Ryan Murphy is a name that tends to get television fans excited.
After all, the prolific producer has been responsible for a tsunami of hits in recent years. That lengthy list runs the gamut when it comes to genres, including “Glee,” “American Horror Story,” “Feud,” Netflix’s “Monster” serial killer series and many more.
‘The Shards’ Adapts an Acclaimed Bestseller
Murphy’s latest series for FX is “The Shards,” a seductive new drama series based on the acclaimed bestselling novel by Bret Easton Ellis.
“Set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a group of privileged high school seniors at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence,” reads the logline.
“At its centre is Bret (Igby Rigney), an aspiring writer and keenly observant teenager whose reality begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic new student, Robert Mallory (Homer Gere),” the logline continues. “Transferring in just before his senior year, Robert’s appearance coincides with the growing terror of The Trawler, a serial killer targeting teenagers across the city.”
An Impressive Cast
Murphy’s team has assembled an impressive cast for this new series.
“Alongside Bret is his elite social circle, which consists of Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner) and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), a glamourous and deeply entangled group drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties and excess,” the logline adds, concluding: “The promise of their youth is contrasted with the dark and cynical world of the adults surrounding them: Terry Schaffer (Wes Bentley), Liz Schaffer (Evan Rachel Wood) and Steven Reinhardt (Jordan Roth).”
Ryan Murphy Has Wanted to Tell This Story For Awhile
According to executive producer Brad Simpson, Murphy had long wanted to use Ellis’ novel as the source material for a series.
“[‘The Shards’] brings together a lot of the things that Bret does incredibly well but also what Ryan is known for,” Simpson explained in an interview with Vogue.
“When you look at the combination of ‘American Psycho’ and ‘Less Than Zero, ‘you also look at the combination of ‘Glee’ and ‘American Horror Story,'” he added.
“I’ve always loved, borderline worshipped, Bret’s work,” Murphy told the magazine. “We’re pretty much the same age, and I grew up with [his books]. He’s interested in the things I’m interested in.”
Casting Was Key
When it came to assembling the cast, Simpson outlined the kind of elements they were looking for in the young actors they eventually hired.
“We wanted to cast kids that were aspirational,” Simpson said, explaining that the ultimate goal was that “you look at that poster and you think, I want to hang out with those kids.”
To find the right actors, Murphy worked with casting director Tiffany Little Canfield, who sought out actors for casting sessions in New York and Los Angeles.
As Murphy noted, this was an extensive process. “We read thousands of people for these parts — every young person working in that magic age range auditioned for these parts,” he said of the casting, which took six full months.
“[Ryan] was able to mix and match and design not just one role but how people fit together,” Simpson pointed out.
When Will ‘The Shards’ Premiere
The first two episodes of “The Shards” arrive Wednesday, August 5 on FX and Hulu.
