His accomplishments are nothing to sniff at, and I have enjoyed many projects for as long as I can remember.

The WB series Popular may or may not have had tween me in a chokehold, Pose is a compelling masterpiece, and Glee is a cultural phenomenon imprinted in my brain eternally.

The 9-1-1 franchise is near and dear to me and is pure entertainment and fun.

The man can and does deliver; I can’t knock him for that.

Ryan Murphy Has the Midas Touch

He has the Midas Touch in television, with most of his projects turning to gold — Emmy gold, garnering critical acclaim and renewals, catapulting stars to more acclaim, and developing cult followings.

And there’s nothing wrong with that in the sense that success in this fickle industry is hard to come by.

But monopolies make that infinitely more challenging.

And Ryan Murphy is a certifiable monopoly at this point.

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The man cannot be stopped, but maybe he should be, or just be restrained a little.

Focusing more on the quality of content rather than quantity is important.

However, his game is all about how many projects he can churn out rather than if any of them can be good or have lasting power.

Ryan Murphy Premieres Six Series in Two Weeks

Another quality of Ryan Murphy’s series is that a good chunk of them run out of steam at some point in their tenure. They linger just a little too long or go too far off base.

As we settle into the Fall schedule, it’s mystifying to realize that Murphy had SIX series premiering within a week and a half across two streamers and two networks.

September saw the premieres of Netflix’s controversial Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Hulu’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, Grotesquerie, Doctor Odyssey, 9-1-1, and 9-1-1: Lone Star.

And in October?

While the above will continue racking up views and ratings, American Horror Stories will drop.

Meanwhile, he’ll work on All’s Fair and gearing up for the recently greenlit and star-studded The Beauty and American Love Story.

There’s no end to those American Stories, after all.

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9-1-1 Franchise is Expanding

And despite the frustrating cancelation of 9-1-1: Lone Star, Murphy will get to start from scratch with a whole new spinoff, taking place goodness knows where adding to the massively successful 9-1-1 franchise.

I’m not even complaining about that. I already had 9-1-1 Spinoffs in mind myself, and 9-1-1: Lone Star’s showrunner‘s enthusiasm and hope over continuing stories via a spinoff was infectious.

But when it comes to this endless stream of projects all across the map pelting us at every conceivable turn, it’s a lot, okay?

What’s the saying? “Just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should.”

No one is knocking the glitz and glam of Murphy series dramas riddled with sex, pretty people, homoeroticism, and an endearing penchant for absurdity.

Are Murphy’s Signature Stylistic Choices and Themes Wearing Thin?

Murphy’s horror and genre work is particularly noteworthy, and he should focus on it most since he does it so well.

While often massively successful, the salacious true crime adaptations and iterations are not without controversy.

His propensity for the aforementioned homoeroticism and sexuality he infuses in literally anyone’s story or choice to lean into whatever brings great drama rather than sticking close to the truth can be offputting, insensitive, or any combination of the two depending on whose story he’s telling.

But Murphy is oversaturating the market with way too many series at once, and at this point, it doesn’t even feel like it’s about creative storytelling anymore.

Murphy’s Work Brings Up Some of Television’s Biggest Criticisms

The TV series often uphold some of the exact same things that negatively impact television as we know it these days:

• The unethical practices and exploitation of an overrun true crime market
• The unoriginality and laziness of franchise work
• The lack of star-making rather than star-stacking

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No amount of Emmys, fantastic performances, and critical acclaim can make up for the exploitation of true crime stories in sensationalized versions of traumatic stories in which victims or their families are left reeling.

And while franchise building has its merits, and even I won’t turn my nose up at another 9-1-1 in some capacity, it’s equally alarming to see the lack of original stories in favor of chasing what has become the status quo.

Is There Such Thing as “Too Much of a Good Thing?”

Do you know how many interesting potential series the “powers that be” abandon on the pitch floor or pass on lesser established or up-and-coming creatives in favor of the economic decision of greenlighting a “sure thing?” Too many.

And while it’s always delightful to see a talent like Evan Peters booked and busy, wouldn’t it be nice to see him in anything outside of a Ryan Murphy production?

He was great in Mare of Easttown, by the way!

Niecey Nash will never say no to Murphy, and understandably so, but what if she did sometimes?

