Posted in: FX, TV | Tagged: ryan murphy, the shards

The Shards: Ryan Murphy's Bret Easton Ellis Adapt Set for August

FX Networks and Ryan Murphy's The Shards, based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel, arrives Wednesday, August 5th, on FX and Hulu. Here's a look...

Published Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:37:09 -0500

by Ray Flook

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Article Summary

FX’s The Shards premieres Wednesday, August 5, on FX and Hulu, with Disney+ handling the international rollout.
Ryan Murphy adapts Bret Easton Ellis’s bestselling novel into a dark 1980s Los Angeles thriller of obsession.
The Shards follows privileged prep school seniors as sex, jealousy, and identity crises spiral into danger.
A mysterious new student arrives as serial killer The Trawler stalks teens, pushing Bret’s reality toward collapse.

FX Networks and EP Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, American Love Story) are hoping that they've hit upon your latest summer addiction with a combination of suspense, seduction, obsession… and a serial killer?!? Earlier today, it was announced that the new drama series The Shards would make its debut on Wednesday, August 5th, on FX and Hulu, beginning at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT (and on Disney+ internationally). Based on the bestselling novel by Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho), the series is set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles, where a group of privileged high school seniors at an elite prep school navigate identity, sex, jealousy, obsession, and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence. Here's a look at the official image that was released, followed by an official series overview:

At the center of the series is Bret (Igby Rigney), an aspiring writer and keenly observant teenager whose reality begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic new student, Robert Mallory (Homer Gere). Transferring in just before his senior year, Robert's appearance coincides with the growing terror of The Trawler, a serial killer targeting teenagers across the city.

Alongside Bret is his elite social circle, which consists of Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner), and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), a glamorous and deeply entangled group drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties, and excess. The promise of their youth is contrasted with the dark and cynical world of the adults surrounding them: Terry Schaffer (Wes Bentley), Liz Schaffer (Evan Rachel Wood) and Steven Reinhardt (Jordan Roth).

Stemming from storytellers Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis, FX's The Shards is executive produced by Murphy, Ellis, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, Nissa Diederich, Tanase Popa, Nick Hall, Michael Uppendahl, Max Winkler, Kathleen McCaffrey, and Brian Young. The series is produced by 20th Television.

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