in their 70s. Writer (on one of the most critically acclaimed comedies of all time), actor (on another), singer, songwriter, polymath and we're about to add producer to that eclectic mix of talents. So, are we excited for Atlanta?
The latest Season 1 promo from FX looks like it's spiritually more akin to the spiritually inducing melodies of Glover's raps over his comedic acumen. Every promo up to this point has been suspended in palpable melancholy mixed joyful interludes. Donald's defining ability in everything he does (except maybe Community) is bring that endearing combination to life. To make you feel like you're grieving for a loss of someone, but then start to remember all of the special memories you shared together, some even funny. Everything he touches feels strangely personal.
If all of the promos for Atlanta are of any indication, we are about to see Glover strip away another layer of armor between himself and the audience. He seems ready to reveal his inner most demons, fittingly on a show who's subject matter is both close to his heart and to his physical home. You can think of Atlanta as the Donald Glover coming out party.
Tackling hip-hop in mainstream culture has been a tedious process. Any concept surrounding its entertainment value has been doubling down on the standard tropes (just look at Empire) and then kicking them into overdrive and burning until nothing is left but toxic fumes. I don't want to knock Empire (having never watched it especially), but from everything I have seen on that show, it is caricature of reality at best, an amplified version of luxury, intrigue, sex, drugs and money.
Atlanta's promotional feel seems a lot more grounded. I can't help but think of Netflix's Master of None, another personal project for someone who's always played the emotions close to the chest. It plays with your expectations and conventions and comes close to merging reality with entertainment. The more you emotionally connect with it, the less of a show it becomes and more of a "day in a life." The trials and tribulations feel highly personal and unique, instead of the generic mix we're so accustomed to.
And that, indeed, is my hope for Atlanta. I hope that Donald Glover can gather his unique personality, experiences and a multitude of talents and turn his show into his story. Something tells me, he has a good story to tell.
Originally posted on Armchair Society.