Also, the sheer stunt-casting for every project, whether it’s Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian or freaking Travis Kelce, screams capitalizing off of pop culture and popularity to such a point where the cast members outshine whatever the project and story is.

Ryan Murphy, when he stays in his lane, is a capable creative who delivers juggernaut series.

But much like Tyler Perry, another creative who oversaturates and is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of his work to the point of impacting quality, maybe Ryan Murphy should chill for a bit.

He may not be tired, but I sure am. Give me a chance to miss you, sir.

Over to you, TV Fanatics.

The post Ryan Murphy Isn’t Tired Yet, But I Am appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Hulu announced Wednesday that a four-episode special of the anthology series will be available for screaming, er, streaming on Thursday, October 26, 2023.

Details about the next four episodes are being kept under wraps, which is nothing new with this franchise.

Secrecy appears to be the key to success.

We do know that Lisa Rinna will appear in an episode, but beyond that, there are no details.

By the time the series returns in October, it will have been off the air for over a year.

There will be a lot of excitement if the show continues moving in the right direction.

The sophomore run improved on the freshman in every area, delivering thrills, chills, and some compelling standalone episodes.

There were obviously some connections to the broader AHS universe, and we hope that continues with the third season.

If you're a fan of the main series but haven't tried out the spinoff yet, some of the episodes are fantastic.

While I wasn't a fan of every episode, there is something for everyone.

Meanwhile, American Horror Story Season 12 is premiering Wednesday, September 20, on FX.

The series will air in two halves, with production halting in July due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

The cast is set to include franchise veteran Emma Roberts and franchise newbies Cara Delevigne, Kim Kardashian, and Matt Czuchry.

The new season is also adapted from Danielle Valentine's novel Delicate Condition.

Described as "the feminist update to Rosemary's Baby we all needed," the novel tells the story of a woman who "becomes convinced that a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens."

What are your thoughts on the premiere date for American Horror Stories?

Are you excited about the four-episode event?

Hit the comments.

Love Is In The Air For These TV Couples

Open List

The post American Horror Stories Season 3 Premiere Date Revealed appeared first on TV Fanatic.

That's right, the horror anthology returns on July 21 with a new wave of horrors, including some freaky dolls.

Cody Fern, Max Greenfield, Nico Greetham, Denis O’Hare, and Gabourey Sidibe have all officially been confirmed.

The five names above are franchise veterans.

It's always good to bring cast members back in new roles, right?

Dominique Jackson, Judith Light, Alicia Silverstone, Bella Thorne, and Quvenzhané Wallis are the newcomers for the sophomore season of the series.

American Horror Stories is a spin-off of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s award-winning hit anthology series American Horror Story.

American Horror Stories is a weekly anthology series that will feature a different horror story each episode.

The franchise has been around since 2011, and has featured a creepy asylum, a coven of witches, a traveling freak show, a haunted hotel, and the apocalypse itself.

The series is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, John J. Gray, and Manny Coto.

The official trailer gives us a glimpse of all the characters in action, but there's still a lack of context when it comes to the stories.

It looks like O'Hare is playing someone who likes to dress humans as dolls.

How very Pretty Little Liars, right?

Then again, the dolls were hardly scary on that show.

Here, they look scary, and that's half the battle.

The episodic anthology didn't work very well for American Horror Stories Season 1, with three episodes set at Murder House.

The test for the second season will be in whether it can tell satisfying "stories" throughout.

The good news is that the stories seem to be worlds away from the original series.

Adding in returning characters or locations is tough because fans will constantly compare the two.

Check out the new trailer below and hit the comments with your thoughts.

The post American Horror Stories Casts Alicia Silverstone, Bella Thorne, and Damn Scary Dolls appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Seeing themselves represented anywhere (especially mainstream media) usually changes lives.

Below, we compiled a list of some of the best LGBTQ+ representations on TV this past year.

These items are in no particular order!

Make sure to comment below to add your input!

The Morning Show

Bradley and Laura's LGBT subplot was legit and believable. Granted, the idea that unmarried people being outed in the press would constitute a scandal or a story that could be used for leverage is so 2013. That aspect was forced, for sure.

The amusing and ironic part of the Bradley/Laura thing, though, is Laura trying to convince Bradley to use her identity politics to get ahead in her career.

