Atlanta was a very special kind of TV comedy that constantly went out of its way to surprise audiences, delivering some of the wackiest and most unpredictable episodes of television in the past few decades. The show always took wild swings, and while not all of these risks paid off, Donald Glover and Atlanta’s team of writers came up with some of the funniest episodes of television ever. Each season of Atlanta has its strengths, but there are all-time great episodes in all four.

Atlanta centers around the chaotic lives of two cousins, Earnest and Alfred, trying to make a name for themselves as the latest up-and-coming rappers out of the city. But what started as a fairly simple drama/comedy about music, romance, and friendship quickly transformed into something totally different as Atlanta found its outlandish voice and tried out some truly absurd storytelling concepts. This is when the show really found its peak, drifting away from the formula and forging its own path of eccentric humor. By Atlanta’s ending in season 4, the show had fundamentally changed TV comedies.

10 The Big Payback

Season 3, Episode 4

“The Big Payback” is the peak of Atlanta’s more cerebral, conceptual storytelling that doesn’t focus on the main characters at all. The episode follows a white man who’s suddenly told that he must pay reparations to a woman whose ancestors were slaves to his own ancestors. What begins as a simple joke quickly becomes much darker and more thought-provoking as this society becomes obsessed with making modern-day society pay for their family’s actions several generations back.

Although it’s the main characters that really make Atlanta work on a larger scale, it’s these more self-contained episodes where the show displayed its most mature and interesting storytelling. It’s such a fascinating way of approaching this topic, never siding with or against the main character, but merely displaying how this relevant question could look in the future if taken to its absolute extreme.

9 Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga

Season 3, Episode 9

“Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga” is another example of Atlanta’s anthology storytelling: the main cast doesn’t appear in this story at all, but that just gives the writers more freedom to make this fascinating spin-off episode work. The concept of the episode is simple - in a dystopian world where Black people are given free college tuition, society devolves into a cutthroat competition to prove who’s the “most Black”, and therefore most deserving of a free education.

The episode is a fascinating commentary on how the lives of Black people are perceived completely differently by those who aren’t part of the community, and how stereotypes about race are completely dependent on where certain races have historically stood in the social hierarchy. Atlanta strayed far from its first season over the years, but switching to this kind of cerebral storytelling is the best decision it ever made.

8 North Of The Border

Season 2, Episode 9

While most of Atlanta’s best episodes are those with clear, standalone concepts that don’t contribute too strongly towards the overarching narrative of the show, “North of the Border” is the complete opposite. It doesn’t have the bizarre premise or subversive comedy of episodes like “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga”, but rather, it’s a very emotional and captivating break from the show’s humor that helps develop the central relationship between Earn and Paper Boi.

The dynamic between these two protagonists has always been one of Atlanta’s strengths, and “North of the Border” proves that these characters are interesting enough to carry an entire episode without the show’s signature weirdness. It features some of Donald Glover and Brian Tyree Henry’s best work, and reminds audiences of the emotional core that makes Atlanta so great.

7 Barbershop

Season 2, Episode 5

Throughout Atlanta’s four seasons, there have been several episodes that focus exclusively on a single character, chronicling one particular day in their lives. “Barbershop” has a very simple concept: Paper Boi wants to get a haircut before an important cover shoot, but life keeps getting in the way. He’s dragged all the way across the city on a constant string of wild goose chases, growing more and more agitated by the minute.

The way he slowly grows more and more frustrated by his inability to get a haircut is hilarious, and it proves that Atlanta episodes don’t really need a complex narrative to work - even the simplest of ideas can be made funny by this outstanding cast.

“Barbershop” was the episode that finally solidified Paper Boi as Brian Tyree Henry’s best role, as he carries this entire concept on his shoulders for half an hour, and it’s some of the show’s funniest material. The way he slowly grows more and more frustrated by his inability to get a haircut is hilarious, and it proves that Atlanta episodes don’t really need a complex narrative to work - even the simplest of ideas can be made funny by this outstanding cast.

6 It Was All A Dream

Season 4, Episode 10

Atlanta’s final episode was understandably a controversial one, not just because it employed the famously underwhelming “it was all a dream” trope, but also because it left several lingering questions from the show’s history unanswered. Instead of resolving the show’s narrative in a satisfying way, this episode simply followed an average day in the life of Darius that culminated in a heartwarming visit to Popeyes with all of his friends.

