{"id":15674,"date":"2026-01-22T00:02:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T00:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/ryan-murphy-the-beauty-review\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T00:02:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T00:02:04","slug":"ryan-murphy-the-beauty-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/ryan-murphy-the-beauty-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Murphy\u2019s The Beauty Isn\u2019t Perfect, but It\u2019s Still a Pleasure"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>Lead: Ryan Murphy\u2019s FX series The Beauty, adapted from the Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley comic, arrives as an 11-episode body\u2011horror thriller that probes the social cost of aesthetic perfection. Opening amid a bloody Paris runway scene, the show follows FBI agents Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett as they trace a sexually transmitted, injectable agent that yields extreme physical transformation. The series mixes grotesque practical effects with satire of tech\u2011wealth and cosmetic culture, offering memorable highs alongside a late\u2011season scattershot plot. Viewers should expect visceral imagery, provocative ideas and uneven storytelling.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The series premiered its first three episodes on Hulu and FX with remaining episodes released weekly; the season totals 11 episodes ranging from 24 to 50 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Plot premise: a transmissible, injectable agent converts recipients into heightened physical ideals and can spread as an STI; FBI agents investigate multiple violent outbreaks starting at a Paris fashion show.<\/li>\n<li>Main cast includes Evan Peters (Agent Cooper Madsen), Rebecca Hall (Agent Jordan Bennett), Bella Hadid (Ruby), Ashton Kutcher (The Corporation) and Anthony Ramos (The Assassin).<\/li>\n<li>The show foregrounds body\u2011horror: repeated, prolonged \u201cbeauty births\u201d and graphic transformations form a major visual register of the season.<\/li>\n<li>Satire targets late\u2011stage capitalism and billionaire commodification of biotech, embodied in Kutcher\u2019s The Corporation character.<\/li>\n<li>Narrative coherence frays by Episode 8, when multiple subplots and tonal shifts\u2014especially a controversial race moment\u2014create uneven pacing and thematic dilution.<\/li>\n<li>Despite flaws, the series maintains high entertainment value for viewers drawn to provocative, visceral television.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background<\/h2>\n<p>The Beauty adapts a graphic\u2011novel premise into a contemporary horror framework: an injectable agent marketed as a cosmetic miracle mutates into a contagious phenomenon with violent side effects. The show arrives at a moment when public debate about pharmaceutical enhancement, social\u2011media aesthetics and biotech entrepreneurship is intense, framing the series as cultural commentary as much as genre entertainment. Ryan Murphy, known for stylized genre work and satirical impulses, teams with co\u2011creator Matt Hodgson to translate the comic\u2019s visuals and ethical stakes to the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Television\u2019s appetite for body\u2011horror and biotech anxieties has increased since recent films and series examined similar territory; The Beauty is part of that wave, intersecting with conversations about GLP\u20111 drugs, cosmetic procedures and surveillance capitalism. Production places several storylines across global sites\u2014from Paris runway stages to U.S. backgrounds\u2014so the narrative explores both elite circuits of beauty and marginalized spaces where the drug\u2019s effects ripple differently. The creative team positions the series to interrogate who profits when appearance becomes a tradable commodity.<\/p>\n<h2>Main Event<\/h2>\n<p>The season opens with a shocking incident at a Paris fashion show: supermodel Ruby, portrayed by Bella Hadid, collapses into a violent, bloody rampage, signaling that these events are neither isolated nor local. Agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) arrive to investigate a string of similar, gruesome episodes reported among models worldwide, and their inquiry uncovers an injectable biotech that functions as both enhancement and contagion. Early episodes establish investigative beats alongside personal stories of those tempted by or harmed by the drug.<\/p>\n<p>As the plot advances, the series introduces The Corporation (Ashton Kutcher), a tech\u2011wealth magnate who monetizes the agent and treats human bodies as product streams. His enforcer, The Assassin (Anthony Ramos), is deployed to stifle probes and protect corporate interests\u2014adding a political\u2011thriller beat to the body\u2011horror core. Intercut with these high\u2011profile threads are quieter, troubling arcs: Jeremy (Jeremy Pope) drifts into toxic online communities after discovering the substance, offering a domestic counterpoint to the glamour scenes.<\/p>\n<p>Murphy and the writers load early episodes with visceral practical effects\u2014botched surgeries, drawn\u2011out transformations and what the series calls \u201cbeauty births.\u201d These sequences serve both shock and metaphor, rendering cosmetic aspirations as corporeal violence. The middle episodes balance procedural discovery with character exposition, but by Episode 8 the narrative branches into multiple side stories and tonal experiments that broaden the scope at the cost of cohesion.<\/p>\n<h2>Analysis &#038; Implications<\/h2>\n<p>The Beauty is as much cultural diagnosis as it is horror: its central metaphor\u2014appearance made infectious\u2014links personal desire to structural incentives in late capitalism. By personifying the market through The Corporation, the show critiques the extraction model where biotech is repackaged for profit and social status. This framing echoes ongoing debates about pharmaceutical access, influencer economies and who benefits from new cosmetic technologies.<\/p>\n<p>Artistically, the series succeeds when it aligns body\u2011horror spectacle with clear thematic stakes. Practical effects and discomfiting transformations create sustained unease and force viewers to confront the cost of striving for a narrowly defined ideal. Performances\u2014particularly Peters\u2019s and Hall\u2019s agents\u2014anchor the investigation, giving viewers investigative access to a world that might otherwise be only spectacle.