As a comic book fanatic, I've long been primed for Ryan Murphy's adaptation of the twisted comic book series The Beauty, with cast members like Evan Peters, Rebecca Ferguson and Ashton Kutcher only helping to stoke my lofty excitement. Those hyped expectations have somehow only grown even larger now that FX has released the show's heightened and surprisingly hilarious first trailer, which puts the spotlight on Kutcher's character and the highly coveted STD that the show is named for.
That's right, the upcoming horror series The Beauty is about a sexually transmitted disease that people are clamoring to get, as it turns the afflicted gorgeous and model-esque, with the unfortunate caveat that the disease obliterates one's life expectancy, and can also turn sufferers wild and murderous just prior to their hyper-violet deaths. So ju-u-ust a touch different from your crabs and HIV.
Seen in the trailer above, Ashton Kutcher portrays the bazillionaire douchebag seemingly responsible for unleashing The Beauty onto an unsuspecting population. As if that weren't awful enough, the character goes by the name of The Corporation, which I'm pretty sure no respect-worthy person has ever called themselves. Not that he's bothered by his morally repugnant behavior or the effects that his product, so to speak, is having on users. Here's how he puts it:
I’m the world’s greatest goddamned advertisement for the hottest new super-drug that makes you effortlessly beautiful.
While the full series could certainly prove me wrong, I can't help but think this looks like the most fun Ashton Kutcher has had with a TV role in ages, and that includes his and Mila Kunis' returns for That '90s Show.
While Kutcher is clearly the bad guy here from a viewer perspective, despite being a hero to those "suffering" from the Beauty, Evan Peters and Rebecca Ferguson are on the case as protagonist detectives Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett, respectively.
Also on board is Anthony Ramos, and I love seeing him back in a fun-loving villain role after he proved adversarial in the MCU's Ironheart. Here, he'll be portraying the similarly vaguely monikered The Assassin, and his trailer moments do indeed play up his deadly nature. Not to mention his stylish fashion choices.
As if those marquee names weren't excellent enough on their own, we can also look forward to seeing Jeremy Pope in a recurring capacity, along with guest stars such as Bella Hadid, Isabella Rossellini, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ben Platt and Jessica Alexander. Here's hoping a few other Ryan Murphy go-to stars pop up in surprising ways.
The Beauty was created for the page by writer Jeremy Haun and artist Jason A. Hurley, with the original series running for 30 issues from 2015-2019. Haun and Hurley reunited for a new comic book story arc that coincides with the FX show's arrival, with the first issue having hit shelves in October 2025.
Mila Kunis spoke in the past about her and Kutcher's kids watching inappropriate movies at a young age, so I can't imagine they'll be allowing the offspring to check out this comic adaptation until they're in college. But you can bet I'll be cemented in place when it debuts, even if I'm looking worse for the wear while doing so.
The Beauty is set to shake up the 2026 TV schedule with its body-dropping run on FX and via Hulu subscription starting on Wednesday, January 21, at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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