The Future Of Ryan Murphy Shows - Part 3

Last year, I did two blogs (months apart) on the future of Ryan Murphy shows and I thought I'd do another one. Buckle in.

9-1-1/9-1-1: Nashville will form a double bill for ABC on Thursdays during the 2025-2026 TV season. I expected this to be honest. ABC have made it clear that the former show won't end with it's upcoming ninth season while the latter not only has Chris O'Donnell and Jessica Capshaw as series regulars but joining them will include LeAnn Rimes and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

Although it was announced ages ago as a series, it's only been in recent weeks that actual progress for FX's upcoming anthology series, American Love Story has been made. The casting so far includes Naomi Watts, Paul Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon as Jackie Kennedy, JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette respectively. No release date has been given, so I'm assuming it'll likely be a 2026 release.

Given the biggest push during Disney's upfronts this week was upcoming Hulu legal drama, All's Fair. The series which has Kim Kardashian, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor and Glenn Close certainly delivered a very camp trailer. It's uber glossy, focusing on a group of women lawyers working only to represent women while dealing with the men in the lives. It'll premiere during the Fall and it certainly looks like it could be a lot of fun. Sarah Paulson in particular seems to be playing a more antagonistic role.

Then there's the imminent arrival of FX's upcoming comic book series adaptation The Beauty. You've got the four main leads with Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope and Ashton Kutcher. There's also Rebecca Hall, Vincent D'Onofrio, Isabella Rossellini, Ben Platt and Bella Hadid. It's getting comparisons to The Substance (which may or may not be a good thing) and while a trailer played at the upfronts, it has yet to be released. An airdate has yet to be confirmed.

Then there's everything else. Ryan Murphy has a lot of shows on his plate, has been spreading himself too thin for too long and it's starting to become noticeable that it's almost too much.

Plus side, Monster: The Original Monster with Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein should release on Netflix later this year. However once that's released, it'll mark the end of Murphy's collaboration with the popular streamer.

As for everything else, both Doctor Odyssey (airing it's last episode tonight on ABC) and American Horror Story (FX) are down to Ryan Murphy in terms of getting future seasons, though it wouldn't surprise me if the former has been cancelled.

Then there's American Crime Story, American Sports Story, American Horror Stories, Feud, Grotesquerie and Mid-Century Modern. None of these shows as of now have been confirmed for further seasons. I'll admit that's a lot of shows to have up in the air in terms of future seasons. I can see some of them being quietly cancelled with others eventually brought back. 

Which Ryan Murphy shows should return and which should be cancelled? Which upcoming ones are you looking forward to?

My Review of Grotesquerie: "I Think I'm Dead"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Alexis Martin Woodall 

Lois: "This is not the real world. This is the other world and I am dead."

And just like that,  we have a cliffhanger finale. Gotta admit, I am disappointed with the choice of prolonging the identity of Grotesquerie. Saying that, at least we can rule out one character for the killer. That's something, right?

The character who isn't Grotesquerie was Dr Charlie Mayhew. Now maybe he does or does not have sex origins and maybe he does think Lois is a bitch but given that he was strung up and bleeding out in The Last Supper, it's not him. Which means everyone, except Lois and maybe Megan could be Grotesquerie.

Now, irs more like that these murders are the consequences of the Mexicali Men's Club, which had every single male character of note in attendance and was led by Dr Smythe. It also had a mullet free Ed recruit the recently cancelled Marshall and it didn't take much for the latter to make an impression on that archaic club.

Actually the first half of this episode was very much about Marshall. His attempts of trying to get a throuple dynamic between himself, Lois and Cherry was a failure all round and then he was accused of sexual assault by Mary Colsby, losing his job. Not to mention one of the victims with  Charlie was also Colsby. Doesn't look good for Marshall, does it?

As for Lois, she convinced herself that she was still in a coma and her scenes with Witticomb had her trying to rationalise recent events, though it didn't stop her from comparing Witticomb to a clever demon. I mean, he's clever because he definitely turned it around on Lois as she committed herself.

