It’s a struggle between family and fame in the first trailer for Donald Glover’s new series, Atlanta.
FX Networks released the first trailer for the upcoming show on Friday, after posting a series of teasers and short clips to get us good and ready. The series, created by Glover, is a semi-autobiographical exploration of a rapper’s astronomical rise to fame and how it impacts the people around him. Glover plays Marks, who returns to his hometown of Atlanta right as his cousin, musical artist Alfred Miles, starts to surge in popularity.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour this week, Glover explained that Atlanta is not just about the music. The show clearly dives into Marks’ connection with his family, like strengthening the bonds with his partner and struggling to make sure his young daughter is safe.
The show’s tone, message and delivery are surreal and darkly humorous, but according to Color Lines, it also ventures into more serious topics like racial profiling and shooting deaths. Glover said the show’s purpose is to help viewers better understand the African-American experience.
“The thesis with the show was kind of to show people how it felt to be black,” Glover said. “What was important to me was that this show was personal and had a specific take, because that’s all you can really ask for from a show nowadays, is having a specific point on something.”
Glover is definitely a busy man right now. He’s getting ready to drop Pharos, his first studio album since 2013’s Because The Internet, next month. There are also rumors that he’s a strong candidate for the part of young Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo prequel film. Atlanta debuts on FX Sept. 6.
(via YouTube/Color Lines)
