Successful TV Shows That Ended On Their Own Terms
Going into Season 1 of FX’s comedy-drama “Atlanta,” showrunner Donald Glover admits he didn’t really know what he was doing, instead approaching the show as if it were going to get canceled. Luckily, that never happened, and by Season 2, “Atlanta” had become a highly acclaimed, award-winning hit. While the first two seasons focus on the experiences of the four main characters, Earn, Paper Boi, Darius, and Van, as they navigate the Atlanta hip-hop scene, Season 3 takes the characters abroad and leans further into the surrealist elements “Atlanta’s” unconventional storytelling is best known for. The fourth and final season premiered just a few months after the third, taking the characters back to their roots in Atlanta.
Glover spoke about the decision to end the show during the Television Critics Association press tour, saying, “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.” Glover also revealed he originally planned for “Atlanta” to end after two seasons, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. It’s safe to say the show’s legacy wouldn’t be the same without the final two seasons that gave audiences a satisfying conclusion.