However it was Megan who got Lois to snap out of her funk by telling her the truth about what to Justin's body and it was the new murders that gave Lois some determination again. At this point, the show better hope it did enough to secure that second season.

- Gale Hanover does exist here and Glorious McKall was whom Megan contacted to clean up Justin's body.

- When Merritt was talking about children to Marshall, I did think she was going to reveal her being pregnant.

- Every male character in that club but Charlie's killed? Maybe he had a moral objection to their foundation plan. 

- Chronology: Not long since the previous episode. 

Finale wise, I Think I'm Dead was a lengthy episode and certainly wanted to have a deep dive into masculinity,  MeToo and so on, but did it offer anything new or insightful to those conversations? I'm not sure it did tbh. I can't help being a bit disappointed with this one.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "The Stinging Aroma Of Sulfur"

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Alexis Martin Woodall 

Lois (to Megan): "Did I bring this monster back with me?"

Into the penultimate episode and for Lois, dreams are becoming a reality and maybe she's a prophet after all. Just not one who sees good things but the worst of them.

Remember the Burnside family in the first episode and the grotesque way they were killed? Yeah, well Megan got to stumble into that particular scene and brought Lois out of retirement in order to get her opinion on the matter.

Lois didn't particularly want to get involved but once she did, she was convinced that her dreams were coming true. She feared she had brought a monster into the real world. It also a little weight to her therapy session with Witticomb and his colleague, Dr Milton Smythe. Those made for some interesting scenes.

Then there was Lois's altercation with Megan's abusive partner, Justin. I was happy when Lois killed that guy but at the same time, even he started parroting stuff about the dream and waking worlds. How much did Megan tell him? Or was Lois right about still being in a dream? Just one more episode to go before we get the answer. 

Speaking of dreams, Lois had one to leave town and go to Tarpin Springs in Florida. She even served Marshall divorce papers but her scene with Marshall only made Redd realise she didn't want him either. Marshall really did come across as particularly venomous with Lois, even when she gave him an out to their marriage.

As for the brief scene with Merritt - of course Lois returned that slap and gave Merritt some harsh home truths. Meritt likely needed both if those things. Will she ever forgive Lois? Does she even love Ed? Also was Marshall more ashamed of Merritt's weight gain than Lois? I think he was.

- Witticomb attended a "de-evolution" seminar in New York about people losing their empathy/also prophecising future events. 

- Merritt has had a slew of shirty boyfriends and was in a cult. Lois's father was the gas station attendant from earlier in the season.

- Standout music: Peggy Lee's Is That All There Is at the start of the episode.

- Chronology: Not long from the previous episode.

For a penultimate episode, The Stinging Aroma Of Sulfur didn't feel like it was as big as it could've been but it certainly had some good moments. Next week's episode really does have to stick the landing.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "In Dreams"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Elegance Bratton

Lois (to Dr Witticomb): "And what about Grotesquerie? Does that represent me?"

In some ways, this felt like a redux. With Lois out of her coma and her actual family uninterested in wanting to be around her, she had to attend her physio without their support and even do a deep dive into her psyche, also without their support. She was truly isolated.

The deep dive in general came through her session with Dr Witticomb, who definitely stood out as an intriguing character. We got a decent look into how Lois thought about the people in her orbit while also wondering if Grotesquerie represented her. It was fascinating stuff.

As far as things went for Lois, her relationship with Merritt was the one that impacted her the most. She slept with her own daughter's husband and the latter wasn't in a forgiving mood. Even I found Merritt's words to be stinging and Lois felt more pained by them than the slap she had gotten by Merritt.

Then there's the relationship with Chief of Police Megan Duvall. The woman idolised Lois but resented Lois's recklessness over the Andrea Salana case and the vert real consequences of that. Lois also made a point of pointing out about Megan being possessed as well. Megan didn't really take kindly to that.

As for Lois and Marshall, they didn't interact in the episode, but I noticed that both of them knew their marriage was over. Lois even admired Cherry for putting up with Marshall while Marshall himself no longer wanted to be married to a woman he considered mentally ill.

