The intention of this book is to connect scholars, readers, and fans of FX’s Atlanta from inside and outside of academia. Between 2016 and 2023, Atlanta was a zeitgeist that inspired think pieces and water cooler conversations. As one example of its complexity, Atlanta often features re-imagined but true local news events that were so outrageous that audiences unaware of the original stories assumed they were fiction. We hope our book project bridges the gap between “everybody already knows this” to “why or how do we know this”? Or even more, “why don’t you know this?” There is a cultural knowledge about Atlanta that sings in the FX show – from lemon-pepper-wet wings to the parking madness of Atlantic Station –  that screams IYKYK.