Disney+ will premiere the FX series The Shards on August 6, bringing creator Ryan Murphy and author Bret Easton Ellis together for a new psychological thriller set in 1980s Los Angeles.
The streaming platform is releasing the show as one of the darkest additions to its catalog during the summer season. Produced by American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy, the project adapts the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis, the author of American Psycho. The exclusive video-on-demand debut features the first two episodes, with new chapters expanding the storyline in subsequent weeks.
Los Angeles high school setting
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, a location described as equally glamorous and dangerous, the series centers on a high school senior named Bret. Igby Rigney stars as Bret, a student at an exclusive private high school who dreams of becoming a writer. His regular routine begins to change when a new classmate named Robert Mallory arrives at the school.
Homer Gere plays the enigmatic Robert Mallory, whose presence quickly triggers widespread suspicion among the students. Bret moves within an exclusive group of friends played by Kaia Gerber, Hayes Warner, and Graham Campbell. Their social world is defined by luxury, high-profile parties, and excesses.
Serial killer and themes
Alongside the younger leads, the adult cast includes Wes Bentley, Evan Rachel Wood, and Jordan Roth, among other actors. Their characters exist alongside the main group in an environment increasingly shadowed by violence across the city.
While the teenagers navigate their lives, Los Angeles is gripped by fear over a serial killer known as The Trawler. The killer is responsible for a series of crimes that specifically target local teenagers.
The Shards tackles themes of identity, desire, obsession, jealousy, and the loss of innocence. The production builds an atmosphere of suspense that constantly plays with the doubt and perception of the main character.
By blending teenage drama with a psychological thriller, the series connects the literary style of Bret Easton Ellis with the television work Ryan Murphy has created across his career.