As for Dr Charlie Mayhem, I love that he's on Lois's radar. She still viewed him as a killer and for all we know, she might be on to something. He did very little in the episode  to make himself appear trustworthy. Perhaps Lois will be justified in her suspicions of him.

- Marshall literally compared himself, Lois and Cherry to Charles, Diana and Camilla. He didn't speak of Diana favourably. Maisie was also the Tryon housekeeper.

- Megan has an abusive partner named Justin, whom she walked out on to go face to that motel. She had also made an awful purple punch at Lois's retirement party.

- Standout music: Baby Rose's Slowly Burns. 

- Chronology: Lois had been in a coma for six weeks. 

In Dreams was very bittersweet with Lois facing the reality of her actions now that she was awake. While it might have been devoid of kills, it did examine how being around them had influenced Lois and the way she had alienated those in her life.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "Unplugged"

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Max Winkler

Lois: "Holy shit, Sister. I think I just cracked the case."

Sister Megan: "Blasphemy!"

Well, this just fucking changed the game, didn't it? A nice little late season twist to throw us into the inevitable madness that should be the final three episodes. I should've seen this coming but only clocked it too late.

All this time certain characters weren't who we thought they were. The episode started with a drunken Lois not being thrilled with Merritt and Eddie becoming a couple, moving into a gated community and the Merritt participating in Half Ton Trauma. In fact, Lois was quite vicious in the way she dealt with that.

Then there was her dealing with Marshall. She went straight to Nurse Redd's boss (John Billingsley) and insisted that the plug was pulled on her cheating husband. There was a moment of civility between Lois and Redd and then Marshall died. Not having Merritt there yo say goodbye to her dad was rather cold of Lois. 

As for the Grotesquerie Murders themselves, it was Father Charlie and he was dead. Sister Megan got full control over the Catholic Guardian and Lois was being strong armed into retirement. It felt complete as an arc. Of course, it wasn't as a dinner scene between Lois and Sister Megan got especially vicious and the latter turned out to be the accomplice. Nope, that didn't feel right either.

Now for the twist itself - I fucking loved it. All this time, it's been Lois in a coma with an increasingly disaffected Marshall wanting to turn off her life support. Merritt and Eddie were actually married and he cheated on Merritt with Lois. The fact that Marshall seemed unsurprised by that spoke volumes. Of course there was more to come.

Nurse Redd was actually a cam girl named Cherry Redd and yes, still Marshall's mistress in this reality, albeit with an American accent. Then there was Doctor Charlie Mayhew (assuming,  he's not Grotesquerie here) and Chief Megan herself. Again, I loved this twist and of course, just when Marshall came close to being rid of Lois, she only went and woke up at the very last second of this episode. Fucking hell.

- In this reality, Merritt was trying to find a cure for cancer while Eddie worked at Cinnabon and wasn't sober.

- Andrea from earlier in the season was a domestic abuse victim that Lois had been hands off with and wanted to sue the police.

- Standout music: Nina Simone's Stars, Al Green's How To Mend A Broken Heart and Harry Nillson's One. 

- Chronology: It's been two days since the events of the last episode.

Now, Unplugged more than delivered. Thinking about it, it's a twist that did make sense and it delivered an almighty smack too. I can't wait to see how the remaining three episodes play out and I can see why they just released one episode this week. Easily the best one yet.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "Good Caesarean Work"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Max Winkler 

Maisie (to Lois, re Grotesquerie): "If he wanted you dead,  you'd be dead. He has bigger plans for you. For you to be a martyr."

And just like that, shit got a lot more weirder for Detective Lois Tryon. I think having a serial killer like Grotesquerie wanting you to be a martyr might be even worse than having him simply want to kill you.

The path that led Lois to this realisation was nicely executed though. She brought both the baby and elderly Maisie from the last episode to the hospital. Quickly it got revealed the woman couldn't be the baby's actual mother but that was she was a delusional former fanatic who had worked with Grotesquerie. Also she kept saying Glorious a ridiculous amount of times that Lois should've copped on earlier.

