When it comes to television, Ryan Murphy has left few stones unturned. The prolific writer-producer first carved a name for himself with serialized shows like Popular, Nip/Tuck, and Glee, but in recent years has undertaken a number of anthology series — most of which have been met with widespread acclaim and showered with numerous awards.
American Horror Story, now on its seventh season and renewed through 2019, explores the haunted, supernatural, and inhumane; American Crime Story, which scored a staggering 22 Emmy nominations, digs into cases like the infamous O.J. Simpson trial and Gianni Versace's murder; and the newly debuted Feud re-examines pop culture history like Joan Crawford and Bette Davis' long-standing rivalry. Needless to say, Murphy has covered a lot of ground on-screen, but now he's adding yet another show to his crowded TV slate.
THR reports Murphy is working on another scripted drama titled Pose. Set amidst 1986 New York's high society, it will explore the “emergence of the luxury Trump-era universe, the downtown social and literary scene, and the ball culture world.” Murphy is writing the project with frequent collaborator Brad Falchuk and Stephen Canals for FX, which is also home to American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and Feud. Nina Jacobson (The Hunger Games), Brad Simpson (The People v. O.J. Simpson), and Sherry Marsh will executive produce.
According to Vanity Fair, Pose begins production in October and is slated for a 2018 premiere. It will primarily star newcomers, though Murphy has been known to recast franchise regulars like Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange. Unlike Murphy's more recent FX efforts, however, Pose will be a serialized production — a format he's largely stepped away from since Glee. His Fox show, Scream Queens, is something of a hybrid, existing in the same world but cycling through different characters (and killers).
The show is certainly within his purview — opulent, dramatic, rife with scandal — but it will be interesting to see how Murphy tackles a return to more longform storytelling. Glee fast emerged as a breakout hit when it premiered back in 2009 and continued to do well throughout its early seasons, but by the time it went off air in 2015, it had lost much of its initial magnetism. Murphy really hit his stride when he turned to anthologies, so how Pose fares will be a testament to his creative range (and time management).
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Pose is currently set for a 2018 premiere.
Source: THR, Vanity Fair