FX's 'Atlanta' To End With Season Four, Donald Glover Thinks "It Ends Perfectly"

FX and Donald Glover‘s Atlanta will end with season four.

FX Chairman John Landgraf confirmed the news on February 17, “The fourth and final season is slated to debut in the same manner this fall.” He added, “The new season is everything you’ve come to expect from ‘Atlanta,’ which is to say, expect the unexpected. Sit back and enjoy the trip.”

Glover and co-stars Brian Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz also shared a few words regarding the announcement, with Glover stating that he initially wanted to finish Atlanta after the second season.

“Death is natural. I feel like when the conditions are right for something, they happen, and when the conditions aren’t right, they don’t happen. I don’t feel any longevity. Because then things start to get weird. The story was always supposed to be what it was. And the story, it really was us. Everybody in that writers’ room, everybody on set. It really was what we were going through and what we talked about. … I think it ends perfectly.”

He also confirmed that the end of Atlanta is not related to his eight-figure deal with Amazon, which he signed in early 2021. Glover is open to coming back to the show in the future, however, joking that they could do a Christmas special. “If there’s a reason to do it, of course. Like a Christmas special,” he said. “It always depends. I like keeping my options open.”

Meanwhile, Beetz and Henry revealed that they were aware of the show’s ending, with the former sharing that she was “a little emotional” but is in the same state of mind as Glover:

“I was a little emotional, but I agree with Donald that we’re ending on what feels like a peak and not letting it peter out. I think the best thing is knowing when to end it, and knowing when to move on with things. We are all doing other things. But we did all joke and talk about, wouldn’t it be funny if 15 years, when we have grandchildren, to come back. But I’m glad I knew it was ending because then I could really lean into the relationships, knowing this was my last chance to play Van. Van changed my life and I loved her.”

Henry also added that he has thought of Paper Boi’s future as the show had “played such a huge role in all our lives, being able to play these characters changed our lives in such dramatic and drastic and beautiful ways”:

“We’re all eager to figure out what becomes of the gang, what happens to us. I was wondering, what happens to older rappers? What is Albert at 55? Is he still going to be doing the same thing? But that’s the great part of coming to an end. For us, it just naturally felt like it was time. ‘Atlanta’ feels like an institution. You go to high school for four years, you go to college for four years, this was our own graduation of going somewhere bigger. I am so deeply connected to these people. That was the greatest gift of doing this show. If we decide to come back together when we’re 65, with arthritis medication and our walkers, we probably will because we’re all connected for the rest of our lives.”

Atlanta season three premieres March 24.

Elsewhere in entertainment, HBO has announced the premiere date of Barry season three.