Ryan Murphy is a wildly popular creator of TV shows, including Award-winning titles like American Horror Story and American Crime Story. His latest release, The Shards, is a book-to-screen adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same name. I've really been enjoying the series so far, but I'm worried that it's going to fall into a trap of other Murphy shows.
The Shards (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription) immediately caught my attention, thanks to featuring actors from Ryan Murphy shows, and the mixture of high school drama and murder. But I'm worried about whether or not the show is going to be able to give us a satisfying ending.
I'm Worried That The Shards Won't Stick The Landing.
Ryan Murphy's shows always make a strong first impression, with A+ actors, highly stylized cinematography and dramatic writing. But these projects don't always land the plane, and there have been plenty of disappointing finales over the years. Case in point: The Beauty's finale was unsatisfying thanks to some cliffhangers, and the show being put on pause means we might never get any closure. And some American Horror Story seasons have also ended with a whimper instead of a bang. I'm looking at you, Double Feature and Delicate.
As such, the pressure is on for The Shards to maintain its quality and tone, and for the finale to offer a satisfying conclusion. The show has already started to get some backlash, such as the episode "Murder on the Dancefloor" being about a TV dance show rather than the ongoing spree of murders. What's more, the tension between Igby Rigney's Bret and Homer Gere's Robert has hit a bit of a plateau, despite Bret's insistence that he's the one responsible for the disappearances.
Of course, it's more than possible that the show sticks the landing. There have been some Ryan Murphy programs that did just that, such as American Crime Story and AHS seasons like Coven. And since Bret Easton Ellis is personally involved in The Shards, maybe that means that the source material's narrative will end up intact. I'm just hoping we don't get another big cliffhanger like The Beauty, especially since it's unclear if the new series will be back for Season 2.
I don't mean to be a hater here. I watch almost every new Murphy show and can't wait for American Horror Story Season 13 to arrive. But since The Shards started off so strong, I'm really hoping that its ending is similarly satisfying.
The Shards airs new episodes Thursdays on FX and Hulu as part of the 2026 TV schedule. As for the new season of American Horror Story, that's set to premiere on September 24th. And I'll definitely be seated just like all the other seasons of the spooky series.
