Ryan Murphy's 'The Shards' reviews split

Ryan Murphy’s “The Shards” arrived on FX and Hulu on Wednesday, Aug. 5, with its first two episodes and a critical response that quickly broke in different directions. Gold Derby’s Aug. 5 review roundup said critics were split on the adaptation, which Murphy co-created with Bret Easton Ellis and based on Ellis’s novel. The series stars Igby Rigney as a fictionalized teenage Bret in 1981 Los Angeles, where the arrival of a new student overlaps with fear around a serial killer known as the Trawler. ### What are critics actually split over? Variety’s Alison Herman wrote that the FX adaptation “doesn’t work,” arguing that the series cannot be rescued “by a strong lead performance” from Rigney. Time’s Judy Berman similarly described the show as getting “stuck in the shallow end,” while IndieWire said Murphy’s Bret Easton Ellis adaptation “never comes together.” (msn.com) RogerEbert.com took a harsher line on the show’s narration and structure, while TV Guide called it “watchable” but “frustrating,” framing the series as an ode to the 1980s that also strains under its own stylization. Those reviews point to a common complaint: several critics said the series leans heavily on mood, voiceover and period detail without fully solving the adaptation problem posed by Ellis’s novel. (variety.com) ### Which reviews were more favorable? The Chicago Sun-Times review highlighted by Gold Derby called the show “a hoot of a horror comedy,” and another positive notice described Murphy’s version as a “hypnotic homage to ’80s serial killers.” ScreenRant also called the adaptation “glossy,” even as it argued the series loses some of what made the novel distinctive. (rogerebert.com) The mixed reception is visible less as a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down split than as disagreement over what the show is trying to do. Some critics credited Murphy with turning Ellis’s material into a stylized, lurid thriller; others said that same approach flattens the book’s voice and tension. That contrast runs through the first wave of reviews collected by Gold Derby. (msn.com) ### What is the show about, and who is in it? FX said “The Shards” is based on Ellis’s semi-autobiographical novel and follows a 17-year-old version of the author during his senior year at Buckley in Los Angeles in 1981. The story centers on Bret’s group of wealthy classmates and the arrival of Robert Mallory, a new student whose presence coincides with killings attributed to the Trawler. (msn.com) Igby Rigney leads the cast as Bret, with Homer Gere as Robert Mallory, Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer, Graham Campbell as Thom Wright, Kaia Gerber as Susan Reynolds, Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer and Evan Rachel Wood as Liz Schaffer, according to cast details cited in coverage around the premiere. ### How is FX releasing the season? (variety.com) FX set the premiere for Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu in the United States, with Disney+ carrying the series internationally, according to Variety, Collider and TV Insider. Gold Derby said the first two episodes debuted on Aug. 5, two more episodes are due next Wednesday, and the eighth and final episode is scheduled for Sept. 2. (yahoo.com) The schedule has generated some confusion in secondary coverage, with at least one outlet listing a Sept. 9 finale. Gold Derby’s Aug. 5 roundup, however, said the final episode is set for Sept. 2, and that is the timetable reflected here. ### Has Ryan Murphy said anything about the show’s future? (variety.com) The Hollywood Reporter said Murphy discussed a possible multi-season path for “The Shards” in an interview published Aug. 5. Murphy said, “This show will certainly launch discussions,” while producer Brad Simpson separately told another outlet the series was set up to continue through the characters’ senior year if viewers respond. (msn.com) Wednesday, Aug. 12, is the next marker for the rollout, when FX and Hulu are scheduled to release two more episodes. Gold Derby said the season’s eighth episode is slated for Sept. 2, closing the initial run. (msn.com) (hollywoodreporter.com)