Ryan Murphy's "The Beauty" Set to Premiere on FX: A Sci-Fi Medical Thriller Exploring Perfection and Transformation

Ryan Murphy continues his prolific partnership with FX with the upcoming premiere of "The Beauty, "a science fiction medical thriller scheduled to arrive on the network on January 21, 2026. The first three episodes will premiere simultaneously at 9/8c on FX and Hulu, with international audiences able to access the series on Disney+. This release strategy reflects the scale and ambition Murphy has invested in the project, positioning it as a major tentpole offering for the network heading into 2026.

"The Beauty" presents a dark exploration of the fashion and beauty industries through a science fiction lens. The series follows FBI Agents Cooper Madsen, portrayed by Evan Peters, and Jordan Bennett, played by Rebecca Hall, who are dispatched to Paris to investigate a series of mysterious deaths among international supermodels. As the agents delve deeper into their investigation, they uncover the source of the deaths: a sexually transmitted virus that transforms ordinary people into visions of physical perfection, but with catastrophic consequences.

The central antagonist is a shadowy tech billionaire known as "The Corporation," portrayed by Ashton Kutcher, who has secretly engineered a miracle drug called "The Beauty." Kutcher's character will stop at nothing to protect his trillion-dollar empire, including deploying a lethal enforcer known as "The Assassin," played by Anthony Ramos. Jeremy Pope rounds out the principal cast as Jeremy, a desperate outsider caught in the chaos who searches for purpose as the epidemic spreads across multiple continents.

The narrative spans an international scope, with key locations including Paris, Venice, Rome, and New York, as the agents race to prevent a threat that could fundamentally alter the future of humanity.

Murphy has articulated the thematic core of "The Beauty" as an examination of contemporary cultural obsessions with physical perfection and aesthetic enhancement. In describing the series to industry publications, Murphy characterized it as "a sci-fi medical show about a new virus that mutates and it's sexually transmitted, that turns you into your absolute perfect self. And the question is, how far would you go to be beautiful? What would you sacrifice to that, and does that matter?"

Murphy further contextualized the series as his artistic response to what he terms "Ozempic culture," referencing the widespread use of pharmaceutical weight-loss medications that have become prevalent in contemporary society. This positioning suggests that "The Beauty"will function as social commentary on modern anxieties surrounding body image, pharmaceutical intervention, and the pursuit of an idealized aesthetic standard.

The premise also engages with longstanding tensions within the fashion industry, where extreme beauty standards and the pressure to maintain a particular appearance have been documented as contributing factors to physical and mental health challenges among models and industry professionals. By framing these real-world concerns within a science fiction narrative, Murphy creates space to explore how technological advancement and commercialization of beauty could amplify existing vulnerabilities and power imbalances.

The ensemble cast represents a significant assembly of established and emerging talent. Beyond the principal cast members, the series features Isabella Rossellini, Anthony Ramos, and Jeremy Pope in key roles. An extensive roster of guest stars includes Amelia Gray Hamlin, Ari Graynor, Bella Hadid, Ben Platt, Billy Eichner, Jessica Alexander, Julie Halston, Meghan Trainor, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Peter Gallagher, and Vincent D'Onofrio.

The series is co-created by Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson, with 20th Television serving as the production company. The project is based on a comic book series written by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, with Hurley serving as a consultant on the television adaptation.

Murphy has indicated that the production scale of "The Beauty" rivals major prestige television dramas. In discussing the scope of the series, Murphy compared it to "Game of Thrones," suggesting that the production values, narrative complexity, and international locations reflect an investment in creating a high-caliber viewing experience. This positioning underscores FX's commitment to supporting Murphy's ambitious creative vision and reflects the competitive landscape of prestige television, where production scale and star power function as key differentiators.

"The Beauty "represents a continuation of Ryan Murphy's prolific output through his overall deal with FX, a partnership that has yielded numerous successful series across multiple genres. The series reunites Murphy with Evan Peters, an actor who has been a frequent collaborator on Murphy's "American Horror Story" franchise, suggesting a creative chemistry that may inform the tone and execution of this new project.

The January 2026 premiere date positions "The Beauty "as a significant programming anchor for FX at the beginning of the new year, a strategic placement that reflects confidence in the project's commercial and critical potential. The simultaneous release of three episodes on multiple platforms—FX, Hulu, and Disney+ internationally—demonstrates the cross-platform strategy that major studios employ to maximize audience reach and engagement.

"The Beauty" represents an ambitious convergence of science fiction storytelling, social commentary, and star power, positioning itself as a significant entry in the contemporary television landscape. The series'exploration of beauty standards, technological intervention, and ethical boundaries through the lens of an international thriller promises to engage audiences with both narrative excitement and thematic substance. As audiences prepare for the January 21, 2026 premiere, the series stands poised to generate considerable cultural conversation about the themes it addresses and the creative execution Murphy and his team have brought to the project.