15 shows that define prestige TV

2. Atlanta

Again, calling Atlanta a comedy is problematic given how dark it can get and how it expertly tackles current social issues, particularly those involving race. But it can 100 percent be referred to as a prestige TV show, given that it has already earned Donald Glover a Best Actor Emmy and is primed to win many more awards in September.

No one was exactly sure what Atlanta was going to be when it premiered on FX in 2016. At that point, Glover was most famous for playing Troy on Community, his other comedy projects and his burgeoning rap career as Childish Gambino. The show was dubbed as being an exploration of the Atlanta rap scene, which seemed up his alley but still wasn’t exactly a sure bet.

Well, what we got was a show that has so far defied expectations at every turn. It’s the rare show where viewers have absolutely no idea what they’re going to get week to week. What other show can say it went from a buddy comedy to a horror movie to a party at Drake’s mansion in a three-episode span?

Atlanta also happens to feature Brian Tyree Henry as rapper Paper Boi, arguably the best actor who stars on arguably the best show on TV. Very few actors on TV can do hard drama and then immediately transition to hilarious bits the way he has through the show’s first two seasons. Having an MVP on set obviously makes any show’s life that much easier.

In the current hierarchy of prestige TV, Atlanta has to be in the top three if not explicitly at the top. Glover and his creative team are sick people, but they can sure make one heck of a TV show.