Yes, the mentioned Glorious McKall appeared in this episode when Lois and Franklin paid the new minister a visit. Glorious sort of revelled in Lois being slow on the uptake before filling in the blanks about Maisie and Grotesquerie's connection some more. Then she got arrested but as a foil to Lois, I did find Glorious rather entertaining and I hope we get to see more of her this season.

As for Lois, that later conversation with Maisie really was unsettling. Maisie laid it on thick with talking of the Antichrist, black goats and the fire pits but Lois did seem genuinely unsettled by being factored into a serial killer's much bigger plan. On the plus side, at least Lois and her team found the babies.

The final few minutes of this one had Lois and her team not only find those babies but several women who were being milked for them as well. Then there was Lous coming very close to death until she got a lucky shot in. Of course the episode ended with Lois seeing her attacker but not us. Father Charlie? Franklin? An unknown perhaps? We better find out next week.

- Nurse Redd had an affair of sorts with Marshall before his coma and Lois reacted far calmed than Redd deserved. Redd had a home in England and Brough Lois Croatian vodka.

- Sister Megan woke up at the end of the episode while Merritt and Eddie watched a cooking show on the farmer's laptop.

- Standout music: Otis Redding's My Lover's Prayer and Mozart's Requiem.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Good Caesarean Work was another shorter episode but it did manage to deliver where it needed to do so. The Nurse Redd subplot sort of broke up the main story, the Maisie and Glorioys scenes were great and the last few minutes delivered. I enjoyed this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "Red Haze"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Max Winkler 

Lois: "I hate it here. Something so off about this place."

Sister Megan: "Yes it is."

Picking up from the last episode, Lois and Sister Megan soon realise that the mystery naked woman in their car went by the name of Andrea. As a character, she mostly remained a mystery but she did bring Lous and Sister Megan to a motel in the middle of nowhere.

A motel where both Lois and Sister Megan were desperate to leave but both found themselves getting caught up in events. There was the desk clerk trying to conceal her bruises and the abusive owner Nick, whom took an immediate distrust to everyone. You also had Lois and Sister Megan clash too.

I guess at some point, Lois's cynicism would be a bit much for Sister Megan but even when clashing over their different methods of handling stress, both women were caught up in the craziness of the motel. Fender benders were one thing but the killer showing up, abducting Andrea in from of them and shooting Sister Megan. It all happened way too fast.

It also brought out a harsher side to Father Charlie, who seemed a bit too happy to call out Lois's disregard for others while pointing out the killer was after her specifically. Earlier episodes already established that fact and while it was informative watching Hanover list some of Lois's rogues gallery, it didn't get us any closer to the killer.

Also keeping up with the title of the show, Grotesquerie used Lois being out of town to perform horrific caesarians on pregnant women, killing them and taking the babies. They also left another cryptic clue and Lois also found herself having to calm a woman down in the middle of nowhere with a bloodied baby wrapped in newspapers. This was definitely the most stressful episode so far.

- At least six of Lois's rogues were mentioned with Glorious McKall being the only released around the same time Grotesquerie started killing. Red herring, right?

- Nurse Redd could heard in a phone conversation with Lois talking about end of life for Marshall. 

- Ash mixed with chlorine can make for acidic but purple looking pool. It also reminded Lois of an aviation cocktail.

- Chronology: From where the last episode left off.

Red Haze was shorter than the first four but it certainly was the most batshit one so far. Several moments almost didn't seem real, mostly involving the motel scenes. Speaking of scenes, Lois had some good ones with characters like Jack and Franklin, bringing out a more determined but clear headed side to her.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "Coordinates"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Alexis Martin Woodall

Lois (to Sister Megan): "Let's get the hell out of here."

Closing into the half way point of this season, this episode might be the one where Lois seemed to nearly have her shit together. Granted, not really at the start of the episode but it's amazing what a little progress can do.

I mean she attended an AA meeting with Eddie, who talked about his own problems with booze (along with his stripper past) and yes, it did seem like an affair was brewing with the two of them. Even Merritt clocked it when Eddie was assigned to be her bodyguard by her mother.

