Donald Glover heads south to a different community with FX’s ‘Atlanta’
Fans of Donald Glover know that he’s much more than lovable nerd Troy Barnes from “Community.” He moved beyond the NBC/Yahoo Screen community college sitcom with his sharp-edged stand-up gigs and hip-hop-flavored music career, where he performs under the name Childish Gambino.
Still, his darkly comic new TV project is likely to surprise some. As executive producer/writer/director/executive music producer and star, Glover is the driving creative force behind FX’s “Atlanta,” premiering Sept. 6.
The series is set in his old stamping grounds and details the comedy and drama surrounding two cousins navigating the music scene in Atlanta in an effort to improve their lives and the lives of their families. Viewers may find situations humorous even though they are serious.
“The thesis with the show was kind of to show people how it felt to be black, and you can’t really write that down. You kind of have to feel it. So the tonal aspect was really important to me,” Glover said during a session promoting the show at the Television Critics Assn. press tour Tuesday.
When one reporter commented on the abstract feel of the series, Glover said, “There really isn’t a limit, I feel like, to how abstract you can get as long as you believe it. There has to be some sort of grounded nature to something so people don’t start [saying], ‘I don’t believe this,’ and then they turn the channel. If you have something that is grounded on some level, you can go anywhere.”
He is aware that viewers who know him primarily from “Community” may not quite get the show’s vibe, while others will say, “‘Hey, that’s good, actually,’” he said.
Costar Brian Tyree Henry said that “Altanta” will illustrate the city’s differing cultures. “It’s a different world. What’s absurdity for one person may be reality for another.”
Glover also discussed why he didn’t participate in the “Community” series finale on Yahoo Screen last year.
“I just like endings,” said Glover, who maintained he had a lot of fun on the critically-beloved show. “I think everything should have death clauses in them. Like, humans have death clauses… I’m glad things end because it forces things to progress.”
Twitter:@GeBraxton
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