I don't imagine Apple+ planned that irony, but it wasn't lost on us. And the relationship between the two ended up being very sweet and hopeful.

Chucky

It's no secret that the Chucky franchise has always been pro-queer, and luckily the series matches the original films' level.

Jake and Devon's teen romance is a bit cheesy amidst the splatter, but that's part of why the splatter is so effective.

But the queerness of the characters seems to be reflective of how far we've come (in reality, not television) when it comes to acceptance and lack of stigmatic shame while growing up.

It's a fascinating time to have such acceptance grow in the last few years, and now we start to see the result in shows like Chucky.

4400

4400 not only features multiple trans and lesbian characters but treats them with care and dignity — and even gives some of the superpowers!

It helps that many of 4400's actors and writers are LGBTQ+.

Shows like 4400 are doing the work to present LGBTQ+ stories and let them take charge of their narrative.

Y: The Last Man

The original Y: The Last Man comic book series was reductive at best regarding gender.

When it came to adapting it for a more modern, inclusive landscape, showrunner Eliza Clark made the point that gender and sex are both part of vast spectrums that chromosomes cannot define.

By adding Sam (Elliot Fletcher), a transman out of place in a world of primarily ciswomen, Y: The Last Man highlighted a perspective that has been largely absent from the post-apocalypse genre.

Dafne and The Rest

The group of LGBTQ friends' intertwined relationships is delightful and believable.

Maybe the success is owed to casting real-life friends in the roles.

Though fictional, showrunner Abril Zamora taps into authentic experiences to deliver the aftermath of reassignment surgery and the fallout of her former gay male relationship.

It's A Sin

It's A Sin is an emotionally touching and powerful limited series. Focusing on the HIV/Aids crisis in the UK in the 80s, the series gives a deeper look into how a group of friends (and the community) were dealing with the rising epidemic.

Ritchie (played by Years and Years' Olly Alexander) and his friends are all well-written characters, each with their wants and needs trying to live their lives and their varying stances of the epidemic through an '80s lens.

This is a great limited series about LGBTQIA+ characters and a moment of history told in an impactful way.

Wynonna Earp

Nicole and Waverly are the perfect couples, and their relationship brought tears to our eyes with how great the representation was.

Jeremy's side wasn't all happy, as Earp's final season had Jeremy deal with his boyfriend forgetting everything and everyone.

Robin and Jeremy were such a cute couple, and seeing Jeremy's emotional struggle brought tears to our eyes (but this time, sad tears).

But watching such a powerful Lesbian couple on screen was a fantastic privilege, and we have Earp to thank for that!

Station 19

Station 19 has a handful of queer characters, three of the primary ones with well-rounded storylines about but never limited to their sexuality.

Maya's arc as a woman learning to overcome an abusive childhood is compelling, and she finds solace within her relationship and now marriage with Carina. Carina found real love with Maya, and now the two are the marriage goals and most solid, stable, healthiest romantic relationship of the series.

Travis' journey with happily living within his sexuality is a testament to how non-linear that journey can be, especially when unpacking things like his parents' slow acceptance and his father's journey toward coming out of the closet.

The characters are out and proud but never reduced to their sexuality or tokenized, and it's refreshing.

The Big Leap

Justin and Simon are at the forefront of the LGBTQIA representation on The Big Leap, whose love story was one of the most engaging arcs on the series as the series deftly touched on some of the cultural components of sexuality and toxic masculinity with Justin's respective journey toward embracing his sexuality.

The series not only explored Justin's internalized homophobia but astutely delved into femmephobia.

But never once was any of this preachy, and overall, the dance show had a plethora of queer characters from Wayne, to Monica, and Travell and Ladon, and all with different journeys and arcs in an environment where they could fully be themselves freely and authentically without it ever being a huge deal.

Pose

The groundbreaking series is historical in its storytelling and progressive exploration of LGBTQ+ issues and lifestyles.

The series even led to MJ Rodriguez's historic Emmy nomination in the Leading Actress role.

The unflinching look into the ballroom scene and the HIV epidemic that ravaged a community in the 80s and 90's, showing the loss, love, wins, trials, family, and friendship, and all-around life of multi-faceted LGBTQ+ characters with nuance, make Pose one of the best series of all time.

