Just as the news of Atlanta‘s highly anticipated third season got fans riled up once again, fans were shocked to learn the acclaimed series is set to end with a fourth and final season. FX CEO John Landgraf made the announcement on Thursday (Feb. 17) during the Television Critics Association’s virtual winter press tour.
The final two seasons of the award-winning series have already been filmed with Season 3 set to premiere on March 24. “The new season is everything you’ve come to expect from Atlanta,” Landgraf shared. The fourth and final season is slated to debut this fall.
Despite last airing in May 2018, the series garnered two Emmys for series lead and creator, Donald Glover for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series as well as Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. Glover made history by becoming the first Black director to win in that category.
Glover joked with reporters later on Thursday, saying, “To be honest, I kind of wanted it to end after season two.” He explained that wrapping the series with Season 4 felt like the natural conclusion for his character Earnest “Earn” Marks, Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), and the others.
“When the conditions are right for something to happen, it happens, and when they’re not, it doesn’t,” said Glover, who also noted that his current overall deal with Amazon didn’t factor into the decision to end Atlanta. “The story was always supposed to be what it was.”
With Amazon, Glover is working on a series adaptation of the 2005 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which famously starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The studio is recasting his co-lead and anticipate it premiering later this year.
As a rapper and singer, Glover goes by the stage name Childish Gambino. He is also hard at work on Hive, a music series that includes Malia Obama as part of the writers’ room. The show’s premiere date has yet to be announced.