Everything We Know About 'Atlanta' Season 4

The Donald Glover-created FX comedy is coming back for one final season.

brian tyree henry and lakeith stanfield in atlanta season 3
Brian Tyree Henry and LaKeith Stanfield | FX
Brian Tyree Henry and LaKeith Stanfield | FX

Long before Atlanta Season 3 was even filmed—the show's production was greatly delayed by the pandemic—a fourth season of the FX comedy from Donald Glover was renewed way back in summer 2019. While it took four years for the show about an Atlanta-based rapper named Paper Boi (played by the excellent Brian Tyree Henry) and his manager/cousin Earn (Glover) to return, it ended up dropping some of the best TV of the year in spring 2022, remaining as prophetic and fascinating as ever. Since we know more Atlanta is on the way and the show constantly leaves viewers ready for more of its thought-provoking installments, we're breaking down what we know about Season 4 so far.

donald glover in atlanta season 3
Zazie Beetz, Donald Glover, and Brian Tyree Henry | FX

When will Season 4 of Atlanta premiere?

Even though Atlanta Season 3 aired in spring 2022, it shouldn't be too long of a wait for more episodes. Seasons 3 and 4 of Atlanta were filmed back-to-back, so Season 4 is actually already complete. While no official premiere date has been announced yet, Deadline did state that fans can likely expect new episodes sometime in fall 2022. We'll be eagerly awaiting them.

Is Season 4 the last season of Atlanta?

It's time to say goodbye to Alfred, Earn, Darius, and Van. In February 2022, The Hollywood Reporter shared that FX CEO John Landgraf had announced Season 4 of Atlanta would be the comedy's last installment. At this point—when there was a four-year gap between Seasons 2 and 3 and each of the core cast members' careers took off immensely in that time—it should come as no surprise that the series is wrapping up. In the time before Season 3 hit the air, Donald Glover became attached to projects at Amazon Prime, including a Mr. and Mrs. Smith series; LaKeith Stanfield was nominated for an Oscar; and Brian Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz have only continued to garner bigger and bigger roles in blockbuster projects like Joker.

Glover actually revealed that he wanted the show to end after Season 2 (which came as a surprise to the team at FX when he said that at an early 2022 TCA panel). FX Entertainment President Eric Schrier then told Deadline, "[Glover] came to us and said, I think there is a way to do two more seasons, and that’s how I want to end the show … Obviously we’d love Atlanta to continue to go on as long as it could but I think as Donald articulated, he had a finite ending and wanted a closure to the show, so we were very supportive of that as we have been with shows that have come to their fruition. I think part of what we try to do with all of these shows is not extend them on beyond their life cycle and let the creative and their creators drive their conclusion." While it's a bummer to see the show go, it does sound like Glover and the rest of the Atlanta crew have a vision for how it'll conclude, so we can only expect it to go out with a bang.

donald glover in atlanta season 3
Donald Glover | FX

How many episodes are in Atlanta Season 4?

An official episode count hasn't been shared yet, but according to IMDb, it looks like there are 10 more episodes of Atlanta on the way. That seems about right, considering every season, except Season 2, featured 10 installments.

Who is in the Season 4 cast of Atlanta?

Even though they've all become megastars, the Atlanta mainstays will return to close out the show. So expect to see more of Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred/Paper Boi, Donald Glover as Earn, LaKeith Stanfield as Darius, and Zazie Beetz as Van. With the show returning to the Peach State for the final season (more on that below), it's possible we'll see some more hometown familiars from earlier seasons, too.

More than ever, Season 3 also featured a handful of guest stars, from British recording artist Jai Paul to movie stars like Liam Neeson and Alexander Skarsgård. It seems likely that Season 4 will do the same. It's not clear who will make an appearance, but considering Ryan Gosling (who is apparently a huge Atlanta fan) nearly got to shoot a cameo, we should likely expect some big names to pop up here and there.

What will Season 4 of Atlanta be about?

With the surreal world that is Atlanta, it's hard to say where the show will go in its final installment. Season 3 featured one-off episodes about reparations and horrifying stories inspired by real-life, and even episodes about the characters who fans know and love dipped into wild territory, with inclusions of eerie death cults and cannibalism. So, it seems like anything is game for Season 4.

That being said, the cast and crew have spoken a little bit about what fans can expect. Executive producer and frequent director Hiro Murai was quoted in THR as saying, "Season 4, we’re back in Atlanta again," and he even called it a "homecoming season." Based on those comments, it sounds like Paper Boi and his crew will be back from his European tour and wrestling with being home or what's next for them.

In addition to being a "homecoming season," it also sounds like it might be pretty character-driven. Although she didn't reveal too many details, Zazie Beetz told Deadline, "I think in Season 4, there’s a continuation of identity searching. That is a lifelong journey I think, and it takes on a bit of another context."

However the show wraps up, we can hopefully count on Glover's word that it's going to be a great final season. Variety noted that when he spoke about the decision to end the show at a TCA panel, he said, "I think it ends perfectly." With such an incredible, groundbreaking series coming to an end, we can only hope so!

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