Good Trouble

Naturally, the spinoff from The Fosters would excel with its queer characters and their respective journeys throughout the show.

Gael's ongoing arc with maintaining a relationship with his conservative, Catholic family while demanding they respect him as a bisexual man is often where he shines.

He finds support in his transgender sister, Jasmine, who faces her rocky journey with their parents.

Alice deals with love triangles, her aspiring career as a comedienne, a Korean family who is clumsy in supporting their gay daughter, and Malika's sexual fluidity. At the same time, she tries to make sense of a poly lifestyle, which is deeply integrated into the series.

9-1-1 Franchise

While many other series (like 9-1-1, 9-1-1:Lonestar, to name a few) also have great representation, we wanted to highlight some of our favorites.

This is not to take away from any other LGTBQIA+ representation on other shows!

However, we would like to point out that shows like American Horror Story, and its counterpart American Horror Stories, need to work on making their representation more respectful and inclusive.

Making LGBTQIA+ characters respectable and natural isn't hard to do, and we hope that other shows can match the ones we mentioned in our list!

American Horror Story Franchise

Unfortunately, all representation isn't good, and the American Horror Story franchise can't seem to get it right.

In a TV World where LGBTQ+ characters are growing ubiquitous, so many shows are throwing them everywhere, whether helpful for the plot or not. American Horror Stories, the new anthology spinoff of American Horror Story, pretty much overbalanced gay characters to a distracting extent.

If the series were titled Gay Horror Stories, the oversaturation would be justified. But as it stands now, several episodes are predominantly gay-centric and imply gay people have it really frickin' easy when it comes to finding love.

It is not easy, though, and community members often have to rely on hookup apps and/or the ever-diminishing gay bar to even meet singles (or those pretending to be single).

Some may argue it should be easy in the real world, or that the method presented in the series is one of hope, or that a fictional program ought not concern itself with reality.

But when TV World authoritarians decide programming needs to reflect real life ratios of the "marginalized," over-presenting them is neither helpful nor accurate. It's farcical.

Similar to American Horror Stories, American Horror Story: Double Feature fell into the same problems that many Ryan Murphy series have experienced with its LGBTQIA+ representation.

In this case, it's the over-sexualizing of its characters and how it references the community. It's a harmful stereotype in the TV/film landscape to generalize the community as only being about sex.

Granted, some history and areas are about sex (as with other communities), but a generalization shouldn't give AHS a pass to make their LGBTQIA+ representation as being mostly sexual.

It would be nice for the characters to be layered instead of being the vehicle (usually a twentysomething attractive man) to talk about sex moves and kinks, having sex, and history/town facts about having sex.

Can you think of any other shows/examples that should make our list?

Let us know in the comments below!

The post The Best and Worst LGBTQIA+ Representation on TV in 2021 appeared first on TV Fanatic.

American Horror Stories Season 1 Episode 7 would have been the perfect end for the house that has stalked our dreams since American Horror Story Season 1 Episode 1.

We had a convincing new story, the return of some fan-favorites, and a fiery conclusion that would have worked as a way to end the house's reign of terror for good.

The last-minute switcheroo to reveal that everything that happened was all part of version 2 of Michelle's videogame took me by surprise. However, it also suggested that Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk want the Murder House to still be alive in the franchise.

The fundamental issue with American Horror Stories Season 1 is that the series started as a pale imitation of the original season. It excelled when it branched out to more original stories.

What's even more concerning is that the franchise seems more interested in retconning previous events, making everything seem constructed purely for drama with no real consequences for any of the characters.

The meta moments were fun because following Connie and Dylan into the house as American Horror Story superfans was a different approach, as were Connie's comments about Sarah Paulson hating on Roanoake.

For such a socially aware season-ender, it was a copout to render all events false. Remember when all those big events on American Horror Story Apocalypse were ruined because of the time travel?

This felt eerily similar in ways that were simply not exciting. The concept was great, and the wider issue with American Horror Stories is in the execution of these stories.

Connie and Adam as the first kills worked well, as did the returns of AHS favorites like Addie and Ben, but I knew something was up the moment Twisty the Clown appeared.

How is it possible to have this villain back in the mix in the house where it all started?

