Ryan Murphy's Best Work? 'The Beauty' Stuns

Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson's "The Beauty," a body horror mystery thriller based on a comic book series, is generating significant acclaim and is being hailed as Murphy's best work to date. The show's unique premise, centering on a perfection-encoded STD, distinguishes it from other projects within Murphy's extensive television oeuvre.

The series is praised for its compelling narrative structure, which maintains forward momentum despite temporal jumps and genre shifts. "The Beauty" successfully avoids common pitfalls of serialized storytelling, such as meandering plots or unsatisfying conclusions, ensuring characters and story arcs remain focused.

Furthermore, the cast and their characters are lauded for their cohesive presence within the show's universe. Each performance contributes to a shared, heightened reality. The narrative also excels in delivering organic and impactful plot twists, avoiding the excessive or unearned surprises found in some of Murphy's previous works.

While "The Beauty" demonstrates a notable restraint in melodrama, a hallmark of Murphy's horror projects, its first season is nearing its conclusion. The final two episodes are scheduled to air on FX and Hulu on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, with a potential for the series to solidify its status as a critical success.