"It Was All A Dream" was Atlanta's 41st and final episode.

“It Was All A Dream” exemplifies everything that’s great about Atlanta: the stories could be about literally anything, but the chemistry between these actors and the well-written friendship among their characters is what keeps the show’s heart beating. The finale didn’t need to be a big, dramatic conclusion, and Atlanta’s writers knew that. There’s a reason this remains one of Atlanta’s highest-rated episodes, with a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

5 The Goof Who Sat By The Door

Season 4, Episode 8

When it comes to Atlanta’s more conceptual episodes, “The Goof Who Sat By The Door” is the strongest of them all. Structured in the form of a documentary, the episode tells the (supposedly true) story about the production process behind Disney’s (definitely real) A Goofy Movie, claiming that it was overseen by a Black animator who was accidentally raised to the position of CEO of the Disney Corporation.

It’s such an unapologetically weird concept for an Atlanta episode, but the way it interweaves archival footage with real-life interviews to make this fake story come across as real is astounding. The episode definitely fooled some viewers for a little while, but even knowing that it’s not a real story, “The Goof Who Sat By The Door” is a hugely entertaining episode that confirms Atlanta is at its best when it goes off the rails.

4 B.A.N.

Season 1, Episode 7

“B.A.N.” is one of the few episodes from Atlanta’s first season that’s often mentioned among the show’s best, and it was arguably the first instance of the show getting visibly weird and unconventional with its structure. The episode centers around Paper Boi’s appearance on a Black news network following a controversial tweet that he made, spurring a hilarious discussion about cancel culture and the perceived ridiculousness of trans-racialism.

The episode pokes fun at the increasingly relevant issue that things can only become a reality if they’re discussed on the internet or debated on the news, with Paper Boi acting as the voice of the people in his disbelief that such absurd concepts are given such realistic depictions on the show. It’s a perfect example of Atlanta saying something genuinely interesting and important but bathing it in humor and silliness to make it more digestible for audiences.

3 Juneteenth

Season 1, Episode 9

“Juneteenth” may not be everybody’s favorite episode of Atlanta, but it exhibits some of the show’s most captivating storytelling, most relevant social commentary, and most hilarious writing - all whilst developing the central relationship between Earn and Vanessa. The episode follows the couple’s visit to a White family’s Juneteenth celebrations, where their distorted festivities take the Black couple by surprise.

It’s reminiscent of films like Get Out with its biting commentary on racial imbalance and class mobility, but it never makes this the sole focus of the episode

Atlanta’s anthology episodes are great, but this more grounded approach to storytelling is a perfect way to close off the first season. It’s reminiscent of films like Get Out with its biting commentary on racial imbalance and class mobility, but it never makes this the sole focus of the episode. Above all, it’s the story of Earn and Vanessa’s complex romance, which is rebuilt by their shared distaste for the celebrations.

2 Teddy Perkins

Season 2, Episode 6

“Teddy Perkins” marked a clear turning point for Atlanta - before this point, the episodes had drifted between buddy comedies and surrealist dramas, but “Teddy Perkins” finally thrust the series head-first into horror. When Atlanta’s most likeable character Darius arrives to pick up a piano on Craigslist, he unknowingly walks into the creepiest house in the United States.

The character of Teddy Perkins is one of Donald Glover’s most frightening creations, and his dual performance in the episode is some of his best work. The way he creates such a terrifying atmosphere without much actually happening is masterful, and the audience is placed directly into Darius’ shoes as Atlanta places us face-to-face with the horror of trauma and abuse - and somehow makes it funny.

1 Woods

Season 2, Episode 8

“Woods” is another example of Atlanta’s unique bottle episodes, following a regular day in Paper Boi’s life that quickly descends into chaos. After a slow start, the story picks up when a group of Paper Boi’s fans attempt to rob and beat him, forcing him to run away into the woods alone - where he’s hunted down by a dangerous man who threatens to shoot him dead.

This episode is a perfect display of Atlanta’s ability to completely switch styles at the drop of a hat; nobody could have expected where this episode would end up from its opening minutes, but the sudden-switch up actually serves an important role. It’s symbolic of Paper Boi’s realization that his private life has been destroyed by fame, and he’ll never be truly safe again. Even at its most unpredictable, there’s always a method behind Atlanta’s madness.