Michelle constructing a videogame as a means to connect with her son was a bit farfetched, but at least she wanted to honor the series's legacy.

Why would you want to make this experience only feel like the terrible first two episodes of the spinoff?

Rory setting off on a mission to burn down the house was another exciting development, and it was perfectly plausible that half of the ghosts wanted the house to be gone.

You can only spend so much time in the one place before it becomes monotonous, and Ben Harmon had been in the house too long. He was ready to pass over, but people like Ruby were more concerned about killing every single freaking Halloween.

Scarlett wanting to preserve the sight in some capacity made sense. Her fathers and the love of her life were ghosts, so of course, she would want to want to find a way to get close to it.

The idea of creating apartments on the ashes of the Murder House could have made for an exciting story down the line, but giving the ghosts the option to choose peace or not was a compelling development.

Knowing that everyone bar Ruby chose to pass on was a big development, but it also showed that she held on, waiting in case she could meet with Scarlett again.

Even though their love story seems forced, the fact that they found their way back to each other seemed more like a message that love is timeless.

Now that we know the Murder House is still alive and kicking, the series needs to move on. Let it remain dormant because it will continue to get new owners who the ghosts will kill.

For such a big house, it probably felt small because of all the people roaming the walls. Leaving the house burnt to a crisp would have been a better development because the sense of finality was needed to end this arc.

Hopefully, the renewal for AHS Season will allow the show to come into its own without relying on the stories already been told. The show really has messed up some of the best plots from the original series, and it's not OK.

Original horrors, such as the missing kid in the woods and the totems, were some of the strongest.

Okay, American Horror Stories fans!

What are your thoughts on how the show burned Murder House to the ground, only to rewrite history?

Are you tired of the constant visits to the place where it all began?

Hit the comments.

AHS returns in 2022 to FX on Hulu.

The post American Horror Stories Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Game Over appeared first on TV Fanatic.

They say they watched the show but they are quickly picked off by everyone.

It turns out, it's all a simulation and they are in trouble.

A mother and son bond over her trying to build the game, but their relationship breaks down.

The son goes to stay with his dad as the mom buys murder house to get the vibe right.

She goes to stay there and Ben Harmon tries to save her.

She's killed, but one year later she finds her son. He hates her and says that he'll be burning the house down.

He does burn the house down and all the ghosts seemingly go away.

Things take a turn when Scarlett arrives at luxury accommodation and buys it. It's the last building at the old Murder House.

When she tries to bond with Ruby, she says all the other ghosts have passed on to somewhere else. They chose peace.

The simulation ends again. This was all a game and Michelle has it all figured out. Even Rory is happy about everything that happened in the game.

Was any of this real or was it all a ruse?

The post American Horror Stories Season 1 Episode 7 Recap: Game Over appeared first on TV Fanatic.

And it will also end there.

Ryan Murphy confirmed the cast for American Horror Stories Season 1 Episode 7 — the season finale — on Tuesday, and this trip to the Murder House will include some familiar faces.

Dylan McDermott and Jamie Brewer are reprising their roles as Dr. Ben Harmon and Adelaide “Addie” Langdon, respectively.

This marks the first time Brewer has played the character since the freshman season.

McDermott played Ben back in an episode of AHS: Apocalypse in 2018, but still, it's nice to know some of these characters are coming back.

Part of the issue with the first two episodes of the series was that none of the Murder House ghosts made an appearance, rendering the episodes to be a bit too farfetched.

Reprising their roles from earlier in the season are Merrin Dungey as Dr. Andi Grant, Sierra McCormick as Scarlett, Paris Jackson as Maya, Kaia Gerber as Ruby, Ashley Martin Carter as Rowena, Selena Sloan as Erin, and Valerie Loo as Nicole.

Noah Cyrus will make her AHS debut as Connie, alongside Mercedes Mason as Michelle, Nicolas Bechtel as Rory, Adam Hagenbuch as Dylan, and Tom Lenk as Tim the Agent.

"A couple dares to spend a night in one of the most infamous haunted houses," reads the logline.

American Horror Stories launched as the most-watched FX on Hulu bow, and the series landed a renewal last week.

American Horror Stories is a weekly anthology series featuring a different horror story in each episode.