It's Merritt who also helped give Lois a spring in her step by getting that puzzle box open. What was in it? Oh just coordinates fir both Lois and Sister Megan to follow into the middle of the freaking desert. Not to mention, a nice dose of Hellfire to boot. I'm not joking here.

Yes, the desert was ablaze but it was more to do with a gasoline disaster than a biblical one. Still, it didn't stop a geologist from mentioning Hell or a mystery old man Lois encountered talking about the abuse of the environment and having to go through a fire. It's heavy handed but an effective scene between two characters.

Then there's some good old fashioned Catholic guilt that can be added into proceedings. Sister Megan got her way with Father Charlie and instead of relishing the experience, it made her feel guilty instead. Lois did try to rationalise the whole thing but then this episode ended on a different note.

A mystery naked and burnt woman popped up out of nowhere with both Lois and Sister Megan letting her into the car. Was she really trying to escape from Grotesquerie as she implied? Or was there something in Sister Megan's earlier musings about the coordinates leading to a trap? It's likely both, isn't it?

- Father Charlie is doing online spinning classes as a side hustle. He's also not tending to those sores on his back properly. 

- Nurse Redd has started recording Lois in order to get power of attorney over Marshall. Eddie can make a tuna wiggle, which doesn't sound particularly appetising. 

- Standout music: Both Lois and Sister Megan were singing I Don't Know How To Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar and there was David Bowie's Let's Dance at the end of the episode. 

- Chronology: I know it's meant to be present day but Lois's house phone is old as is Sister Megan's computer.

I liked Coordinates a bit more than the previous one. The radio singing with Lois and Sister Megan took me aback but it was a lighter moment in a continuously dark show. The lack of promotion for next week does make me wonder what the hell they're planning with the two of them and that woman they've picked up.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "The Bender"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Ryan Murphy

Eddie: "Why should I help you?"

Lois: "I'm trying to catch a killer."

Ah yes, that old chestnut as the hunky nurse Eddie Lachlan succinctly put it. After weeks of mystery surrounding the name of Travis Kelce's character, it's very casually revealed. Then again, so was his last minute introduction into this episode.

Lois was going through it in this one. Her drinking was becoming so problematic that virtually every character had to point it out to her. Her fellow officers didn't hold back in their disapproval of her constant boozing and that was when she was filling in the blanks at the crime scenes that they kept missing.

On top of that, there was the opening exchange with her and Merritt. Both women might criticise each other's dangerous vices  ht they also enable them too. Why isn't Merritt trying to get her mother sober and why is Lois letting her daughter eat herself to death? They're practically killing themselves and each other. It's not fun to watch.

Getting back to the cases, this week's victims were sex workers and junkies strolled together. The deduction on the killer being that they're a surgeon or army medic of something. Another deduction being that the killer hated Lous for helping sex workers. One or two scenes maybe hinting at certain characters who could be in the frame. The way this show could go, even Lois could be a future suspect.

On to the religious side of things, boy do Sister Megan and Father Charlie revel in this stuff? I think the latter even more so during his church meeting with diocese members. I get talking about modernising the church but even I found the OnlyFans comparison a bit much. Also, Charlie practically seduced Sister Megan, only to leave her wanting more.

Circling back to Lois though, both the opening and the last scenes felt the most like an alcoholics haze. I mean, it seemed like she was practically throwing common sense out the window and was far too trusting of Eddie. Was I me or did it seem like the episode was verging heavier into fantasy land than the previous two?

- I should've mentioned Brooke Smith as Hanover from the previous two episodes. She's got a bigger role here and was in Lois's corner, even when the latter crashed her car in a drunken haze.

- Nice flashbacks to the beginning of Lois and Marshall's relationship but Nurse Redd wanting power of attorney of Marshall was creepy as fuck.

- Father Charlie really used Proverbs 25:26 to get a point across, likes to dress kinky when he's not whipping himself and both him and Sister Megan talked about the West Village killings from the 1980s.

- Chronology: A short period of time from where the previous episode left off.

