Ryan Murphy’s New All-Star Beauty Series Delivers Surreal Body Horror Like Never Before

Okay, so Ryan Murphy – you know, the guy behind every splashy, bloody, and way-too-much TV event of the last couple decades – is jumping headfirst into the world of graphic novel adaptations for the very first time. His new series, The Beauty, is an absolutely wild cocktail of body horror, pitch-black comedy, and pure, high-gloss insanity. If you thought Murphy was dramatic on American Horror Story or Nip/Tuck, well, buckle up. This is his most cohesive (and maybe craziest) project in years, loaded with a cast that looks like a human game of celebrity bingo.

So What the Hell is The Beauty?

Right from the jump, we get treated to violent runway model mayhem. Bella Hadid’s Ruby, who can apparently drink her own weight in water, goes on a killing spree right on the catwalk – yeah, Murphy’s not exactly going subtle here. Before you’ve even figured out what flavor of satire or horror you’re watching, we’re dumped into a Paris crime scene where models are dying in impossibly strange ways, and none of their DNA matches who they were just a few months back. Oh, and things only get more bonkers from there.

The Plot, The Virus, The Beautiful Ugly Truth

FBI agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) – who, by the way, are also a couple, because why not lean in to the drama – are on the case. Pretty quickly, they uncover that a new, sexually transmitted virus is transforming totally average people into literal works of physical perfection. Except this upgrade comes with a side dish of murder and far weirder consequences than just better cheekbones.

Turns out, there’s a whole black market built around this so-called 'Beauty' virus. Tech billionaire Byron Forst (Ashton Kutcher, gloriously villainous) isn’t exactly thrilled about loose ends, so he hires Anthony Ramos as a slick, deadly clean-up guy to keep the company’s secrets out of daylight. Sounds like corporate pharma is up to its usual sketchy business, only with a lot more high-fashion homicide.

Cast Breakdown: Like The Oscars, But on Acid

• Evan Peters (Cooper Madsen), Rebecca Hall (Jordan Bennett) – our FBI leads
• Ashton Kutcher as billionaire villain Byron Forst
• Anthony Ramos (Forst’s assassin)
• Bella Hadid as murderous supermodel Ruby
• Jeremy Pope (key player, major scenes with Ramos)
• Cameos and recurring from: Isabella Rossellini, Ari Graynor, Billy Eichner, Jon Jon Briones, John Carroll Lynch, Ben Platt, Peter Gallagher, Vincent D'Onofrio, Meghan Trainor, Ray Nicholson, Rob Yang, Lux Pascal

Style, Substance, and Sheer Ridiculousness

Let’s be honest – this is pure Ryan Murphy at his most extra. The Beauty is like someone mashed up Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story, and Black Mirror after a late-night doom scroll through way too many influencer Instagram stories. The show takes big swings at modern obsessions with looks, social media, incels and 'Chads,' all while keeping the tongue planted firmly in its cheek – even when the blood is flying. The fact Rebecca Hall plays a character so gorgeous she could get even hotter is just Murphy poking fun at the whole idea of perfection itself.

The violence? Over the top. The humor? Incredibly dark. The sexual content? Let’s just say it's the edgiest Ryan Murphy’s gotten since Nip/Tuck – but nothing explicit. (Still, if you were expecting this to be a family affair, time to change the channel.)

Direction, Writing, and Those Weird Episode Lengths

Total of eleven episodes. Murphy directs the first and third, with a rotating crew — Alexis Martin Woodall does three, Michael Uppendahl clocks in with five, and Crystle Roberson handles one. Murphy and Matt Hodgson wrote the entire thing themselves, sticking surprisingly close to the original Image comic by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley.

Just a heads-up: The show’s episode lengths are all over the place — some nearly an hour, some barely a half-hour. It’s weird at first, but it sort of pays off in the way the release schedule is structured: you get three episodes up front (January 21st on FX), then one a week for four weeks, then double episodes for the last two weeks. There’s a logic to it once you start seeing how the story drops its twists and cliffhangers.

Final Thoughts: This Show is Nuts (And That’s a Compliment)

To be blunt, The Beauty is the most consistently entertaining and downright bonkers thing Ryan Murphy has cooked up in years. Maybe it helps that he and Hodgson actually wrote every script themselves. Either way, if you’re a fan of high-production-value weirdness, stacked casts, Murphy’s signature mix of sex and gore, and a show that’s both horrifying and hilarious, you’ll have a blast.

Here’s how one could sum it up:

'The Beauty cranks everything up to 11—this is old-school Murphy doing what he does best: stylish chaos, serious shock value, and a sense of humor that’s just twisted enough to make you laugh right when you should probably be covering your eyes. I had way more fun watching this show than I expected. And honestly? I think you will too.'

The Beauty premieres with three episodes on FX January 21st. Mark your calendars, or don’t — but trust me, you’re not going to see anything else like it this year.