'Lovecraft Country' is the most important show on television right now

• "Lovecraft Country" is a brilliant and terrifying new HBO show.
• Based on the novel by Alex Ruff, the show is set in the 1950s, and follows army veteran Atticus "Tic" Freeman as he searches for answers about his family history.
• Joining Tic in his journey are his uncle George, his father, Montrose, and his childhood friend Letitia "Leti" Lewis.
• As they struggle to piece together the secrets of Tic's ancestry, the group is forced to defend themselves from real-life racists and supernatural beings alike.
• "Lovecraft Country" premieres Sunday, August 16 on HBO, at 9 PM ET.

From the very beginning of HBO's brilliant new show "Lovecraft Country," it's clear that things are not what they seem — and that monsters, both the real-life and supernatural kind, lurk behind every corner.

The show opens with a fantastical battle involving American soldiers circa WWII, Roman gladiators, a giant squid, a sexy neon-red alien, and Jackie Robinson, but it's soon revealed to be nothing more than a dream conjured up by Atticus "Tic" Freeman (Jonathan Majors), a Korean war veteran and sci-fi enthusiast who fell asleep on his bus back to Chicago.

Tic is traveling through the Jim Crow south in order to return to Chicago, where his father has recently gone missing. Still reeling from his outrageous dream, Tic's quickly brought back to reality after the bus he's riding on breaks down, forcing himself and the lone other Black passenger to walk the remaining distance while the white passengers receive a lift from a passing truck.

It's a relatively simple beginning — but one that cleverly foreshadows the familiar (and unfamiliar) terrors that await Tic in the coming episodes.

What it's about: Set in the 1950s, 'Lovecraft Country' follows Tic as he searches for answers about his magical ancestry while fighting off vicious racists

Upon arriving in Chicago, Tic's met by his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance), and also encounters his childhood friend Letitia "Leti" Lewis (Jurnee Smollett). Uncle George is the editor of a travel guide for Black Americans, and frequently traverses the country in search of tips.

Eventually, the trio joins together under the guise of a "work" trip to track down Tic's missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams). They suspect he's been taken to "Ardham" Massachusetts, after discovering several cryptic clues, including one hidden in an HP Lovecraft novel.

After a terrifying road trip through the still-segregated Midwest (where they narrowly escape being lynched in a "sundown town"), Tic, Leti, and Uncle George eventually find Montrose.

But after they realize that Tic's ancestor has ties to a nefarious magical society, things only get more complicated for the group — leading to a harrowing journey filled with real-life racists and equally terrifying monsters ripped straight from one of Tic's sci-fi novels.

Why you should watch: The show centers Black characters and their experiences in the 1950s while also reimagining classic horror and sci-fi tropes

Up until very recently, the role of Black people in horror films was incredibly problematic — in the past, Black characters were often the ones to die first, and earlier films have even perpetuated white supremacist ideals, in addition to stereotyping Black characters.

But recent films like "Get Out" and "Us" (both directed by Jordan Peele, who's an executive producer on "Lovecraft Country") have upended stereotypes of Black people in movies, integrating characters into nuanced and terrifying narratives that don't rely on racist caricatures for their scares.

"Lovecraft Country" is, in some ways, an extension of this recent change.

The show ostensibly is focused on the struggles of Tic, Leti, Uncle George, and Montrose to discover more about Tic's magical ancestry — but mixed in with the sorcerers, demons, and ghosts are ever-present reminders of the real-life racism these characters would have faced in the 1950s.

Whether it's a near-lynching by racist police on a country road, or Leti's controversial decision to move into a segregated neighborhood, the racism encountered by characters on "Lovecraft Country" isn't brushed aside in the interest of plot advancement — rather, their experiences with racists only make their quest to discover Tic's heritage and hidden magical power more urgent.

And in addition to the show's nuanced portrayal of systemic racism and racial violence, it also explores a wide variety of horror tropes and genres.

The first episode, titled "Sunset," is a tense journey through the Jim Crow south, while the following episode, which takes place primarily in a countryside estate, has the mannered feel of a British drama, at least until the final few scenes. A subsequent episode explores the haunted house trope, and the fourth episode, called "A History of Violence," is strangely reminiscent of "The Goonies" (but trust me, it works).

"Lovecraft Country" doesn't ignore the racism that was all too common during the show's time period, nor doesn't ignore the incredibly racist past of its namesake, HP Lovecraft, who once wrote a "poem" called "On the Creation of N-----s" (which espoused white supremacist ideas under the guise of poetry). Indeed, Tic's love of sci-fi novels, including Lovecraft's, often put him at odds with his family members.

Even though the show isn't really about Lovecraft, his problematic legacy shouldn't be ignored. Centering Black characters and their experiences in a show that bears his name, however, seems like a good first step in reckoning with his racist past.

The bottom line: 'Lovecraft Country' is a brilliant and exciting new show that you won't want to miss

At times, "Lovecraft Country" is hard to watch — the vicious attacks and cutting microaggressions Tic, Leti, and Uncle George face repeatedly throughout the series are as heartbreaking as they are infuriating.

And after a few episodes of this, it becomes even more obvious as to why they're so determined to learn more about Tic's ancestry and harness some magical power for themselves.

Overall, the show doesn't present itself as an antidote to racism (or an all-encompassing portrayal of the Black experience) by any means — but by centering Black characters and Black experiences in a genre where they've typically been ignored, "Lovecraft Country" is on track to become one of the most important shows on TV right now.

Grade: A

"Lovecraft Country" premieres Sunday, August 16 at 9 PM ET on HBO. You can watch the trailer below.