American Horror Stories is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, John J. Gray, and Manny Coto. American Horror Stories is produced by 20th Television.

FX has a summer of Horror planned, with the return of American Horror Story next week, which will bring back franchise favorites for a milestone season.

Your thoughts on these big returns?

Hit the comments below.

Catch the finale on Thursdays.

The post American Horror Stories Finale: Which Murder House Stars Are Returning? appeared first on TV Fanatic.

We'll start with Retreat, a new limited series from Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij that follows an amateur sleuth as she attempts to solve a murder at a secluded retreat, it was announced today by Gina Balian, President, Original Programming.

Marling (The OA, Another Earth) and Zal Batmanglij (The OA, Sound of My Voice) will write the series and both will direct.

Marling will also be seen on-screen as she is set to play a pivital role on the series. 

Retreat is executive produced by Marling, Batmanglij and Andrea Sperling (Transparent).

“Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij have delivered a suspenseful story that updates the classic mystery genre with a bold new character for our times," said Balian.

“We are thrilled that Brit and Zal and the rest of the creative team will bring this series to life with their unique points of view and care."

Retreat is a mystery series with a new kind of detective at the helm — a gen Z amateur sleuth named Darby Hart. Darby and 11 other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire to participate in a Retreat at a remote and dazzling location.

When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must fight to prove it was murder against a tide of competing interests and before the killer takes another life.

On the renewal front, the cabler has ordered additional seasons of both American Horror Stories and What We Do in the Shadows.

Currently riding high in its debut on FX on Hulu, American Horror Stories will return with a second installment of the weekly anthology series.

American Horror Stories, a spin-off of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s award-winning anthology series American Horror Story, debuted last month with the most successful launch of any FX on Hulu series to date.

American Horror Stories will conclude its first installment on Thursday, August 19th, and return in 2022.

Ahead of its highly-anticipated third season premiere, What We Do in the Shadows has been renewed for a fourth season on FX.

The fourth season of the hit comedy series will debut in 2022.

“Fans can’t seem to get enough of What We Do in the Shadows and FX is ready to feed that appetite by setting up the series for a fourth season,” said Nick Grad.

“Our thanks to the extraordinary job by the creative team, cast and crew who keep making a great show better each season.”

FX today also released the official trailer.

What We Do in the Shadows, based on the feature film by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, documents the nightly exploits of vampire roommates Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) as they navigate the modern world of Staten Island with the help of their human familiar, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén).

Executive Producers include Clement, Waititi, Paul Simms, Stefani Robinson, Sam Johnson, Garrett Basch and Eli Bush. What We Do in the Shadows is produced by FX Productions.

Through its first two seasons, What We do in the Shadows has received 10 Emmy® Award nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, a Critics’ Choice nomination for Best Comedy Series, and a Critics’ Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series for Natasia Demetriou.

The third season of What We Do in the Shadows begins with the first two of the season’s 10 episodes on Thursday, September 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX and streaming the next day on FX on Hulu:

The post FX at TCA: Two Renewals & New Limited Series from The OA Creators! appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The cabler on Friday announced it had picked up American Sports Story and American Love Story, two anthology series from Murphy and Brad Falchuk.

American Sports Story is a scripted anthological limited series focusing on a prominent event involving a sports figure and re-examines it through the prism of today’s world, telling that story from multiple perspectives.

Written by Stu Zicherman (The Americans), the untitled first installment is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc from the Boston Globe and Wondery.

"The limited series charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez and explores the connections of the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide, and their legacy in sports and American culture," according to the logline. 

Hernandez was convicted of murder in 2015 and died of suicide by 2017.

Stu Zicherman executive produces with Murphy, Jacobson, Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, and Falchuk.

Hernan Lopez and Marshall Lewy of Wondery (Dr. Death) executive produce alongside Linda Pizutti Henry and Ira Napoliello of The Boston Globe.

American Love Story is a scripted anthology series of sweeping true love stories that captured the world’s attention.

The first installment depicts the whirlwind courtship and marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. What started out as a beautiful union for the young couple, widely regarded as American royalty, began to fray under the stress of the relentless microscope and navel gaze of tabloid media.

The pressures of their careers and rumored family discord ended with their tragic deaths when his private plane crashed into the ocean on a hazy summer night off the coast of Massachusetts. Murphy, Falchuk, Jacobson, Simpson, and Woodall are executive producers.

