FX has Atlanta season 3 in the works, and fans can expect the series to return in early 2022. FX’s hit comedy series was created by actor and comedian Donald Glover and explores the ups and downs of two cousins in Georgia’s capital city, Atlanta. Glover stars as a business-savvy Princeton dropout, Earn, while Brian Tyree Henry plays his cousin, Alfred, a rising hip-hop star known as Paper Boi. The American drama-comedy series is award-winning and critically acclaimed, but COVID and other delays have caused Atlanta season 3 to be in production for near four years.
Despite how long it's been between seasons, Atlanta season 3 is expected to pick up from the season 2 finale, “Crabs in a Barrel.” Before leaving the U.S. for a European tour, Earn plants a gun in Clark's (another rapper) bag, which leads to that rapper's manager, Lucas, taking the fall. Alfred states that he trusts Earn, indicating that he will be keeping him on as manager for the foreseeable future.
Atlanta, like many of FX's other shows, has an irregular production schedule, with significant gaps between seasons. In February 2019, FX CEO John Landgraf revealed that Atlanta’s season 3 production had been delayed. The primary reason cited was the cast’s work schedules - most notably Glover, who was in the middle of his "This is America" music tour - and then noted that FX focuses on quality first. In August 2019, FX confirmed that both Atlanta seasons 3 and 4 would begin production in 2020. In January, Landgraf said that season 3 was tentatively set to premiere in January 2021 — but that was pushed back repeatedly, thanks to the pandemic.
The show's official Twitter account announced the Atlanta season 3 release date in December 2021, and FX has already renewed the series for season 4, which is currently in production. Here's everything we know about Atlanta season 3.
FX Renewed Atlanta for Season 3 & Season 4
FX renewed Atlanta for season 3 back in June 2018 - one month after Atlanta season 2 concluded, which is a typical timeline for returning TV shows. With Atlanta, FX offers creative freedom to Glover and company, thus making the production process more unique than other TV shows. But to get the ball rolling on future seasons, FX also decided to order Atlanta season 4 in August 2019, which means that the gap between seasons 3 and 4 should be much shorter.
Atlanta Season 3 Release Date Info
After several delays, Atlanta season 3 premieres on March 24, 2022. Episodes 1 and 2 are set to air back-to-back at 10 pm EST. The remaining episodes will air weekly. The season will feature ten episodes in total [per Variety], which will be available to stream on Hulu the day after broadcast.
Atlanta Season 3 Story & Character Details
The Atlanta season 3 story will follow Earn and Paper Boi’s European tour. Based on the Atlanta season 2 finale, Earn has become more decisive about his personal and professional life, though insecurities loom within his mind. The airport fiasco in season 2 emphasizes the idea that Earn must essentially “play the game"; however, the character's spontaneous choices may have negative long-term effects. Earn's girlfriend, Van, and her daughter, Lottie, inform his practical decisions, but he still must choose what kind of man he wants to be - a father first or a ruthless industry insider who manipulates the system to his advantage.
According to the official FX synopsis, season 3 will include Earn (Donald Glover), Alfred / Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), and Van (Zazie Beetz) on their European tour, adjusting to their newfound success. Based on the official trailer for Atlanta season 3, there will be plenty of new faces joining the cast for the next batch of episodes.