The Hit Ryan Murphy Shows That Earned Him a Record-Breaking Netflix Deal
Since becoming a star with Nip/Tuck, Murphy has made over a dozen shows.
In April 2018, Ryan Murphy signed the most lucrative deal ever given to a TV producer, and it's not hard to see why Netflix reportedly put $300 million on the table. Since the breakout success of Nip/Tuck in 2003, Murphy, 55, has gone on an incredible run of television success. He's won six Emmys, helmed mainstays like Glee and American Horror Story, and brought his signature style into countless homes.
Though Murphy's work is sometimes referred to as "camp"—he has a love for drama and elaborate musical sequences—the writer-director told The New Yorker in 2018 that he prefers to describe it as "baroque."
“Baroque is a maximalist approach to storytelling that I’ve always liked. Baroque is a choice," he said. "And everything I do is an absolute choice.”
Throughout his career, Murphy has established a stunning cadre of acting collaborators, including Sarah Paulson (Ratched, American Horror Story), Gwyneth Paltrow (The Politician, Glee), Jessica Lange (Feud), Billy Porter (Pose), Darren Criss (Hollywood) and dozens of other major talents.
He has also directed a handful of films, most notably the Julia Roberts vehicle Eat Pray Love and last year's The Prom, an adaptation of the Broadway musical.
His latest Netflix project is Halston, starring Ewan McGregor as the American fashion icon who worked with Jackie Kennedy, Liza Minnelli, and Elsa Perretti. Next up is Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story due out in 2022, starring his regular collaborator Evan Peters in the titular role. Per Deadline, this series is going to focus on depicting events from the perspective of Dahmer's victims as opposed to glamorizing the killer himself.
Diving into the Ryan Murphy universe is a daunting task—on top of all the previously mentioned shows, he's also got the crowd-pleasing first responder procedural 9-1-1, the ball culture depicting Pose, and the bitingly satirical Scream Queens, among many others. Below are the shows Murphy has helped bring to life (either by producing, creating, writing, or all of the above), and info to help you decide which one to binge first.
Popular
Air date: 1999-2001 on The WB
Murphy's first foray into showrunning came with Popular, a WB high school drama featuring Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope as step-siblings forced to get along despite one having more social clout than the other. The series set the Murphy archetype, with him serving as creator, writer, executive producer, and occasionally director.
Popular never reached the same size audience as his later work, but it's an important work for Murphy completists. The Ringer even called it "the Ryan Murphy urtext."
Nip/Tuck
Air date: 2003-2010 on FX
Murphy's hit series about plastic surgery showcased his affinity for genre jumprope, crossing over between a tense medical drama, pulpy crime thriller, and dark satire frequently over its six seasons. The lead characters of Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) are arguably among the most compelling of Murphy's creations.
As with Popular, Murphy was involved in the series creation, writing, and producing, while also directing eight episodes.
Glee
Air date: 2009-2015 on Fox
It's hard to overstate the massive cultural impact of Glee. In addition to churning out multiple gold and platinum soundtracks, Glee also was an important step forward for diversity on mainstream TV. Murphy once again filled all major creative roles as part of the Glee team.
American Horror Story
Air date: 2011-present on FX
Perhaps Murphy's best known franchise, American Horror Story began in October 2011, its highly stylized visuals and occult ambience instantly making it stand out. In the last decade, the franchise has been spun out into ambitious anthology seasons like witch-themed Coven with Emma Roberts and Gabourey Sidibe, as well as Hotel, which gave starring turns to Kathy Bates and Lady Gaga (as well as Murphy mainstray Sarah Paulson).
On American Horror Story, Murphy has written, directed, and produced while serving as co-creator alongside Brad Falchuck.
The New Normal
Air date: 2012-2013 on NBC
With The New Normal, Murphy sought to tell the story of a contemporary blended family, featuring a gay couple, the surrogate mother of their child, and her nine-year-old daughter.
Murphy co-created the show with Ali Adler, and directed and produced, though he wasn't a writer on The New Normal.
Scream Queens
Air date: 2015-2016 on Fox
Much like the Scream movie franchise, Scream Queens is a clever parody of horror movie tropes that still delivers some gory thrills. Though the sorority-set series only ran for two seasons, it developed something of a cult following, and in 2020, Murphy revealed he's working on a third season.
Like many Murphy shows, Scream Queens featured a dizzying array of young talent, from Keke Palmer to Ariana Grande to Glen Powell. Murphy was back in the helm fully here, creating the show with Brad Falchuck and Ian Brennan, while writing eight episodes and directing one.
