FX's The Beauty, a horror satire by Ryan Murphy, has impressed critics and earned his best Rotten Tomatoes score since 2024. The show, based on a comic book, focuses on a sexually transmitted treatment with terrifying side effects. Featuring a star-studded cast and a successful launch on Hulu, the series marks a positive trend for Murphy's productions.
While The Beauty might not have a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, the horror satire did manage to turn around a worrying trend for its creator, super-producer Ryan Murphy . FX’s The Beauty focuses its story on the eponymous sexually transmitted treatment, which makes victims physically beautiful but causes terrifying, homicidal side effects, and the agents trying to stop it.
Anarchic, absurd, and surprisingly smart, The Beauty’s starry cast of characters includes Ashton Kutcher, Isabella Rossellini, Rebecca Hall, Anthony Ramos, Evan Peters, Ari Graynor, and Bella Hadid. The show is based on a 2016 comic book of the same name by Jeremy Haun and Jason A Hurley, but none of these are the names most closely associated with the show. The FX series is a Ryan Murphy production, meaning that everything from The Beauty’s controversial similarities to The Substance to the show’s garish viral marketing campaign should not come as a surprise. Murphy is infamous for his “All publicity is good publicity” approach to TV production, and this appears to have paid off handsomely in the case of this series. The Beauty Earned Ryan Murphy’s Best Rotten Tomatoes Rating Since 2024 Not only did The Beauty become Hulu’s most-watched show on the weekend of its release, dethroning Percy Jackson and the Olympians in the process, but the series also managed the considerable task of impressing critics. The Beauty boasts Murphy’s best critical rating since 2024 on Rotten Tomatoes, earning a stellar 74%, This was only just about beaten by 2024’s Grotesquerie, which earned 75% from critics for its grisly, twisty story of a religious serial killer and the troubled detective pursuing them. Like The Beauty, Grotesquerie blended horror elements with a police procedural format, although the earlier show featured less broad humor than this comic adaptation. While earning Murphy’s best critical rating since 2024 may not sound all that impressive, it is important to note just how many shows Murphy has worked on in that time. In 2025 alone, Murphy was created as the creator of 9-1-1: Nashville, Doctor Odyssey, and Monster: The Ed Gein Story, and as the Executive Producer of Mid-Century Modern and All’s Fair. To be fair to the busy producer, Mid-Century Modern did earn a staggering 88% rating from critics, beating both Grotesquerie and The Beauty. However, Murphy was only an Executive Producer on the acclaimed sitcom, not its creator. Furthermore, his other Executive Producer credit in 2025, the legal drama All’s Fair, more than made up for Mid-Century Modern’s success. The Beauty’s Critical Success Highlights A Surprising Ryan Murphy Career Trend Debuting to a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 0%, the Kim Kardashian vehicle All’s Fair was listed as one of the worst shows of all time upon release. Although the show has since scraped its way up to a meager 6% rating, it remains by far Murphy’s worst-received project throughout his prolific, multi-decade career. Within this context, The Beauty’s solid performance is a major redemption arc for Murphy, as well as an illustration of a surprising career trend. Looking at the data, it becomes clear that Murphy’s reliable genre as a creator when it comes to critical reaction is horror shows. Between them, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, The Beauty, and Grotesquerie boast his best scores. If viewers consider Monster: The Ed Gein Story and its franchise predecessors to be true crime dramas and not horrors, which the Netflix shows ostensibly are, then a clear pattern emerges. The Beauty earned 74%, Grotesquerie earned 75%, American Horror Stories earned 66%, Scream Queens 77%, and American Horror Story 77%. In stark contrast, All’s Fair earned 6%, Monster: The Ed Gein Story earned 41%, Doctor Odyssey earned 63%, the true crime drama The Watcher earned 54%, 2020’s Hollywood earned 58%, and 2019’s satirical drama The Politician earned a mere 51%. If Murphy has a reliable genre, it is horror, as the comparative success of The Beauty proves. ScreenRant's review of the series reaffirmed this, highlighting its humor and unpredictability. Per critic Ben Gibbons:"The story is provocative and innovative, and the performances throughout are worthy of recognition and celebration. Yes, it can feel like a parody, and there is over-the-top humor at points, but the final result is genuinely brilliant." The Beauty’s Critical Acclaim Makes Up For Murphy’s Abysmal 2025 From the moment The Beauty’s premise was announced and viewers immediately spotted its similarities to The Substance, it was clear the series would be controversial. What comes as something of a surprise is the fact that the show is also good, a fun, campy, and gruesome slice of satirical body horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Subscribe for deeper takes on TV trends and hits Get sharper context on TV trends and creator trajectories: subscribe to our newsletter for focused coverage and analysis of shows, critical patterns, and what industry shifts mean for audiences and critics. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Not only does The Beauty make the most of a stacked cast in its first three episodes, but the show also features a few genuinely surprising twists that ensure it feels like more than merely a globe-hopping rehash of The Substance. As such, the series redeems Murphy’s risible 2025, making up for the twin failures of All’s Fair and Monster: The Ed Gein Story. While Monster: The Ed Gein Story’s terrible revision of history was arguably more disrespectful than anything featured in All’s Fair, both shows were profound failures in concept and execution. In contrast, The Beauty proves Murphy has retained his wit and unique style, and can still impress with the right material. The Beauty 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Horror Science Fiction Thriller Release Date January 21, 2026 Network FX, Hulu Directors Alexis Martin Woodall, Ryan Murphy Cast Writers Jason A. Hurley, Jeremy Haun, Matthew Hodgson, Ryan Murphy Creator Matthew Hodgson, Ryan Murphy Powered by Expand Collapse
The Beauty Ryan Murphy Rotten Tomatoes Horror TV Series
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
10 TV Shows Influenced by Peaky Blinders | From Gangs of London to TabooCillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby and Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders
Read more »
Cillian Murphy’s Forgotten Action Movie That Was Originally Planned In Minecraft Finally Finds New Streaming Home 9 Years LaterCillian Murphy smiling while on the 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple red carpet
Read more »
FX's The Beauty Is Now No. 1 On Streaming WorldwidePoster of Ryan Murphy’s The Beauty
Read more »
Murphy: Trump Is Trying to ‘Interfere’ with 2026 ElectionSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
“Beauty Chameleon” Dove Cameron On Her Engagement, Eyeliner, and Bridal Beauty VisionDove Cameron, the face of Urban Decay's new eyeliner campaign, shares a glimpse into her engagement story and wedding beauty vision.
Read more »
FX’s JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette ‘Love Story’ Premiere Timed to Valentine’s DayRyan Murphy shows us his sweet side.
Read more »