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Ryan Murphy’s The Shards Rolls Out Episodes 3 and 4 as Producers Signal Room for More Seasons

The creators built the nine-episode run as a first chapter that can extend into later years if the show is renewed.

FX's The Shards -- Pictured: (l-r) Graham Campbell as Thom, Kaia Gerber as Susan, Igby Rigney as Bret, Hayes Warner as Debbie, Homer Gere as Robert. CR: Pari Dukovic/FX
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Overview

  • The Shards, Ryan Murphy’s TV adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s autofiction, premiered in early August on FX and Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in the U.K.
  • Episodes 3 and 4 are set to be released as a double bill on Wednesday in the U.S. and on the following Thursday in the U.K., continuing a mixed pattern of single and double weekly drops.
  • Season 1 is nine episodes long and the producers have mapped the story so it could continue through the characters’ senior year if FX greenlights further seasons.
  • Casting has drawn attention during the rollout, including Jordan Roth’s account that Murphy offered him the part by direct message, and the cast and press are highlighting queer themes and an intentional parallel between the show’s unnamed killer and the emerging HIV/AIDS crisis of 1981.
  • The series moved from an earlier HBO development into Murphy’s stewardship at FX and emphasizes 1980s production design and music as core elements while adopting safety measures on set for sensitive material.