American Horror Story Director’s Legacy Takes a Hit as Kim Kardashian’s New Drama Crashes to 0% on Rotten Tomatoes
Once the architect of TV nightmares, Ryan Murphy just woke up to one: All’s Fair, his new Hulu series with Brad Falchuk, has plummeted to a rare 0 percent on Rotten Tomatoes despite star power from Glenn Close and Naomi Watts.
Ryan Murphy just got handed the kind of press you do not want. His new Hulu legal drama 'All's Fair' landed, and critics are not just lukewarm — they are lighting it on fire. We are talking a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, even with a big-name cast. So, what happened here?
'All's Fair' drops and immediately gets dragged
Co-created by Murphy and longtime collaborator Brad Falchuk, 'All's Fair' is a glossy legal series about a women-only divorce firm in Los Angeles. Hulu rolled out the first three episodes on November 4, with a nine-episode season expected to wrap on December 9. The plan, per the rollout info, is weekly episodes on Sundays. One weird wrinkle: some materials say that Sunday run goes until December 9, 2025, which does not line up with a nine-episode season that started in early November. If that date looks off to you, same.
The premise, clean and simple
The show follows a team of female divorce attorneys trying to juggle messy marriages, office politics, and the ethics swamp that tends to show up when love, money, and power collide. It is high drama in tailored suits — at least on paper.
The cast (plus a character-name curveball)
Headline names are everywhere here: Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash, and Teyana Taylor. One oddity: Kim's character is referred to as Mercedes Blake in some descriptions, and Allura Grant in others. Same job, same vibes, different name. That is not typical for a show already streaming, but here we are.
- Kim Kardashian — Allura Grant (also referred to as Mercedes Blake elsewhere): the calculating, ultra-rich lawyer running a women-only divorce firm; this is her second Murphy project after 'American Horror Story: Delicate'.
- Naomi Watts — Liberty Ronson: Allura's cofounder and confidante, balancing friendship with ambition (yes, the 'Birdman' and 'Feud: Capote vs. The Swans' star).
- Niecy Nash — Emerald Greene: an ex-cop turned investigator who gives the firm some grit; she is coming off an Emmy win for 'Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'.
- Sarah Paulson — Carrington 'Carr' Lane: razor-sharp in court, wrecked at home; a familiar Murphy MVP.
- Glenn Close — Dina Standish: the firm's formidable mentor with a few regrets lurking under the surface.
- Teyana Taylor — Milan: an ambitious up-and-comer angling for respect and a real seat at the table.
Critics: absolutely not
The reviews are brutal. The show is getting called expensive-looking but narratively empty — all couture, no case law. A few pull quotes tell you the temperature:
'Well done, Kim. You must have quite a healthy ego yourself to star in what may well be the worst television drama ever made... scripted, it feels, by a toddler who couldn't write "bum" on a wall.'
'I did not know it was still possible to make television this bad... fascinatingly, incomprehensibly, existentially terrible.'
'A Zzzzzz... quality that threatens to lull the unprepared viewer into a stupor whenever she opens her mouth.'
And yes, at the moment, Rotten Tomatoes is sitting at 0%. When reviewers are using phrases like 'lifeless verdict wrapped in designer suits,' that is not a recoverable day-one vibe. For a guy celebrated for 'Glee', 'Pose', and 'American Horror Story', Murphy's latest is being thrown into the 'worst TV drama ever' conversation. That is a hard swerve.
Meanwhile, Murphy is loading his next swing: American Horror Story season 13
While 'All's Fair' catches heat, the next 'American Horror Story' is already lining up marquee names. On Halloween (October 31), the season 13 cast announcement teased the big hook: Jessica Lange is back, and Ariana Grande is making a TV return. Also on deck: Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, and Leslie Grossman. The season is still untitled, but FX and Hulu have it pegged for a Halloween 2026 premiere — Murphy's preferred time of year to get weird and scary.
So, can a Lange homecoming and an Ariana boost help reset the narrative after 'All's Fair'? That is the bet. We will see if the horror machine can steady the ship.
Where to watch and when
'All's Fair' is streaming now on Hulu. The first three episodes dropped November 4, with the nine-episode season slated to conclude December 9. Notes about 'new episodes every Sunday until December 9, 2025' are floating around, but that timing does not match the nine-episode count — consider that date questionable.
'American Horror Story' season 13 will premiere on FX and Hulu on October 31, 2026.