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, the series underrates deeper racial and social interrogation. A late\u2011season moment in which a non\u2011Black character abruptly becomes Black (explained by a distant ancestry line) feels like a missed chance: the show gestures toward race and beauty standards without substantive engagement. That omission limits the series\u2019 capacity to interrogate who is allowed aesthetic privilege and how those standards map onto power dynamics globally.<\/p>\n<h2>Comparison &#038; Data<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Title<\/th>\n<th>Year<\/th>\n<th>Mechanism<\/th>\n<th>Core Difference<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>The Beauty<\/td>\n<td>2026<\/td>\n<td>Injectable agent that can spread as an STI<\/td>\n<td>Transforms users internally into an idealized form<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>The Substance<\/td>\n<td>2024<\/td>\n<td>Black\u2011market drug that produces a younger, split persona<\/td>\n<td>Splits user into separate entities; different metaphoric focus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The comparison highlights common genre interests\u2014biotech, identity and bodily fragmentation\u2014while clarifying that the shows deploy distinct metaphors: The Beauty emphasizes cosmetic perfection as contagion, whereas The Substance literalizes temporal regression and duplication. Both register cultural anxieties about medical enhancement but ask different moral and narrative questions.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions &#038; Quotes<\/h2>\n<p>Critical and audience reactions have centered on the show\u2019s visual audacity and its uneven storytelling. Early reviews praised the series\u2019 commitment to corporeal horror and its satirical target; many viewers responded strongly to the practical effects and the central mystery. Below are representative remarks drawn from early coverage and the series\u2019 release details.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;A frenzied ride that will endear viewers at times and have them begging to get off at others.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/tv\/reviews\/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-1236631037\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Variety (entertainment press)<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Industry notices also focused on distribution: the series\u2019 rollout\u2014three episodes initially, then weekly installments\u2014aims to combine a launch event with sustained appointment viewing. That scheduling choice shaped early audience conversation and allowed critics to assess tonal development across episodes.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;First three episodes stream on Hulu and FX at 6 p.m. PT\/9 p.m. ET; remaining episodes follow weekly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/tv\/reviews\/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-1236631037\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Variety (scheduling report)<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: &#8220;Beauty birth,&#8221; GLP\u20111 and body\u2011horror<\/summary>\n<p>The show\u2019s central set piece\u2014dubbed a &#8220;beauty birth&#8221;\u2014portrays an extended, often violent physical transformation after using the agent. In genre terms, body\u2011horror uses bodily change to explore identity, autonomy and social anxiety. GLP\u20111 drugs, referenced in public debate and by some critics, are a class of medications used for metabolic conditions that have also been discussed in the context of weight and aesthetic culture; The Beauty fictionalizes parallel biotech anxieties rather than depicting real pharmacology. The series blends practical effects and make\u2011up prosthetics to make these transformations tangible and viscerally felt.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<\/h2>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Whether the show\u2019s ambiguous race transformation scene was intended as satire, critique, or narrative misstep\u2014creators\u2019 intent has not been clarified in public statements.<\/li>\n<li>No official confirmation that the character arcs shelved to later seasons will return; writers have not announced subsequent season plans.<\/li>\n<li>Details about the fictional agent\u2019s precise biochemical mechanics are narrative devices; the series does not present a medically verified mechanism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>The Beauty is a provocative, often viscerally effective series that marries Ryan Murphy\u2019s trademark flair for spectacle with a pointed critique of cosmetic capitalism. Its strengths lie in practical effects, central performances and a willingness to make viewers uncomfortable about the price of perfection. However, the show\u2019s ambition sometimes outpaces its narrative discipline: by broadening into numerous side stories and tonal gambits, it diffuses focus and undercuts opportunities for deeper social critique.<\/p>\n<p>For viewers drawn to bold body\u2011horror and satirical takes on tech wealth, The Beauty offers a rewarding if flawed experience. Those seeking tighter thematic resolution\u2014or robust engagement with race and beauty politics\u2014may find the season wanting. The series remains worth watching for its imagery, ideas and the conversations it provokes about aesthetics as commodity.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/tv\/reviews\/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-1236631037\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Variety<\/a> \u2014 entertainment journalism: review and scheduling details.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lead: Ryan Murphy\u2019s FX series The Beauty, adapted from the Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley comic, arrives as an 11-episode body\u2011horror thriller that probes the social cost of aesthetic perfection. Opening amid a bloody Paris runway scene, the show follows FBI agents Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett as they trace a sexually transmitted, injectable &#8230; <a title=\"Ryan Murphy\u2019s The Beauty Isn\u2019t Perfect, but It\u2019s Still a Pleasure\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/ryan-murphy-the-beauty-review\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Ryan Murphy\u2019s The Beauty Isn\u2019t Perfect, but It\u2019s Still a Pleasure\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Ryan Murphy\u2019s The Beauty Isn\u2019t Perfect but Still a Pleasure \u2014 DeepLens","rank_math_description":"A balanced review of Ryan Murphy\u2019s FX series The Beauty: visceral body\u2011horror and satirical critique of cosmetic capitalism, strong set pieces and an uneven late season.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Ryan Murphy,The Beauty,body horror,cosmetic capitalism,FX","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}