Ryan Murphy pushes back against the "camp" label

Ryan Murphy, a prolific showrunner known for his diverse body of work, recently addressed the "camp" label attached to one of his projects, All’s Fair. Over his career, Murphy has created shows ranging from Glee to American Horror Story and directed films like The Normal Heart and The Prom. Despite the varied tone, look, and sensibility across his projects, Murphy insists that his signature style is not "camp."

This stance comes after an interview with Vanity Fair, where he fielded the critics' reaction to All’s Fair, a recent project. When discussing the show, Murphy dismissed the critics' opinions, stating that he thought they were wrong. He explained that his aim with All’s Fair was to capture the essence of the heightened '80s soapy procedural genre, comparing it to shows like Knots Landing or Dynasty.

Murphy clarified that his work was not "camp" in the sense of lack of awareness, which critic Susan Sontag described as "Pure Camp." Instead, he emphasized that his work had awareness, aligning with Sontag's view that "Camp which knows itself to be Camp" is usually less satisfying. While it's evident that All’s Fair includes elements of camp, with characters like Kim Kardashian's Allura Grant and Sarah Paulson's Carrington Lane engaging in witty banter, the degree of intentionality and enjoyment of that campiness is subjective for viewers.