The Bender probably could've been a little shorter and they're certainly labouring the point about Lois being an alcoholic mess and the smartest detective in the room. Fortunately Niecy Nash-Betts has managed to make Lois into a person instead of a walking trope. Travis Kelce was pretty decent as Eddie so far.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "True Crime Catholics"

 

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 

Directed by Max Winkler 

Grotesquerie/Lois (to Sister Megan): "I belong to those who troubled the sleep of the world and then, may all your dreams come true."

The second half of this opening double bill - a format this show will be doing for its first season in general, and things heated up a little bit here. Grotesquerie was officially the confirmed name of the religious themed killer and both Lois and Sister Megan became further drawn to each other.

Sister Megan in these two episodes alone has gone out of her way to be shown what a modern young nun can be. She's very liberal with her choice of words, doesn't shy from her fascination with the downright macabre and has shown not to have a problem in pushing Lois. So far, the latter has let Megan do that due to the young nun's usefulness in the case.

Sister Megan has repeatedly tried to debunk Lois's own theories on the killer's and with nudging from someone else, she's leaned into the Satanism angle. So far, it might prove correct or be another misdirection. Then there's the not at all subtle biblical displays of the victims in this episode. The Last Supper display making for a suitably uncomfortable way of ending this episode.

As for Lois, she's almost letting Sister Megan do the work she doesn't want to or isn't competent enough to do. Lois even had Merritt try and solve a puzzle, given the latter's penchant for them with little success. Not to mention this episode gave a deeper dive into her relationship with Marshall.

The opening flashback showed the Tryon family and their vices. Lois with her drinking,  Merritt with her over eating and Marshall with his cheating ways. They are a dysfunctional family and in the present day, Nurse Redd seemed to take too much delight in tearing Lois down while also poorly deflecting from her own sexual inappropriateness. Lesley Manville does chew up those scenes so well.

Last but not least, there was the introduction of Father Charlie (Nicholas Alexander Chavez). Like Sister Megan, there was something modern thinking with the handsome priest and the two of them certainly shared a bond over true crime. In fact, there was even a little sexual tension between them. Not to mention a scene that very much reminded me of who was writing this show.

- Father Charlie's favourite serial killer was Ed Gein while Sister Megan's was Sister Mariam Soulakiotis. The Chicago Ripper was also mentioned. Father Charlie was also a personal trainer.

- Nurse Redd has a history of sexual assault with coma patients if Lois's deduction of her was correct.

- Despite the marketing and promo pics going heavy on the purple, the title sequence (which is a bit lacking) has gone with red and black.

- Chronology: From where the first episode more or less left off. 

True Crime Catholics was a bit longer and kept things on social ground. Although I find the double bill format to a means of quickly burning through the show, the actual slow burn itself probably has justified. It's getting good, so I'm sticking with it.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Grotesquerie: "Pilot"

Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken

Directed by Max Winkler

Lois (to her officers): "You have to really hate people to do something like this. It's inhuman. No, it's unhuman."

You know when all is said and done, there's no reason why this show technically couldn't be the 13th season of American Horror Story. Throw in a few alumni in guest roles and I think you'd get away with it tbh.

However there's also something in this show very much being its own thing as well as we've got the blend of the aforementioned long running horror anthology with a dash of True Detective to boot. Does it work? Kind of. It's early to tell.

You've got alcoholic and troubled Detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betts) investigating a really fucking gruesome murder where an unknown killer called Grotesquerie murdered the Burneside family. Worse than that, there was also allusions of a baby being boiled and the father served up as dinner. 

It's a gruesome death and the later one involving two drug users also didn't hold back either. The killings have Lois and her team trying to detect patterns as well as a connection to a mystery fluid that turned up on both crime scenes. Luckily for Lois, she also herself some outside help in the form of true crime obsessed young nun and reporter, Sister Megan (Micaela Diamond).

The rapport between Lois and Sister Megan might be the strongest element of this first episode. The seasoned, world weary detective versus the bright eyes but quirky young nun. Out of the character's introduced into this first episode, Sister Megan definitely felt like the most Ryan Murphy character of them all. It's going to be interesting watching these two work together to solve the case.

