The Big Bang (Atlanta)

"The Big Bang" is the pilot episode of American comedy-drama television series Atlanta. It originally aired on FX on September 6, 2016, back-to-back with the second episode "Streets on Lock". The pilot episode focuses on Earn Marks trying to convince his rapper cousin Alfred to let him be his manager. The episode was written by series creator Donald Glover (who also plays Earn) and directed by Hiro Murai. On September 7, 2016, FX released the first two episodes of Atlanta on YouTube for free.[1]

"The Big Bang"
Atlanta episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byHiro Murai
Written byDonald Glover
Production codeXAA01001
Original air dateSeptember 6, 2016 (2016-09-06)
Running time27 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
  • Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Raleigh Marks
  • Myra Lucretia Taylor as Mrs. Marks
  • Emmett Hunter as Ahmad White

Plot

The series opens with a confrontation between local Atlanta rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles (Brian Tyree Henry) and a man who damages Alfred's car for no apparent reason. Alfred's cousin Earnest "Earn" Marks (Donald Glover) tries to mediate the situation whilst stoned sidekick Darius Epps (Lakeith Stanfield) has a sensation of déjà vu. The episode flashes back to earlier in the day where the life of Earn is shown. Earn is a homeless Princeton dropout and living with his baby daughter's mother, Vanessa "Van" Keefer (Zazie Beetz), having been kicked out of his parents' house. He is working a dead-end job signing passengers up for credit cards at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport when he learns his cousin Alfred had released a new mixtape under the rap name "Paper Boi." Alfred initially sees Earn as a leech (Earn hadn't spoken to him since the funeral of Alfred's mother), but Earn makes an effort to get Paper Boi to make him his manager by going to a local radio station and bribing the DJ to play Paper Boi's song. Later, just as they listen to the song on Alfred's car radio, a man walking by suddenly snaps off one of the side-view mirror, resulting in the incident at the opening scene which ultimately culminates with a shootout. Earn and Alfred are promptly arrested, while Darius escapes the scene.

Production

In 2013, Deadline announced that Donald Glover would be developing a new series about Atlanta for FX.[2] In 2014, FX ordered a pilot for the series.[3]

"The Big Bang" was filmed in July 2015 at various locations around the Atlanta metropolitan area.[4] Airport scenes set at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were actually filmed at Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, Georgia.[5]

Reception

The episode received mainly positive reviews from critics. IGN called the episode "a comedic slow burn"[6] while Indiewire stated that the series was "on the cusp of something great".[7]

The pilot was viewed by 1.08 million viewers during its premiere and earned an 18-49 rating of 0.5.[8]

After submitting "The Big Bang" to Emmy voters for consideration, Glover won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series on September 17, 2017;[9] this made him the first black man to win the award since Robert Guillaume in 1985.[10]

References
  1. Strauss, Matthew (September 7, 2016). "Watch the First Episode of Donald Glover's (Childish Gambino) New TV Show "Atlanta"". Pitchfork.
  2. Andreeva, Nellie (August 6, 2013). "Donald Glover To Create And Star In Music-Themed FX Comedy Series Project". Deadline Hollywood.
  3. O'Connell, Michael (December 12, 2014). "FX Orders Donald Glover Pilot 'Atlanta'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  4. Quinlan, Healher (July 2, 2015). "Donald Glover's FX Pilot 'Atlanta' Gets Cast". Backstage.
  5. "See Atlanta through Donald Glover's Lens". Georgia Department of Economic Development. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  6. Goldman, Eric (September 2, 2016). "Atlanta: "The Big Bang" Review". IGN.
  7. Travers, Ben (September 2, 2016). "'Atlanta' Review: Donald Glover's First Series Is Already Essential Viewing". IndieWire.
  8. Porter, Rick (September 8, 2016). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'Queen Sugar' and 'Atlanta' get off to good starts". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016.
  9. Ruiz, Tony (July 27, 2017). "Glover ('Atlanta') wonders if he'll ever catch a break in 'The Big Bang'". Gold Derby.
  10. Landau, Neil (2018). TV Writing On Demand: Creating Great Content in the Digital Era. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781351784207.
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