8.1/104,126 votes#1 - The Big Bang
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/6/2016
The series opens with a confrontation between local rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles and a man who breaks off the side view mirror of Alfred's parked car. Alfred's cousin Earn tries to mediate the situation while stoned sidekick Darius has a sensation of déjà vu.
Director: Hiro Murai
Writer: Donald Glover
8.4/103,786 votes#2 - Streets on Lock
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/6/2016
Issues like police brutality, mental illness, and transphobia are addressed as Earn awaits bail after the boys get arrested for their shooting incident.
Director: Hiro Murai
Writer: Stephen Glover
8.1/103,390 votes#3 - Go for Broke
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/13/2016
Earn goes on a date with Van even though he's broke; Paper Boi proves he might have what it takes to hustle.
Director: Hiro Murai
Writer: Stephen Glover
8.1/103,302 votes#4 - The Streisand Effect
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/20/2016
Paper Boi deals with a social media troll, internet criticism, and exploitation; While Earn tries to trade his phone for quick cash, Darius sets up an investment for the future.
Director: Hiro Murai
Writer: Donald Glover
8.0/103,259 votes#5 - Nobody Beats the Biebs
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 9/27/2016
Justin Bieber, who is depicted as an African-American, makes an appearance in Atlanta at a celebrity basketball game, rubbing Paper Boi the wrong way. Meanwhile, Earn sneaks his way into a high-powered agents meeting after being mistaken for someone else, and Darius gets involved in an incident at a shooting range where he is criticized for a questionable choice for target paper.
Director: Hiro Murai
Writer: Stephen Glover
7.8/103,245 votes#6 - Value
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/4/2016
Van meets her WAG friend Jayde for dinner and they clash over their respective lifestyles. Later, they smoke weed and reconcile, but Van forgets she is scheduled for a drug test the next day. She tries to use her daughter's urine, but spills it and finally admits to her boss that she's smoked, who understands but has to fire her.
Director: Donald Glover
Writer: Donald Glover, Stefani Robinson
9.3/106,327 votes#7 - B.A.N.
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 10/11/2016
A satirical episode, Paper Boi features as a guest on a talk show called Montague, being part of a discussion on the media's indictment of Black culture and its intersection with trans people. Commercial parodies play throughout the episode during the breaks of the talk show.
Director: Donald Glover
Writer: Donald Glover
8.6/103,336 votes#8 - The Club
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 10/18/2016
An NBA star named Marcus Miles is in the same club as Paper Boi, hogging the drinks, women and limelight, which aggravates Paper Boi. Additionally, their promoter is avoiding paying Earn, who attempts to chase him down throughout the night. Eventually, Paper Boi strong-arms him and takes his money. Later, another shooting happens (outside of the club), which the police link to Paper Boi on the news due to his "armed robbery".
Director: Hiro Murai
Writer: Jamal Olori
8.4/103,171 votes#9 - Juneteenth
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 10/25/2016
Earn wakes up in another woman's bed and Van comes by to pick him up for a Juneteenth-themed party which she believes will help her establish good networking. The luxury home's owner is a rich White man who is shown to know quite a lot about Black culture in an anthropological way and his bourgeois Black wife. To impress the party's attendees, Vanessa and Earnest have to pretend they are a married couple who love fine art. Earn ends up going off on the homeowners when the wife insults Paper Boi and his hip hop management career after he is outed by some valets. On the drive back home, Earn and Van have sex in their car.
Director: Janicza Bravo
Writer: Stefani Robinson
8.5/103,143 votes#10 - The Jacket
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/1/2016
Earn loses his jacket, which has imporant items to him, after a night of partying. The Uber driver, who is a drug and weapons dealer, has it but ends up getting shot by police while wearing it. Later, Paper Boi gives Earn a generous 5% pay which he gives to Van. Earn's coworker Justin comes by and returns the important item he desperately needed—a key which unlocks the storage facility space he is living in.
Director: Hiro Murai
Writer: Stephen Glover
The Best Episodes of Atlanta Season 1
Every episode of Atlanta Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Atlanta Season 1!
Two cousins work through the Atlanta music scene in order to better their lives and the lives of their families.
Genres:ComedyDrama
Network:FX
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"The Big Bang" is the best rated episode of "Atlanta" season 1. It scored 8.1/10 based on 4126 votes. Directed by Hiro Murai and written by Donald Glover, it aired on 9/6/2016. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Streets on Lock".