Ryan Murphy’s creative surge: A month of groundbreaking releases

A whirlwind of new shows

In an unprecedented burst of creativity, Ryan Murphy has unveiled a staggering six new shows within a span of just ten days. These include “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” and “Grotesquerie” on FX, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” on Netflix, and “Doctor Odyssey” on ABC. Additionally, new seasons of “9-1-1: Lone Star” on Fox and “9-1-1” on ABC have also premiered.

Murphy shared his thoughts on this prolific period, stating, “Six shows in a month is a lot, but everybody in my company worked really, really hard, and miraculously, they all worked. They all launched at No. 1 and individually, they’re all doing really, really well.”

The unplanned surge

Interestingly, this flurry of releases wasn’t meticulously planned. Murphy explained that it was a combination of the writers’ strike and his new deal with Disney that led to this outcome. “They asked me, when we finally realized, six things are coming out over the course of 10 days, ‘How are you going to do this?’ I said, ‘Well, have a really great company. I work with really great people. I think we can do it,'” Murphy said. He emphasized the importance of getting his crews back to work immediately, ensuring constant employment for many.

Upcoming projects

Murphy’s creative engine shows no signs of slowing down. He has multiple shows in development, including FX’s “The Beauty,” “American Love Story,” and Hulu’s “All’s Fair.” The latter, which he starts directing this week, stars Glenn Close, Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson, and Nash. “It’s my version of a law show, which I’ve never really done,” he said. “These are divorce lawyers so every week there’s a divorce of the week. It’s very heightened, it’s very glamorous, it’s very aspirational.”

“The Beauty” is another intriguing project, written for Evan Peters and Jeremy Pope. Murphy described it as a sci-fi medical show about a new virus that mutates and is sexually transmitted, turning individuals into their absolute perfect selves. “The question is, how far would you go to be beautiful? What would you sacrifice to that, and does that matter?” he pondered.

Global success and viewership

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” has been a global hit, topping Netflix charts for two consecutive weeks. It debuted with 12.3 million views in four days, rising to 19.5 million in its second week. The series has also made the Netflix Top 10 in 89 different countries.

Last Thursday marked the series premiere of “Doctor Odyssey” and the Season 8 premiere of “9-1-1,” both delivering strong numbers for ABC. “9-1-1” was the biggest broadcast program of the night, averaging 4.9 million viewers. “Doctor Odyssey” followed with 4.2 million viewers, marking ABC’s best drama launch since “Big Sky” four years ago. Meanwhile, “9-1-1: Lone Star” returned to Fox with 3 million viewers for its fifth and final season premiere on September 23. This number rises to 4.2 million on broadcast and 4.9 million accounting for streaming, making it the network’s biggest scripted telecast in Live + 3 since the “Lone Star” Season 4 finale in May 2023, excluding post-NFL telecasts.

A commitment to quality and employment

Murphy’s recent projects, including “Doctor Odyssey,” “9-1-1,” and “9-1-1: Lone Star,” have all hit the Hulu Top 15 since their debuts. These shows, along with “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” and “Grotesquerie,” are part of his overall deal with 20th TV. Murphy expressed his commitment to his partners and crews, stating, “The person I’m closest with in the world is Dana Walden, and I’ve worked with John Landgraf since God was a boy, so I did feel an obligation to my partners — let’s hit the ground running with some big whoppers, some big swings.”

Balancing horror and hope

Murphy often alternates between “horror and happy” themes, which is why he worked on “Grotesquerie” and “Doctor Odyssey” back to back. The Niecy Nash-led drama “Grotesquerie” was a personal project for him, important to release pre-election. “It’s really based on how we’re all feeling in the world. It does feel like a very dark, chaotic time. This is a show about an African American woman who’s taking on maybe the biggest boogeyman of all time, which is very applicable to our election,” Murphy said. He emphasized the show’s message of unity and love, stating, “I feel that it’s a statement about how bleak things seem, but more than that, it’s a statement about how the way you get through it is together and ultimately with love.”

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