Written by | Ray Cornelius
I had the distinct pleasure on Monday evening of attending the Season 2 Premiere of FX’s popular comedy series ATLANTA. The private screening took place at the historic Starlight Six Drive-In in East Atlanta and was attended by the show’s stars Donald Glover and Brian Tyree Henry.
ATLANTA follows the misadventures of two cousins, Earn (Glover) and Alfred aka Paper Boi (Henry), who work through the Atlanta music scene in order to better their lives and the lives of their families. It also features Get Out star LaKeith Lee Stanfield, Zazie Beetz and Bret “E.”
ATLANTA earned a number of awards in 2017 such as two Golden Globes and two Primetime Emmys including “Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.” It was the first time an African American has ever won in that category and first for Glover.
Executive Producer and Writer, Stephen Glover says that while he and his brother are proud of their accomplishments, they refuse to rest on the success of last season.
“I think we always want to top ourselves. Donald and I always talk about just being better than you were the last time. So we definitely wanted to top ourselves this season and at the same time know that it’s not about chasing last season’s success. You don’t want to be like ‘this is what made us popular.’ You kind of just want to stick with the principles that we have before which is just making fun and interesting television.”
This year’s new show theme is “Robbin’ Season” and will focus on the city’s criminal shenanigans that take place before and during the holidays.
“It was something that we had talked about for a little bit. We had like a ton of different reasons for it but there wasn’t one huge reason. I think it accentuates the fact that we like the show to feel like installments and moments. I think naming season two something different sort of reiterates that or bolsters that idea, says Atlanta Producer and Writer Stefani Robinson.
Other notables in attendance on Monday evening included Sonny Digital, Co Executive Producer and Director Hiro Murai + other ATLANTA actors Marcus Jenkins, Abraham Clinkscales, Angela Wildflower and Dylan Lamar Cheek.
Tune into my UPFRONT radio show this coming weekend to hear from Glover and Henry regarding their characters, the new season and more! UPFRONT airs on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. on Jazz 91.9 WCLK and online at WCLK.com.
Check out more photos + a sneak peek of tonight’s episode below:
UPFRONT on the scene at the FX Premiere of ATLANTA: Robbin’ Season
Dylan Lamar Cheek
Angela Wildflower talking to Jelisa Cook from SHEEN Magazine
Adriyan Rae
Marcus Jenkins
ATLANTA: ROBBIN’ SEASON debuts
TONIGHT at 10 p.m. EST on FX
Photo Credits: Mark Angel Photography + HeyMikeyATL