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Ryan Murphy's “The Shards” Debuts Aug 5 on FX/Hulu

6/11/2026

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Summary

Ryan Murphy Debuts

The Shards premieres in the United States on August 5, 2026 at 6 p.m. PT on FX and Hulu.
Ryan Murphy creates the series by adapting Bret Easton Ellis’s 2021 thriller novel.
The drama, set in 1980s Los Angeles, follows high-school seniors confronting identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and a killer called The Trawler.
Internationally the series streams on Disney+ and is produced by 20th Television and Ryan Murphy Television.

Summary

Murphy Revives Series

The series received a formal order in July 2025, green-lighting filming.
Murphy and FX revived the stalled HBO project in May 2025, securing production.
Executive producers Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Eric Kovtun and Max Winkler (also director) are attached.
Jordan Roth joins the ensemble cast, a name not previously announced.
Bret Easton Ellis first released the source material as a serialized audiobook on his podcast before printing it in 2023.

Summary

Murphy Relaunches

The series is being promoted with the tagline “The Trawler will rise this summer,” emphasizing its seasonal horror hook.
Bret Easton Ellis, author of the source novel, also wrote the cult classics “Less Than Zero” and “American Psycho,” linking the adaptation to his earlier influential works.
An earlier HBO effort to adapt the book had “Challengers” director Luca Guadagnino attached before the project moved to Ryan Murphy.

History

Historical Context

Mary Harron’s 2000 film American Psycho, starring Christian Bale, turned Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial 1991 novel into a $34 million box-office hit and cult favorite, proving literary thrillers could succeed on screen. Building on that legacy, Ryan Murphy announced the 2025 FX series The Shards for Disney+ and Hulu, prompting networks to allocate $200 million to similar prestige-TV projects over the next decade.

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Ryan Murphy Debuts

The Shards premieres in the United States on August 5, 2026 at 6 p.m. PT on FX and Hulu.
Ryan Murphy creates the series by adapting Bret Easton Ellis’s 2021 thriller novel.
The drama, set in 1980s Los Angeles, follows high-school seniors confronting identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and a killer called The Trawler.
Internationally the series streams on Disney+ and is produced by 20th Television and Ryan Murphy Television.

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