Ryan Murphy’s been having a rough go at winning over viewers lately. His most recent shows, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” and “All’s Fair,” flopped with critics but gathered early viewer attention before fading out. So when ads for his latest show immediately began to elicit comparisons to the 2024 award-winning film, “The Substance,” it seemed that he might be zero for three. After all, why would anyone want to rip off such an incredible film?
But here’s the thing: While there are definitely nods to the Coralie Fargeat film, “The Beauty” runs deeper than all that. Where “The Substance” focuses more on the effects of beauty culture on aging women, “The Beauty” casts a much wider net. This is excellent news for anyone hoping to watch a solid Ryan Murphy show once more. And it is indeed solid, from the writing and the acting, to the special effects and soundtrack (I’ll never listen to a Christopher Cross song again in the same way).
Perhaps this is due to the source material. “The Beauty” is based on a graphic novel by the same name, released back in 2016 from writer Jason A. Hurley and artist Jeremy Haun. The central idea is fairly simple: What if there were an easy way to become instantly beautiful? And what would you do to make it happen? What would you risk? In the graphic novel, you’re thrust into a world where nearly half the population has already been infected with The Beauty (a sexually transmitted disease). And just like other STDs, those infected are just beginning to understand the downsides to their infection — from chronic fever to spontaneous combustion.
In the show, however, The Beauty actually begins as an injection. And while it’s strictly meant for physical beauty in the graphic novel, the show pushes it further as a solution to all your problems. Not only will you be thinner, have perkier breasts, chiseled abs, full lips and a perfectly sculpted ass (there are a lot of those on screen in the earlier episodes, by the way), you’ll also feel better, too. Stronger, faster, in perfect health, with cancer and other chronic illnesses a thing of the past. It’s one thing to get accidentally infected with something that makes you a prettier version of yourself and another to see just how many people are willing to do whatever it takes to become a “perfect” version of themselves. Or even further, to help others become a “perfect” version of themselves.
It’s an interesting premise, one that Murphy explores from various points of view through each episode.
Unlike in the graphic novel, the show is set before The Beauty has been announced to the world. Instead, we’re thrust into a heart-pumping action sequence that begins with none other than Bella Hadid (or rather, a model played by Hadid) walking down a Balenciaga runway in Paris. There’s something off, though. Teary-eyed, she looks around the room seemingly confused, sweating profusely in her skintight red leather outfit. Suddenly, the model begins to unleash an onslaught of brutality on the audience. Her goal? To drink from their water bottles. An unquenchable thirst for water (and violence, apparently) seems to be what drives her. The Prodigy’s hit single “Firestarter” brilliantly plays on as she goes from beating onlookers to stealing a motorcycle and speeding around the city. Nothing, not even a gruesome car-vs-bike accident, seems to stop her. By the end of the song, though, an unexpected explosion makes it clear you need to keep watching.
40 Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2026
It’s this explosion that brings in FBI agents Cooper (very fortunately played by longtime Ryan Murphy collaborator Evan Peters) and Jordan (Rebecca Hall). Partners and friends-with-benefits (or perhaps more), the two are tasked with investigating the cause of the model’s erratic behavior and her even more surprising exit. The show takes the pair from Paris to Rome to New York City as more details unfurl around what is causing beautiful people around the world to suddenly turn violent, to explode or even to be murdered in gruesome ways.
It’s not just the mystery that’s appealing, though. Murphy and co-creator Matthew Hodgson also give us other viewpoints to play with — from those who want The Beauty to those who have full access to it. Jeremy (played by Jeremy Pope, who also starred in Murphy’s critically-acclaimed “Pose” and “Hollywood”), for one, is a basement-dwelling, pseudo-incel who believes his problems would be solved if only he were thin and goodlooking. There’s Bella (Emma Halleen), an insecure teenager whose name literally means beautiful, and who wants nothing more than to stop being “invisible” to those around her. Then there’s Clara (Rev Yolanda), a trans woman struggling in her transition who wonders whether there might be a simpler way to finally look the way she’s always felt inside.
And then there are the billionaires. If The Beauty is a critique about Ozempic culture, it’s also a critique on the 1% who have more than their fair share of everything on this planet. Ashton Kutcher’s character, referred to as The Corporation, is one of several billionaires we encounter on the show, though certainly the most predominant. At one point, Kutcher’s character, who appears to be loosely based on Elon Musk given his ties to space exploration and electric cars, proclaims, “Billionaires, we don’t need friends, we have staff.” At another, he asks someone to kneel before him, proclaiming himself to be a god. He’s ruthless and cutthroat, employing multiple assassins (including one played by Anthony Ramos, who occasionally invokes a less yuppified Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho”) to do his bidding.
“The Beauty” is also full of stellar cameos and easter eggs, from Billy Eichner and Lux Pascal, to John Carroll Lynch, Ben Platt and Anthony Rapp. But it’s Isabella Rossellini’s character who steals every scene she’s in, serving as a constant reminder that aiming for perfection doesn’t actually make you beautiful.
Finally, when talking about The Beauty (especially as an injectable miracle drug), it’s hard not to think of GLP-1 shots like Ozempic and Mounjaro. This is intentional. In 2024, Murphy went on record to discuss that very comparison as part of his inspiration. It feels even more pertinent now, with about one in eight U.S. adults reporting they are currently using GLP-1s (not to mention the rise in GLP-1 obesity pills). The controversy around the usage of GLP-1s continues to grow, and undoubtedly this show may ruffle some feathers as a result. With the rise of both “Ozempic shaming” and the noticeable trend in idealizing very thin bodies no matter the cost, one might expect audiences to feel pretty divided on this one. But that division will likely come more from people who only watch the trailer or a couple of episodes rather than dive into the full series, which casts a sympathetic light to anyone who simply desires to either look or feel better.
Regardless, “The Beauty” is one of the most captivating shows Murphy has released in a long while, invoking previous hits like “American Horror Story,” “Nip/Tuck” and “Pose.” It’s a sci-fi body horror that, despite comparisons, will likely win over fans of “The Substance.” Just make sure not to watch it on your lunch break unless you have a strong stomach.
“The Beauty” premieres Wednesday on FX and Hulu.