Atlanta Season 3 Gets Good News And Bad News At FX

Atlanta Donald Glover Earnest Earn Marks FX
(Image credit: Guy D'Alema / FX)

It has been a long time since Atlanta fans have gotten to watch a new episode of Donald Glover’s critically acclaimed hit series. The most recent episode aired almost two years ago during May 2018. FX renewed Atlanta for Season 3 all the way back in June of 2018. Fast forward to 2020, and the third season has yet to premiere.

Well, there is some good news and some bad news regarding Season 3’s future on FX. First, the good news! When Atlanta makes its much-anticipated return, it will do so with more episodes than originally planned. Instead of eight episodes, Season 3 will now be comprised of ten! FX chairman John Landgraf made the announcement at the TCA winter press tour, per TVLine.

This means fans will get two more installments of the fan-favorite than first announced. Keep that good news in mind as you prepare to read the bad news. While Atlanta is coming back with two more Season 3 episodes, it will be a bit before fans get to enjoy them. Why?

Because FX’s chairman also revealed that Season 3 is unlikely to begin airing until January of 2021. Yes, a year from now. Talk about a crusher. There is a considerable silver lining to the grim reveal, though. The break between Season 3 and Season 4 will be considerably shorter than the hiatus between Atlanta’s Tiny Toons Adventures-inspired second season and the upcoming third.

The fourth season, which is still set to be comprised of eight episodes, is slated to air in the fall of 2021. This means that Atlanta will thankfully return for Season 4 within the same year its third season premieres. Great news for fans who will undoubtedly be excited to see the life and times of Atlanta's cast of characters continue in Season 4!

Series creator Donald Glover’s incredibly successful career and subsequently busy schedule led to a bit of a breather between Season 1 and Season 2. The first season finished airing in November of 2016 and Atlanta did not return for Season 2 until March of 2018.

As for what you can expect when Atlanta returns, FX's chairman indicated filming on Season 3 of the acclaimed series is set to largely take place outside of the United States. Other hints include Season 3 seeming to start directly following Season 2's conclusion and hope for Season 5 if Donald Glover wants to do it. For fans who want to keep their memory of Atlanta sharp, there is more good news.

As CinemaBlend’s Jerrica Tisdale points out on her list of the best shows you can currently binge on Hulu over the weekend, Atlanta is available streaming! Checking out the first couple seasons streaming would be a great way to stay connected to the series between now and 2021. Plus, there will be more of Season 3 to watch than initially planned, which is always a wonderful thing for fans to have to look forward to.

Atlanta is now currently slated to return in January 2021 on FX. In a bid to tide yourself over while you anticipate Season 3’s premiere, you can check out this winter’s new content.

Britt Lawrence

Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.