At this point, you know what you’re going to get with . The TV icon may have started out with acclaimed shows like Nip/Tuck, Glee, and , but today he’s linked to a specific type of campy, over-the-top, glamorous drama that frequently casts actors from celebrity publications. From The Politician to Grostesquerie to the intriguingly engaging (yet awful) All’s Fair, a “Ryan Murphy show” has become its own subgenre.
Now, Murphy is bringing this formula to sci-fi with an odd series titled The Beauty. It centers on an unusual sexually transmitted infection that transforms you into physical perfection. As Ashton Kutcher’s character puts it, “It’s an STD people will actually desire.” Watch the full trailer here:
The basic idea of a process that makes you perfect isn’t new—Netflix’s Uglies did it in 2024, to . Luckily, The Beauty has another strength: a murder mystery led by Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall, both of whom play their roles so earnestly that it clashes with the dialogue’s blatant excess.
But not everyone got the message. The trailer alone features classic Ryan Murphy-style performances from Bella Hadid, Ashton Kutcher, Anthony Ramos, and even Isabella Rossellini—who’s familiar with magically restored beauty from a past film role. The supporting cast includes Lux Pascal (Pedro Pascal’s sister), Meghan Trainor, and Vincent D’Onofrio, making it a highly diverse ensemble, to put it mildly.
Based solely on the trailer, this could be one of the weirdest sci-fi shows of the year—and it’s only early 2026. Yet even though it seems absurd, I have to say—I’m genuinely excited for it. The appeal of Ryan Murphy’s shows lies in their light, exaggerated nature. No one watches these shows for gritty realism, but if The Beauty can offer a noir-style mystery alongside glamorous supermodel one-liners and body horror, that only enhances it.