Atlanta is a comedy-drama gem. It shows Earn, a broke college dropout and his cousin Paper Boi, a rising rapper. They hustle through Atlanta’s music scene, trying to make it big. With sharp writing and wild storytelling, it captures life for young Black folks in America. Unique and surreal, it’s a ride you won’t forget.

Meet the characters from Atlanta

Darius

Darius is the weird, unshakably zen weirdo of Atlanta and honestly I love him. He says philosophical nonsense like it’s scripture, notices tiny details nobody else sees, and then laughs like it’s the punchline to a private joke. Sometimes he’s impossibly calm, sometimes he’s suddenly terrifying and I can’t tell if he’s stoned or channeling a spirit — probably both. He eats and hoards strange snacks, tells spectral stories, and will drop a life-changing metaphor in the middle of a Walmart scene. Also he claims to hate phones but then demonstrates astonishing phone-usage skills? Whatever, Darius is peak unpredictable sage energy.

Zan

Zan is this sudden burst of chaotic glam — like if glitter had feelings and mood swings. She pops up and leaves an impression, spicy one-liners, fashion that doesn’t follow rules, kind of intimidating but also soft in weird ways. She’ll call you out, then make you a playlist that ruins your life in the best way, and sometimes seems to mean things she doesn’t admit to. Not always consistent about herself (one episode she’s icy, the next she’s sentimental), but it keeps you on your toes and that’s very Zan.

Paper Boi

Paper Boi is the gruff, tired, money-obsessed rapper who also has an entire personality made of sarcasm and vulnerability. He’s quick with a diss but softer than he’d ever admit, mostly grumbling his way through fame and every embarrassing moment that comes with it. His loyalty to friends is weirdly fierce, and he has this ridiculous way of caring that shows up in the smallest gestures. He looks like he doesn’t want your help but will accept it if it’s wrapped in rudeness, also loves cigars? Or is that a mood, idk. Basically: tough exterior, soft, complicated interior, and a voice that makes you believe every grumpy line he drops.

Van

Van is the quietly fierce, emotionally complicated center of a lot of the show’s heart — like the grounding force and the storm at the same time. She’s practical, tired, and protective, with a blend of sarcasm and weary tenderness that just feels real. She can be nurturing one minute and borderline unhinged the next (not literally, but you get the vibe), and her love stories are messy and unforgettable. Also she loves art, hates nonsense, and will absolutely roll her eyes at you while saving your life — metaphorically or literally, maybe both.

Ahmad White

Ahmad White comes off as flashy and overconfident, the sort of guy who owns the room before he even speaks. He’s got charm turned way up — likes being the center of attention but also has hidden anxieties if you look close enough, which is kind of endearing. Photos, clout, stories — he lives for them, but there’s a streak of real insecurity that makes him accidentally honest sometimes. He isn’t always consistent (one minute big moves, the next avoiding confrontation), but that messy performative energy is his whole vibe.

Alicia

Alicia is sharp, ambitious, and slightly terrifying in the best way — like she knows how to get what she wants and quietly does it. There’s steel under her smile, and she can be both calculated and surprising, showing flashes of tenderness you didn’t expect. She’s probably got a notebook full of plans, playlists, and resentments — not necessarily in that order. Sometimes she’s all business, sometimes she’s nostalgic and soft, which is confusing but human and kind of brilliant.

Black Justin Bieber

Black Justin Bieber is the disturbingly earnest pop star figure who’s both absurd and so very, very alive in the show’s universe. He radiates manufactured sweetness with a hint of danger, like someone practicing sincerity in the mirror and almost convincing himself. Fans scream, chaos ensues, and he somehow keeps smiling through the mess—maybe he’s genuine? Maybe it’s all PR, I can’t decide. Either way he’s iconic, a walking sugar-song billboard who will melt your brain and the internet simultaneously.

Earn

Earn is the exhausted, brilliant, chronically under-slept schemer of Atlanta, perpetually on the brink of making it or falling apart — sometimes both in the same scene. He’s practical, prickly, and heartbreakingly earnest (ha) about his ambitions and his care for his family, even when he’s an absolute mess. He second-guesses everything, is bad at money even when he’s clever about it, and has that low-key charisma that people don’t always notice at first. He makes choices that feel infuriating and deeply human, and you spend a lot of time wanting to shake him and hug him in equal measure. Also he’s somehow always slightly smelly? Or is that just because he’s never sitting still long enough to shower — unclear but funny.