Ryan Murphy - The Twisted Mind of a Pure Genius

From the very first show I watched of Ryan Murphy’s I knew that I was always going to be surprised by what I was going to see. There was no predicting or imagining what Murphy would come up with next. Murphy as you will see throughout this article, is always pushing the boundaries of what is considered the normal. My first experience was with Nip/Tuck, a show that Murphy created in 2003.

************************************Spoilers follow for most of Ryan Murphy’s shows************************************

For me, Nip/Tuck, was this bizarre risqué show that I surprisingly enjoyed and wondered what was going to happen next. This is because Murphy and his team of writers thought outside of the box with storylines. From Matt trying to give himself a circumcision, to Sean’s babysitter storyline wrapping up with a run in with a bus. How could you forget Christian Troy’s (Julian McMahon) and Kimber’s (Kelly Carlson) love-hate relationship that ended with her being thrust off a building. I could go on so much more about this show, but Nip/Tuck was just the beginning of Murphy’s illustrious career.

Glee was Murphy’s next endeavour. From the moment I watched the trailer my thought was how could this be from the same mind that brought as Nip/Tuck. Murphy combined drama and music in a way that had never been done before. All the songs in each episode were choreographed to perfection and the storyline’s and characters always fit in with the music. The issues raised ranged from bullying that shows like 13 Reasons Why tackle today, to trying to fit in and being the best person you can be.

Glee ran for six seasons and pretty much came to an end because of the tragic death of one of its main stars Cory Monteith who played Finn. In amongst Glee there was also The Glee Project where the winner would win some guest episodes on Glee. The most memorable winner over the two seasons was Blake Jenner who has gone to star in Supergirl and What/If. While Glee was airing, Murphy was also working on The New Normal and a show that is still going to this day, American Horror Story or AHS, which I’ll be talking about later in detail.

The New Normal, which unfortunately only ran for one season, was an expose on Murphy’s real life. Although it didn’t get much of a go it did launch some of the unknown actors into their careers. Justin Bartha who later appeared on The Good Fight and Bebe Wood who appeared on The Real O’Neals. Who could forget Ellen Barkin as a racist and homophobic grandmother who then went onto star as matriarch Smurf on Animal Kingdom. I think with a show like Modern Family on the air it didn’t leave any room in the market for a show like The New Normal. This was followed by Scream Queens which hosted the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis (NCIS, New Girl). I think it was aiming to be a more tamer version of AHS but the cheesiness and lack of viewership meant it only lasted for two seasons.

American Crime Story came in 2016 and this was to be Murphy’s greatest endeavour at the time. Although not created by Murphy, he still was executive producer and director. The amount of detail that needed to be done, from the music to the outfits, everything had to be perfect. This is because the first season was based on the O.J. Simpson trial that so many people remembered and it needed to be accurate. The comparisons to the actors and the real life people they played was uncanny.

Probably the biggest star in Murphy’s repertoire, Sarah Paulson, who played a part in most of Murphy’s shows, played Marcia Clark in The People Vs O.J Simpson. Paulson at the same time was filming scenes for the latest season of American Horror Story. At the time she would have been one of the most hard working women in Hollywood.

This was followed up by the Assassination of Versace in 2018, which again was a masterpiece especially the 80’s soundtrack in the background of the more memorable moments. Murphy is a master for choosing the right music for the right moment. The next season of American Horror Story is due out next year and will be about the impeachment of Bill Clinton and I can only imagine how good it’s going to be. Now in between the two seasons of American Crime Story, Murphy worked on another anthology series called Feud.

The first season was about the rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. These two iconic roles were masterfully played by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange respectively. The level of detail that went into this show was on par with American Crime Story and the supporting cast included Alfred Molina, Stanley Tucci and Alison Wright. Murphy has said that he would like to do further seasons of Feud so one can only hope. Next we come up to 2018, probably Murphy’s busiest year.

First up was 9-1-1 in early 2018. From first glance it looked like one of the Chicago series or any of the many emergency shows. From the pilot episode, you knew it was going to have Murphy’s unique spin on it. Boasting the likes of Peter Krause (The Catch, Parenthood, Six Feet Under) and Connie Britton (Nashville, Friday Night Lights), the show was different to any emergency show out at the time.