As for Lois's personal life, she's got a husband named Marshall (Courtney B. Vance), who's been in a coma for over a month and a daughter named Merritt (Raven Goodwin) with designs to enter a reality show. Some decent time was spent on Lois's home life yo try and flesh her out a bit more as a character. 

- Lesley Manville had some great scenes as Marshall's nurse, Redd. Lois should probably keep an eye on her.

- Sister Megan writes for the Catholic Guardian and isn't adverse to swearing. There was one scene where I thought Lois was going to arrest her. Sister Megan also identified the fluid as brimstone.

- Standout music: Angie Stone's I Wish as Lois drove home from work and encountered a homeless man talking about the world ending.

- Chronology: Given the reason why Marshall's in a coma, this is a post COVID middle America.

While this show definitely has the gore factor of a certain show it's trying to fill the void, its definitely more hard boiled than that. Its a good Pilot episode, setting up a decent mystery with a flawed but engaging enough lead. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

The Future Of Ryan Murphy Shows

I've been wanting to do this particular blog for a while now and with the increased amount of shows that Ryan Murphy is involved in, here's a rundown of what to expect.

911: Season 8 of the long running firefighter show will return to ABC from September 26th and will be paired with another Ryan Murphy production, making Thursday nights a Murphy double bill. Expect more of Buck/Tommy and maybe Eddie, lol.

911: Lone Star: Season 5 of the hit show got delayed and pushed to the Fall on FOX. The date has yet to be officially confirmed but there are rumours that this might be the final season for the popular spin off series. Season 4 ended with TK and Carlos tying the knot.

All's Fair: Kim Kardashian clearly enjoyed working with Ryan Murphy and vice versa because now they're working on an all female led law firm drama for Hulu. The better part though would be Jon Robin Baitz executive producing this and the castings of Glenn Close and Halle Berry. Expect this to debut in 2025 with filming due to start shortly.

American Horror Stories: Last October, FX on Hulu premiered the first four episodes of the third season as part of their Huluween event. Expect the remaining five episodes in October with leprechauns, clones, things under the bed, werewolves and the backrooms being the order of the day.

American Horror Story: It's been three months since the second half of Delicate wrapped but there's been no word on Season 13 as of yet. My guess is that it's been pushed to 2025 and FX have yet to officially decide whether it'll be the final season or not. I'm sure we'll know in due course the fate of this long running series.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez: Ryan Murphy just loves his anthology shows and this is another one for FX. Airing with a double bill from September 17th, the show will delve into the rise and fall of disgraced NFL player Aaron Hernandez. Josh Andres Rivera will play Hernandez with the cast also including Patrick Schwarzenegger, Jake Cannavale, Lindsay Mendez and Tony Yazbeck to name a few.

Doctor Odyssey: If you wanted a show that looked like Grey's Anatomy met 911, then this series might be for you. The cast includes Joshua Jackson, Sean Teale, Philippa Soo, Don Johnson and Callum Swan. The premise being on a cruise liner does have a lot of potential and I don't doubt it'll put the naughty in nautical as well. Premieres September 26th on ABC.

Grotesquerie: Potentially filling the void for American Horror Story and even American Crime Story, this upcoming detective horror show rounded out its cast with Niecy Nash, Leslie Manville and Courtney B. Vance. It's also added both Travis Kelce and Nicholas Alexander Chavez to the cast. An airdate for FX has yet to be confirmed but expect it late 2024.

Mid-Century Modern: Of all the upcoming shows, this might be the one I'm the least excited for. It's also potentially not going to happen as only a pilot episode has been commissioned for Hulu so far. Basically, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane and Linda Lavin are in a Golden Girls knock off, playing variations of Rose, Dorothy and Sophia. There's also a role for a hot pool boy that's yet to be cast. I'd be shocked if this gets picked up as a series. 

Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story: The follow up from the successful Dahmer series has both Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez playing the Menendez brothers as well as Chloe Sevigny and Javier Bardem as their parents. The series will premiere on Netflix in late 2024.

I'll catch up with most of not all these shows over the next year. Some I'm looking forward to more than others.