Donald Glover has been a busy man for the past decade. Ever since his debut writing for and appearing in “30 Rock”, Glover has made a name for himself in the television industry as well as the rap game. In 2010, he experimented with the comedy scene, performing as a stand up comedian for about two years. A pivotal point in his career came with the song “3005” under the pseudonym Childish Gambino. Now, he’s back to television, this time as the creator, writer, and actor of the FX comedy “Atlanta.”

The show centers around Earn (played by Glover), a Princeton dropout who has no money or home, so he stays with Vanessa (Zazie Beetz), his best friend and the mother of his child. Earn learns of his cousin’s overnight fame as the rapper Alfred ‘Paper Boi’ Miles (played by Brian Tyree Henry) and becomes his manager in hopes of improving his unfulfilled life. Darius (played by Keith Stanfield) is Paper Boi’s visionary and accomplice. The show explores the chronicles of Paper Boi, Earn, and Darius as they try to make it big in the music industry, while knowing the difference between real life and street life.

With such an outstanding cast, it’s no surprise that the performances in “Atlanta” are amazing. Zazie Beetz is a newer actress, only appearing in some independent and short films, however she takes up her role as Earn’s “baby mama” and best friend quite well. Brian Tyree Henry is no new face to television. He’s been in shows like “Vice Principals,” “The Good Wife,” and “Law and Order.” Henry’s character in the show serves as a great look into the world of fame and real life, with his character having to deal with newfound fame while trying to maintain a good image for himself in his neighborhood. Although he could have been a minor character as Paper Boi’s right hand man, Stanfield makes Darius’ character one that is essential to the overall plot. Darius is a dynamic character who has a fully developed personality, as the laid back guy whose knowledge has no bounds. Stanfield has done an amazing job in movies like “Dope” and “Straight Outta Compton.”

“Atlanta” is officially classified as a comedy, but it is much more than that. It is a glimpse into the Black experience of Atlanta. Looking at a scene from the second episode, we see the commentary being made on how mental illness is viewed in the black community. While Earn is waiting for bail in a central booking office, there is a mentally ill man in a hospital gown named Lee walking around. He fills a cup with toilet water and drinks it, and while this is happening Earn asks a police officer why Lee isn’t in a hospital instead of the booking office. The officer laughs in response to his question while Lee spits the toilet water in another officer’s face and gets brutally beaten for it. The scene ends with Earn’s troubled face in reaction to Lee’s beating. So much for comedy, right?

That’s the thing about “Atlanta”, it’s comedic but different. Director Hiro Murai intended it to be that way. In an interview with IndieWire, Murai said that the goal of the show was “‘creating a tone where you are allowed to laugh at the hard jokes. The trick becomes finding a balance where the comedy can mix with an environment where people can ‘get shot and die.’”

The cinematography of “Atlanta” allows the viewers to feel immersed in a surreal way, where they feel as if they are with the characters.The wide angle shots help reveal the city of Atlanta in an uncut way, with a color scheme that is barely saturated to be bleak looking, all adding to the overall tone of the show. What Glover wanted was to affect the audience in a way that would have them reflect on what was going on in the show. In an interview with NPR, he said he wanted the audience to “wonder why they’re laughing or why [something] made them feel uncomfortable.”

The show, so far, is quirky and a step into a different direction with prime time television. It’s funny in its awkwardness, amusing in its dryness, and entertaining in its normalcy. Four episodes in, and it’s not hard to feel like this show is destined for taking a spot on a Top-10 list of shows to watch in 2016. Critics are already giving it great reviews, with Rotten Tomatoes at 100%, IMDb at 8.8/10, and TV.com at 9.4/10. ‘Atlanta’ gets a 4.5/5.