Ryan Murphy is back. Honestly, if you thought he’d peaked with the campy gore of American Horror Story or the gritty true crime of Dahmer, you might want to buckle up. His latest project, The Beauty, is hitting FX and Hulu on January 21, 2026, and it’s already causing a massive stir online. The trailer alone racked up nearly 190 million views in its first week. That’s a record for FX.
People are calling it "Ryan Murphy’s The Substance," and for good reason. It’s sci-fi. It’s body horror. It’s a biting critique of our obsession with looking perfect. Basically, it’s everything Murphy does best, but with a sleek, futuristic coat of paint.
What Is The Beauty Actually About?
The premise is simple but deeply unsettling. Imagine there’s a new kind of sexually transmitted disease. But instead of making you sick, it makes you gorgeous.
In the world of The Beauty, this "treatment" spreads like wildfire. People want it. They crave it. Why wouldn’t they? It offers instant, genetic-level perfection. But as anyone who’s ever watched a Murphy production knows, there’s always a catch. The "perfection" comes with a clock. Eventually, your body starts to pay the price in ways that are, frankly, pretty stomach-turning.
We’re talking about lethal side effects that the powerful people behind the drug—namely a tech billionaire played by Ashton Kutcher—would really like to keep quiet.
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The Cast: Familiar Faces and Surprising Guest Stars
Evan Peters is back in the fold. Thank god, right? After his intense run as Jeffrey Dahmer, Peters is playing FBI Agent Cooper Madsen. He’s joined by the incredible Rebecca Hall as Agent Jordan Bennett. Together, they’re hunting down the truth behind a string of gruesome supermodel deaths that lead back to this "miracle" drug.
Then there’s Ashton Kutcher. He plays Byron Forst, the head of "The Corporation." Kutcher has described the character as a sinister tech mogul who’s built a trillion-dollar empire on the back of people’s insecurities. It’s a far cry from That '70s Show, and the early footage suggests he’s leaning into a very cold, calculated kind of villainy.
The guest list is also absolute chaos in the best way possible:
- Bella Hadid (making a splash as a character named Ruby)
- Meghan Trainor
- Isabella Rossellini
- Jeremy Pope and Anthony Ramos
- Vincent D’Onofrio
It’s a massive ensemble. Murphy has this knack for pulling in everyone from Oscar winners to TikTok icons, and The Beauty is no exception.
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Why Everyone Is Comparing It to The Substance
If you saw the 2024 movie The Substance with Demi Moore, you probably recognize the DNA here. Both stories deal with "The Other Self"—the idea that you can inject something or catch something to become a better, younger, hotter version of yourself.
Some critics were quick to call it a rip-off. However, The Beauty is actually based on a 2016 comic book series by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley. So, technically, the source material predates the movie. Murphy isn't just copying a trend; he’s tapping into a very specific cultural anxiety we have right now about things like Ozempic and rapid-fire cosmetic procedures. He’s called it a commentary on "Ozempic culture." It’s about how much we’re willing to sacrifice—literally—to look like a filtered version of ourselves.
What Most People Get Wrong About Ryan Murphy Shows
There’s a common complaint that Murphy shows start strong and then fall apart in the middle. We’ve all seen it. Glee went off the rails. Nip/Tuck got weird. But The Beauty feels different because it’s a tight, 11-episode thriller with a clear sci-fi mystery at its core.
It’s not just a "monster of the week" situation. It’s a global conspiracy. The show moves from the high-fashion runways of Paris to the streets of New York and Venice. It’s ambitious. It’s also much more of a "body horror" show than a traditional slasher. If you’re squeamish about needles or skin-crawling transformations, you might have a hard time with this one.
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How to Watch and What to Expect
The rollout is a bit different than the standard Netflix "dump it all at once" strategy.
- Premiere Date: January 21, 2026.
- Where: FX (linear) and Hulu/Disney+ (streaming).
- The Schedule: You get the first three episodes immediately. After that, it’s a weekly drop every Wednesday.
- The Finale: The last two weeks will feature double-episode drops to wrap up the mystery.
Why This Matters Right Now
We are living in an era of "aesthetic optimization." We have filters for our faces, drugs for our weight, and surgery for everything else. The Beauty takes that to its most extreme, terrifying conclusion. It’s not just a horror show; it’s a mirror.
If you’re looking for a show that’s going to dominate the water cooler talk (or the group chat) for the next two months, this is it. It’s got the gore, the stars, and the social commentary to make it a legitimate cultural moment.
To prepare for the premiere, you can check out the original Image Comics series to see how much Murphy has changed the ending, or just revisit some of his earlier "body horror" work like Nip/Tuck to get a feel for the tone. Either way, Wednesday nights are about to get very messy.