Ryan Murphy

Stories

Here’s a beautiful, nasty, explosive world

A new mini-series, “The Beauty,” has all the things we expect from an action- adventure tale.
There are fierce fights, wild chases and intense sex scenes. There are beautiful places — Paris, Venice, Rome — and beautiful people who sometimes explode.
But underneath that, the opener (9-11:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, on FX, and then on Hulu) has strong themes.
People keep “trying to create the fountain of youth,” Ashton Kutcher (shown here) said in a Zoom press coference.
It’s an age-old obsession, Rebecca Hall added. “There’s a lot to be said about the chase for perfection.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 18, 2026
Stories

“The Prom”: Ryan Murphy and stars, at their best

I’m starting to be OK with Ryan Murphy’s Netflix deal.
It took me a while. When he signed it (two-plus years ago), I grumbled that a streamer had stolen one of TV’s best producers, the guy behind everything from “Glee” to the O.J. Simpson mini-series.
But now comes “The Prom” (shown here), the zestful musical that has just arrived on Netflix (and in a few movie theaters). Chances are, few people except Murphy could have pulled it off. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / December 12, 2020
News and Quick Comments

Impeachment mini-series? Not right away

One pre-election controversy has faded quietly
.There probably won’t be a Clinton-impeachment mini-series on FX this fall, network chief John Landgraf told the Television Critics Association today. He said it just won’t be ready on time.
Last summer, Landgraf said the mini-series was set for September of 2020, focusing on the effort to impeach Bill Clinton. That brought instant complaints about the timing, just before the election.
That’s now a moot point, Landgraf said. Murphy (shown here) – “probably the busiest person in show business” – is directing “The Prom.” Based on the Broadway musical about commotion when an Indiana girl wants to bring her girlfriend to the prom, it stars Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 9, 2020