Entertainment

The TV Drama All Your Friends Have Been Telling You To Watch Is Finally Streamable

by Ashley Rey

September marks an entire year since Donald Glover's Atlanta premiered. And with Season 2 reportedly being delayed until 2018, fans are probably wondering if an opportunity to catch up with Earn and Paper Boi's shenanigans will ever present itself — or even, when Atlanta will become available on Netflix. It's been called one of the most important shows of 2016, and having six 2017 Emmy nominations definitely proves this to be true. It's been tough not having it as easily accessible to marathon, and unfortunately, it doesn't look like it will be making its way to Netflix any time soon.

According to Variety, the FX phenom won't be joining the Netflix ranks, as the network has signed an exclusive streaming deal with Hulu. Announced in 2014, the multi-year output agreement grants Hulu "exclusive subscription video on-demand rights" for all of FX's original series. There's no telling just how long the agreement will last, but it certainly won't be null and void before Season 2 of the highly anticipated series returns. And so, this means that fans will have to get their Season 1 marathon on over at Hulu ahead of the rumored 2018 second season premiere.

Up until recently, details about streaming Donald Glover's brainchild were scarce. Actually, everything up and coming on the rapper/actor's work schedule — like, The Lion King and Star Wars' Han Solo flick — could totally explain lack of info. But then, on Friday, Sept. 15, Decider reported Atlanta is now available to stream on Hulu to your heart's content.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

One thing's for sure: Glover is a hot commodity, and while it makes sense that his hit show has an exclusive streaming deal with Hulu, it not being accessible as many places as possible is a total bummer. It's not very often that you come across a show that can expertly mix comedy and social issues to create a tasteful, timely experience. Not to mention, Atlanta is the perfect program to ingest during Trump's America. As Paper Boi, aka Brian Tyree Henry, said in a 2016 interview with Bustle: "What Atlanta is doing and what FX has provided is a platform for us to just call this sh*t out."

So, sure, it'd make a ton of sense for Glover and the FX team to have an exclusive streaming deal. But because it's, in Henry's words, "a revolution," why not bend the status quo a bit to make it widely accessible now? It's needed and extremely valuable to the culture.

Speaking of being valuable, Glover is more than aware of Atlanta's positive impact on the culture. From including tiny black woman nuances like Van (Zazie Beets) using a scarf to tie up her hair at night, to even addressing trans identity and homosexual taboos in the black community, the actor has really provided a space for many black people to see pieces of themselves onscreen — honestly and with vulnerability.

While on the Television Critics Association press tour ahead of the show's 2016 premiere, Glover said, “The thesis with this show was to show people what it’s like to be black, and you can’t write that down. You have to feel it.”

And Atlanta was totally the show to do so. More often times than not, entertainment relies on hyper-stereotypes of black people to give audiences a taste of the black experience. Atlanta, as well as other 2016 breakouts like Issa Rae's Insecure and Ava DuVernay's Queen Sugar, mastered telling honest and multi-dimensional stories of black Americans, setting the tone for other programs venturing into the culturally dynamic space. And for that reason alone, having all of them accessible to stream any and everywhere would be extremely valuable.

Atlanta may be locked into an exclusive deal for Hulu, but that doesn't mean it can't break the streaming mold and become more accessible in the future. The more people who can see it, the better.