Donald Glover Comedy ‘Atlanta’ Debuting Summer 2016 On FX

Atlanta, FX’s latest comedy acquisition has taken Saturday’s Television Critics Association press tour by storm. Created by and starring comedian and Donald Glover, the bold new series just received a ten-episode order from the cable network.

“I think it’s the perfect time to make something I would want to see,” Glover tells the TCA panel in Pasadena, California. “I grew up in Atlanta, so I know how it’s supposed to look… It’s kind of like a magic jungle.”

The series marks the Community star’s return to TV, albeit on his own accord. Co-executive produced by Glover and Paul Simms, the series highlights Glover as Earnest “Earn” Marks, a young, down-on-his-luck father who takes a professional and financial leap by representing his emerging rapper cousin, Alfred “Paper Boy” Miles. The show stars newcomers Brian Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz alongside emerging film presence, Keith Stanfield (Straight Outta Compton, Dope, Short Term 12) and TV vet, Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (The Wire, Veep).

Glover, a Georgia native who got his start as a writer on Tina Fey’s 30 Rock, explains why he chose to set his series in his home state: “I feel like it’s the most American place… Everybody is trying to make something from nothing.” Atlanta, which released a pilot to critics for review, will shoot the remainder of the season on location.

The half-hour comedy is set to premiere summer 2016 on FX. No set date has been released.

Check out all of our TCA 2016 coverage, here.