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Ryan Murphy is returning to familiar territory with his latest television project, The Shards, a stylish new thriller that blends queer desire, privilege, obsession and murder against the backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles.

The highly anticipated series will premiere on August 5 via FX and Hulu in the United States, with international audiences able to stream it on Disney+.

Ryan Murphy’s Queer Legacy Continues With The Shards

Based on the bestselling novel by Bret Easton Ellis, The Shards follows a fictionalised teenage version of Ellis during his final year at an elite Los Angeles prep school. While the story unfolds as a psychological thriller, themes of identity, sexuality and hidden desire sit at its core.

According to the official logline, the series is “set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles” and follows privileged students as they navigate “identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence.”

Leading the cast is Igby Rigney as Bret, alongside newcomer Homer Gere as enigmatic new student Robert Mallory and Graham Campbell as Thom. The ensemble also includes Kaia Gerber, Wes Bentley and Evan Rachel Wood.

For LGBTQIA+ audiences, much of the intrigue lies in the source material itself.

Ellis’ novel explores closeted gay desire, sexual awakening and the pressures of conformity during the Reagan era. Bret’s growing fascination with Robert Mallory becomes entangled with fear, longing and suspicion as a serial killer known as The Trawler terrorises teenagers across the city.

The project marks another queer centred entry in Murphy’s extensive catalogue. Throughout his career, Murphy has consistently brought LGBTQIA+ stories to mainstream audiences through acclaimed productions including Pose, Glee, American Horror Story, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Monsters: The聽Lyle and Erik Menendez聽Story and more.聽

While details remain tightly under wraps, The Shards appears poised to deliver many of the elements Murphy’s audiences have come to expect: beautiful people, simmering sexuality, emotional complexity and a dark mystery lurking beneath the glossy surface.

 

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