Ryan Murphy’s "The Shards": A Glittering, Bloody Return to Form

TL;DR: After a string of flops, super-producer Ryan Murphy is back with The Shards—a stylish, scary, and surprisingly heartfelt 1980s thriller about rich teens, a serial killer, and the terrifying beauty of growing up.

Who Is Ryan Murphy and Why Should You Care?

Imagine a TV chef who only knows how to cook extra-spicy, glitter-covered comfort food. That’s Ryan Murphy.

He created Glee, American Horror Story, Pose, and The Watcher. His shows are usually:

• Visually stunning (think perfect outfits, dream houses, saturated colors)
• Campy and loud (high drama, sharp dialogue, wild plot twists)
• Deeply obsessed with outsiders (queer kids, ambitious women, misunderstood monsters)

But lately, the chef burned the meal. His last show, All’s Fair, was so bad it got zero-star reviews. Critics (and fans) wondered: Has he lost his touch?

The Comeback Trail: Three Shows, Three Steps Up

Murphy didn’t fix things overnight. He climbed back rung by rung:

Important Callout: The Shards isn’t just "good for Ryan Murphy." It’s great television, period.

What Is The Shards? (ELI5 Version)

Imagine The Great Gatsby but:

• Set in 1980s Los Angeles
• Everyone wears Gucci loafers and Calvin Klein
• The narrator is a gay teenager writing a novel
• A serial killer called "The Trawler" is mutilating classmates
• The new kid in school might be the devil in a Ralph Lauren sweater

That’s The Shards.

It’s based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho, Less Than Zero). The book is weird, meta, and autobiographical. Murphy’s adaptation? Sleek, scary, and strangely sweet.

Meet the "Nepo Baby" All-Star Cast

Murphy cast the kids of 80s icons—and they actually nailed it.

Fun Fact: Kaia Gerber is Cindy Crawford’s daughter. The resemblance is uncanny. She uses it—then subverts it.

The Plot (Without Spoilers): A 5-Step Descent

1. The Voiceover Starts
   Bret (Igby Rigney) tells us: "A season of horror and murder that would destroy us all."
   We’re in 1980s LA. Rich kids. Pool parties. Quaaludes. Typewriters.

2. The New Kid Arrives
   Robert (Homer Gere) transfers in. He’s gorgeous, damaged, and immediately starts gaslighting Bret—stealing his hookups, invading his head.

3. The Trawler Appears
   Young women get creepy calls → vanish → turn up mutilated with pentagrams carved in.
   The city panics. Bret keeps a knife by his typewriter.

4. The Killer Switches Targets
   Now young men are dying. One of Bret’s exes, Matt, accuses Bret of stalking him.
   Then Bret gets a call. He hears Matt being tortured to death.

5. The Line Between Metaphor and Monster Blurs
   Is Robert the killer? Is the Trawler real? Is Bret losing his mind?
   The show never fully answers—and that’s the point.

Why It Works: 5 Things Murphy Nailed This Time

1. The Look Is a Character

• Permanent azure sky (even at night, it glows)
• Wardrobe porn: Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein everything
• Every frame looks like a lost 80s Vogue spread—but with dread underneath

2. The Sound Is a Time Machine

• Troye Sivan wrote original songs that sound exactly like 1987—but sadder
• Mixed with period-perfect bangers (New Order, The Cure, etc.)
• You don’t just watch the 80s. You feel them.

3. Metafiction That Doesn’t Suck

• Bret writes a novel about the events we’re watching
• The show knows it’s a show. The book knows it’s a book.
• Murphy leans in—casting celebs’ kids as 80s archetypes is chef’s kiss

4. Queer Horror Without Punishment

• Bret is gay. His desire is central, not scandalous.
• The AIDS crisis looms (metaphorically and literally), but the show doesn’t exploit it.
• Robert’s toxicity isn’t coded as "gay villain"—he’s just a monster who happens to be hot.

5. Nostalgia With Teeth

"Nostalgia is not just memory of times past—it’s a yearning for it, too."

• The show misses the 80s but knows they were rotten
• Drugs and sex were "novelties," not escapes
• Before viruses, internet, climate dread—anything felt possible
• That hope? It’s the real killer.

Important Callout: This Is Not Just "Style Over Substance"

The Shards balances:

• Genuine suspense (the Trawler storyline pulls you forward)
• Emotional depth (Bret’s longing for Susan, his fear of Robert)
• Thematic weight (what does it mean to survive your youth?)
• Visual mastery (every shot could be a gallery print)
• A killer soundtrack (Troye Sivan’s score = MVP)

It’s the first Murphy show in years where the style serves the story—not the other way around.

Summary: Should You Watch?

Verdict: The Shards is Ryan Murphy’s best work in a decade. It’s scary, sexy, sad, and strange—and it knows exactly what it is.

FAQ

Do I need to read the book first?

No. The reviewer hadn’t read it. The show stands alone—and may even improve on the source by adding visual/musical texture.

Is it scary?

Yes, but not "jump-scare" scary. It’s dread-scary. The kind that sits in your chest. The Trawler is gruesome, but the real horror is psychological.

How many episodes / where to watch?

8 episodes. Streaming on FX / Hulu (US) | Disney+ (UK/International) via Star hub.

Is it connected to American Horror Story?

No. Totally standalone. Different universe. But if you like AHS’s "camp horror with heart," you’ll like this.

Why the title The Shards?

Literal + metaphorical. Shards of memory. Shards of a broken youth. Shards of hope—sharp, glittering, dangerous.

Final Thought: Put on the soundtrack. Pour a neon cocktail. Watch the sky turn that impossible blue.
The Shards doesn’t just recreate the 80s—it haunts them. And you’ll be haunted too.