{
  "id": 178953,
  "title": "‘The Shards’ Review: Ryan Murphy Waters Down Bret Easton Ellis to Make His Own Murderous ‘Euphoria’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/the-shards-review-ryan-murphy-waters-down-bret-easton-ellis-to-make",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-05T15:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TheWrap",
    "slug": "thewrap",
    "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/reviews/the-shards-show-review-ryan-murphy-fx/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 1981, Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney) finds his carefree lifestyle disrupted by the arrival of Robert Mallory (Homer Gere) at Buckley prep school. Both are seemingly charming and handsome, but Bret cannot shake the feeling that Robert is not as he seems. Ryan Murphy, known for his provocative storytelling, adapted Ellis's novel \"The Shards\" into a TV series. However, the adaptation fails to capture the essence of the book, diluting its paranoia and tedium. The show's portrayal of luxury, drugs, and sex is cliché and lacks the unsettling atmosphere present in the source material. Despite a few standout performances by Wes Bentley, Evan Rachel Wood, and Richard Gere's son, the series struggles to maintain its focus and fails to deliver the same emotional heft as HBO's \"Euphoria.\"",
  "summary": "There’s enjoyment to be had, undeniably, but what a big step down from the might of the book The post ‘The Shards’ Review: Ryan Murphy Waters Down Bret Easton Ellis to Make His Own Murderous ‘Euphoria’ appeared first on TheWrap .",
  "key_points": [
    "Bret Easton Ellis novel \"The Shards\" adapted into TV series \"The Shards\"",
    "Ryan Murphy's adaptation loses essence of Ellis's paranoia and tedium",
    "Series fails to match emotional impact of HBO's \"Euphoria\""
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "‘The Shards’ Review: Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis Team Up for FX’s Predictably Excess-Soaked Tale of Prep-School Sex, Drugs and Murder",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/the-shards-review-ryan-murphy-and-bret-easton-ellis-team-up-for-fxs",
        "published": "2026-08-05T15:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IndieWire",
        "title": "‘The Shards’ Review: Ryan Murphy’s Unboring Bret Easton Ellis Adaptation Never Comes Together",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/the-shards-review-ryan-murphys-unboring-bret-easton-ellis-adaptation",
        "published": "2026-08-05T15:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Variety",
        "title": "FX’s Adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ ‘The Shards’ Can’t Be Saved by a Strong Lead Performance: TV Review",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/fxs-adaptation-of-bret-easton-ellis-the-shards-cant-be-saved-by-a",
        "published": "2026-08-05T15:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}