“When Ryan Murphy came to us with these two spinoffs and the stories for American Sports Story and American Love Story, we immediately jumped at the opportunity,” said FX chairman John Landgraf.

“What began with American Horror Story has spawned some of the best and most indelible programs of our generation, most notably American Crime Story which created a beautiful partnership between Ryan, Brad, Nina [Jacobson] and Brad [Simpson]."

"Their alchemy and the way in which they construct these stories is done with such care, such clarity and such dimensionality that creates the magnificence that is The People v. O.J. Simpson, The Assassination of Gianni Versace and Impeachment. We can’t wait to see what comes next.”

Your thoughts on this expansion?

Hit the comments.

The post FX Expands American Horror Story/American Crime Story Franchise With Sports & Love Themed Spinoffs appeared first on TV Fanatic.

American Horror Stories Season 1 Episode 6 was a trip to the woods like no other, and it was another solid episode of this anthology series.

Aaron Tveit got a much bigger role to sink his teeth into this time, instead of the one-note builder from earlier on American Horror Stories Season 1.

Tveit turned in a convincing performance as Jay, a man who lost his son in the woods.

The concept of losing a kid in a place where many people have gone missing before might not be that cutting edge, but the emotional ramifications on the parents in the aftermath were worth watching.

As expected, Jay and Addy's marriage imploded, and it seems they were subject to a trial by the media because their lives were changed forever.

How do you move on from your kid going missing with no conclusive answer about what happened?

People had their theories, and while Addy had slowly lost hope of getting an answer over the years, Jay still held out hope that there would be some resolution.

Birch's arrival with all of the details seemed like the first solid insight into what really happened, and it's hard to blame Jay for turning to Addy for assistance.

Despite them drifting apart, they had a vested interest in learning the truth. There was clearly still much love between them, but I was mildly surprised Jay called time on the marriage.

People would indeed point fingers at him, always questioning what truly happened that day due to him taking Jacob away from the campsite.

Birch being a conman did cross my mind, but he played the part very well. It was so freaking obvious the dead body next to him was going to munch on his throat the moment he cocked the gun, but still, it was a deserved death, nonetheless.

How did Birch expect to get away with allowing Jay and Addy to be killed? They were both probably well-known in the area, so going missing would probably get a lot of media attention.

Birch's plan wasn't very well-thought-out, but he urgently needed money and took hard and swift action to get it.

RIP, dude.

Cody Fern is probably one of the most charismatic actors out there, but the second half of the episode was too chatty for my liking. Instead of Stan recounting the events, he, Jay, and Addy should have been relentlessly pursued.

It was unfortunate that the writer of the episode opted to have one character telling the story. It was far too chatty and took away from the overall structure of the episode.

The turning point was Birch's henchmen being, well, dead, and it should have given the story a jolt in the right direction.

The way Stan told the story was also very suspicious. Why would he want to tell the couple the truth, only to say he'd deny it if they ever went to the media with it?

As farfetched as the story was, it was the show's way of taking a jab at capitalism, and it didn't land very well.

The beast hiding in the ceiling was pretty scary, however. The moment it lunged at Stan, it was obvious we were going to be treated to some good old-fashioned horror.

The makeup on the creatures was decent, and while the end was intriguing, it ended at the wrong time.

Jay and Addy being reunited with their son, only to learn that he's grown up feral and was the leader of these cannibalistic creatures, was decent, but there should have been more payoff than what we got.

The only chilling part of the conclusion is that Jay and Addy thought they were safe because their son wouldn't hurt him, would he?

The final visual of them being eaten for "dinner" was something, but given the plot's potential, it was a lackluster conclusion.

This is the first story that would have benefited from multiple episodes. Interesting concepts were brought up, but it was put together with a rushed second half that it deviated from the horror.

"Feral" was decent, but it felt like a 90-minute movie, with the first act and the final few minutes of the third for lack of better judgment.

Over to you, AHS fans.

What did you think of the execution? Do you think it would have benefited from some more time?

Hit the comments below.

American Horror Stories Season 1 concludes Wednesday, August 19.

The post American Horror Stories Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Feral appeared first on TV Fanatic.