FX has unveiled the trailer for “The Shards,” a new drama series from executive producer Ryan Murphy based on Bret Easton Ellis’ acclaimed bestselling novel.
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, “The Shards” follows a group of privileged high school seniors at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy, obsession, and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence.
Igby Rigney stars as Bret, an aspiring writer and acutely observant teenager whose reality begins to unravel following the arrival of Robert Mallory, a mysterious and magnetic new student played by Homer Gere. Robert transfers into the school shortly before senior year, just as Los Angeles is being terrorized by The Trawler, a serial killer targeting teenagers across the city.
Bret’s glamorous and deeply entangled social circle includes Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner), and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell). Surrounded by wealth, beauty, parties, and excess, the teenagers find the promise of their youth increasingly threatened by violence, paranoia, and the cynical adult world around them.
The supporting cast includes Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer, Evan Rachel Wood as Liz Schaffer, and Jordan Roth as Steven Reinhardt.
“The Shards” brings together Murphy and Ellis, two storytellers known for examining privilege, desire, celebrity, and the darkness beneath polished American surfaces. Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Ellis, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, Nissa Diederich, Tanase Popa, Nick Hall, Michael Uppendahl, Max Winkler, Kathleen McCaffrey, and Brian Young serve as executive producers. The series is produced by 20th Television.
“The Shards” premieres with two episodes Wednesday, August 5 at 9 pm ET on Hulu and FX.
Edward Davis is a senior film journalist and longtime contributor to The Playlist. Davis covers the full breadth of cinema — from major studio releases to independent and international film.
