Whether you adore or despise Ryan Murphy, you have to admit, no one does outrageous TV quite like him.
From the ridiculous high school antics of Glee to the murder and sex (or often, murderous sex) of American Horror Story, Murphy has cemented himself as TV’s top provocateur. He looks to keep up that track record in FX’s The Shards, a series bursting with high school drama, sex, and murder.
Based on American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis’ 2023 autofiction novel of the same name, The Shards brings viewers to 1981 Los Angeles, where a group of high school seniors are about to experience a truly life-changing final year.
Our way into this senior group is Bret (Igby Rigney), who hopes to become a writer some day. His friends Susan (Kaia Gerber), Debbie (Hayes Warner), and Thom (Graham Campbell) welcome a new student into their group: the enigmatic and mildly frightening Robert (Homer Gere).
Robert enrolls at Bret’s school just as a new serial killer is terrorizing Los Angeles. Named “the Trawler,” they’ve been targeting teenagers all over the city. Is Robert’s arrival at the same time as the Trawler’s rise mere coincidence? Or could he be the boogeyman haunting L.A.?
Based on The Shards‘ trailer, something concerning is clearly going on with Robert, to the point that Bret even calls him a “psycho” (maybe an American psycho, Bret?). To get a glimpse of Robert’s uneasy dynamic with Bret, as well several pool makeouts, watch the whole trailer above. Who knows, this could just be your next summer TV obsession.
The first two episodes of The Shards premiere Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX.