American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson
Air date: 2016 on FX
Murphy isn't technically the creator of American Crime Story, but he does serve as a producer and occasional director, and his fingerprints are all over the series, which gets under the hood of well-known events like O.J. Simpson's 1995 murder trial.
This first season, which featured Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Simpson and supporting turns from Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown, and Courtney B. Vance, received rave reviews and won five Primetime Emmys.
Murphy directed four episodes and serves as exec producer.
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Air date: 2018 on FX
American Crime Story jumped to Netflix for its second season, this time detailing the death of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace at the hands of Andrew Cunanan. Édgar Ramírez played Versace, while Darren Criss earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe as Cunanan.
In the second season, Murphy continued to executive produce, though he did not write for the series and only directed the season premiere.
Feud
Air date: 2017 on FX
Murphy clearly has a predilection for celebrity drama, so it's no surprise he made a series out of the legendarily contentious relationship between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.
Jessica Lange plays Crawford, with Susan Sarandon as Davis. Murphy promises more Feud in the future, but says that the series will shift its focus away from entertainment industry stories. "We’ll never do a Hollywood story again," he told Vox.
For Feud, Murphy worked as a director, writer, producer, and co-creator alongside Jaffe Cohen and Michael Zam.
9-1-1
Air date: 2018-present on Fox
Murphy veered more mainstream with 9-1-1, a Fox drama about first responders in Los Angeles that features commanding central performances from Angela Bassett and Peter Krause. It lacks the surrealism of American Horror Story and Ratched, but the popularity of 9-1-1 proves Murphy knows how to crank out hit TV.
Murphy has never directed 9-11, but has been the show's writer and producer, co-creating it with Falchuk and Tim Minear.
Pose
Air date: 2018-2021 on FX
Pose is among Murphy's most beloved works, racking up armfuls of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and huge praise from critics for its depiction of ball culture in New York throughout the '80s and '90s. The costumes, performance scenes, and acting in the show are all first-rate, and through a commitment to "showrunning as advocacy," Murphy and his team have helped celebrate Black and Latinx LGBTQ culture, while also educating folks about the gutting toll of the AIDS epidemic.
In addition to creating Pose alongside Falchuck and Steven Canals, Murphy has directed three episodes, written on seven, and executive produced the series.
The Politician
Air date: 2019-present on Netflix
The first show to launch after Murphy's mammoth Netflix deal, The Politician satirizes politics at every level, from high school to state governments. It oozes charm thanks to stars like Ben Platt, Zoey Deutch, and in the second season, Bette Milder, and Judith Light. Murphy has worked in all four major creative roles on The Politician.
9-1-1: Lone Star
Air date: 2020-present on Fox
As they say, "everything's bigger in Texas," including the stakes of the disasters faced by the Austin-based first responders who are the focus of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Like its predecessor, it's down the middle in a way his FX shows rarely are, but you could do worse than watching Rob Lowe and Liv Tyler command the screen for an hour each week.
The same team behind the original 9-1-1 are credited as creators, while Murphy has written one episode and serves as an executive producer.
Hollywood
Air date: 2020 on Netflix
Murphy has always been intrigued by old film industry stories, so it's not surprising that when he got the perma-greenlight from Netflix he decided to rewrite some of his own. Hollywood focuses on the golden age of the industry, through the eyes of young acting up-and-comers played by David Corenswet, Laura Harrier, and Jake Picking.
Hollywood's commitment to reimagining the world behind the silver screen as a more diverse and inclusive place is noble, although critical reception of the series was lukewarm, though Murphy is open to doing another season.
Murphy and Brennan created Hollywood, while the former wrote on six episodes, directed one, and executive produces.
Ratched
Air date: 2020-present on Netflix
Murphy featured player Sarah Paulson got an incredible showcase in the origin story for legendary One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest villain Nurse Ratched, which is set at an eerie Northern California psychiatric hospital in the late 1940s. Performances by Paulson and Cynthia Nixon have been justly praised, and a second season of the unnerving drama is in the works.
Murphy did not write on Ratched, though he directed a pair of episodes. He is credited with having developed the show alongside Evan Romansky.
Halston
Air date: 2021 on Netflix
Murphy's first release in 2021 tells the story of the historic rise and tragic downfall of Halston, considered by many one of the first superstars of the American fashion industry. Ewan McGregor's performance in the title role has been praised even by Halston's peers, and the set design really captures the glitz and chaos of Studio 54-era New York.
Halston was a less hands-on effort from Murphy. He wrote four episodes and functioned as an exec producer, but did not direct for the series.
Grant Rindner is a culture and music journalist in New York. He has written for Billboard, Complex, and i-D, among other outlets.
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