From cases like a snake owner attempting to be constricted to death to someone being found alive in a morgue. Season 2 involved an earthquake which pushed the boundaries of what is considered normal for a show in its genre. Season 3 looks to be opening with a huge tsunami or tidal wave, which on top of the day to day problems that emergency service workers deal with, is just the type of thing you would expect from Ryan Murphy.

In mid 2018 came Murphy’s most ambitious show to date, Pose. From the soundtrack to the largest main cast of transgender actors to ever front a television show. The storyline’s are so hard hitting and Billy Porter steals the show as Pray Tell. Pray Tell is the judge and the voice of the ballroom culture scene, which is the main element throughout Pose. The standout actors of Pose include Mj Rodriquez as Blanca, Dominique Jackson as Elektra , Indya Moore as Angel, Hailie Sahar as Lulu and Angelica Ross as Candy.

Where Season One was about establishing the characters and showing you the world that they inhabit, Season 2 is about the AIDS epidemic in the LGBTQ community. Season 2 is set in the early 90’s during the start of Vogue, but the element of everyone contracting AIDS is so prominent in this season. There seems to be a funeral almost ever episode, and it just shows you just how much AIDS affected their lives. Murphy has strong views on this issue as seen in his movie The Normal Heart.

This year Murphy will have his first Netflix show, The Politician, after signing a multi year deal with Netflix. Murphy has several more shows in the works for Netflix. One is Ratched, about the main antagonist from One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest and her origin story. The other is Hollywood, which looks to have an all star cast including Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men, Mr Mercedes) and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon). Everybody just wants to work with Murphy. Before I wrap this up, I would be remiss in not elaborating on Murphy’s longest running show, American Horror Story.

American Horror Story, is one of the first true horror anthology series. The first season was subtitled Murder House and began the story from the intro to the gory scenes and the alumni of cast that popped up not only in further seasons of American Horror Story but Murphy’s other shows. This show was brilliant in utilizing the talents of its actors because in each season the actors would play a different character. Sarah Paulson shines in every season she’s in, even if it’s not a leading role. Jessica Lange shows her acting chops whether it be as Constance Langdon in Murder House, Sister Jude Martin in Asylum, Fiona Goode in Coven or as Elsa Mars in Freakshow. Freakshow introduced us to the scariest clown ever conceived played by John Carroll Lynch, Twisty the Clown, is sure to scare the bejeebies out of even the most hardcore horror fan.

Personally the first four seasons were the absolute best of American Horror Story, not because Lange was in it but story wise they made sense. With Hotel, Lady Gaga had her first major television debut, in her role as The Countess. The story just felt dragged out and the cast wasn’t utilized as it should have been. With the consequent seasons of Roanoake and Cult the show seemed be on its last legs. With a re-enactment style show and a Blair Witch style it seemed like no one behind the scenes was trying. Then Murphy must have felt the show declining and revitalized the crew for the next season. Season 8 was a real wake up call for the series and the smart decision was made to focus on the story and tie it in with the other seasons.

Actors playing multiple different roles in Apocalypse was just what the show needed. The tie ins with Murder House, Hotel and Coven in Apocalypse brought the series back to its roots. Hardcore fans like myself were happy that American Horror Story hadn’t completely lost it’s way and can’t wait for what the new season will bring. Speaking of the new season, it starts this week and is subtitled 1984. I’m excited because with Murphy at the helm, this season will not only bring the music of the 80’s but the slasher horror that was prominent in this time period.

Ryan Murphy is in my opinion, the best person for television in the world. He might have had some stumbles, but he’s had more high than lows. Always continuing to be an innovator in everything that he does, I can see Murphy being on top of his game for many more years to come. Hopefully you’ve learned something in this article and if not you’ve had a good read.

Do you agree with my view on Ryan Murphy ?!? Are you as big of a fan as I am of Murphy ?!? Are you looking forward to the new season of AHS ?!? Feel free to discuss in the comments.