Parents' Guide to

Atlanta

TV FX Drama 2016
Atlanta Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Joyce Slaton By Joyce Slaton , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Smart dramedy makes "star is born" premise fresh.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

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Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 6 parent reviews

dfilmpro
dfilmpro Adult
July 22, 2020
age 18+

Inapropriate for kids, possibly adults - graphic sex act scene.

An interesting but odd series where 30min episodes are sometimes similar to Seinfeld in that they are not about anything in particular but you see the characters going about their lives in various circumstances. Unfortunately mostly all of the characters are rappers, drug dealers, and criminals....which can be an interesting view of society if you have never experienced that. I stopped watching I believe in season 2 or 3 when the episode opens with a mans head between a woman's legs performing oral sex while she moans(no nudity). It was not expected or appreciated, and not necessary for the story at all. If there is a relationship, you don't have to see whatever goes on in the bedroom to believe they're together. If you want to watch this sort of thing there are plenty of avenues for that. To include this on a non-payed station like FX is disappointing and more suited for HBO or Showtime where you know to expect it. CommonSenseMedia does a poor job of preparing parents or others of these details. I'm not sure what makes their reviews "professional".
Aaron C.
Aaron C. Parent
June 4, 2020
age 15+

Smart & Subtle. Hard-hitting.

Atlanta is a good dramedy which is both Hard-hitting & subtle. Some great performances.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Everyone had high hopes for Earnest "Earn" Marks (Donald Glover) when he got into Princeton. But he wound up dropping out and moving back to ATLANTA to live with his family. Several years of screwups later, Earn is estranged from his wife and young baby and on the outs with his mom and dad when his cousin Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles (Brian Tyree Henry) has a local hit song. Seeing his chance, Earn becomes Paper Boi's manager and starts trying to work his music-industry connections to move his cousin up the ladder. No one ever said trying to break into music would be easy. And it isn't.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (12 ):

You've seen this "a star is born" setup before, but this drama makes it fresh with terrific, appealing actors and smart, funny dialogue that makes even hackneyed scenes seem new. When Earn offers to manage Paper Boi, his cousin chides him for excessive ambition: "Ain't you homeless?" "Not real homeless," Earn snaps back. "I'm not using a rat as a phone or anything." "That makes you schizophrenic, not homeless," Paper Boi points out. The whole show is full of lines like that -- sharp enough to make you smile, realistic enough that it sounds like real people talking to each other.

Glover, as Community watchers already know, is a tremendously magnetic actor, though even his fans may be surprised by how deftly he moves from humor to pathos, particularly in scenes with his ex, Van (Zazie Beetz), whom he watches longingly as she moves on with her life, aware that she had good reasons to leave him and that he hasn't always been a great guy. He has disappointed those who love him. This time, though, it's going to be different -- he hopes. And we hope, too, even though it's unclear if Paper Boi is a solid foundation on which to build his house. It doesn't take more than one episode to get sucked into Earn's quest -- even if the premise isn't new.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why the music and movie industries are such frequent settings for comedies and dramas. What dramatic possibilities do they offer? Why might stories in these settings be appealing for viewers? What types of dramatic arcs do characters in these types of stories go through?

  • Donald Glover, who plays Earn, also created Atlanta and wrote many of its episodes. Does it surprise you that his character is the main one? Why would a show creator cast himself as the main character of a show?

  • If this show waeren't called Atlanta, would you know where it was set? How do movies and TV shows telegraph their settings? How can you tell if the show is actually filmed in the place it's set?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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