This is Ryan Murphy’s Playground and We’re All Here to Stay
What is it about Ryan Murphy?
Now, that’s a loaded question if I’ve ever asked one. I don’t even know if I can answer this properly without slipping into my usual Glee-Ryan-Murphy-induced rage that usually overcomes me.
Ryan Murphy, age 49, has created some of the most culturally poignant shows within the 21st century. Here’s a list of all the notable shows he created, worked on, written, etc.:
- Popular aired on The WB from 1999–2001
- Nip/Tuck aired on FX from 2003–2010
- Glee aired on FOX from 2009–2015
- American Horror Story airs on FX from 2011–present
- The New Normal aired on NBC from 2012–2013
- Scream Queens airs on FOX from 2015–present
- Bonus: made for TV movie The Normal Heart aired on HBO in 2014 (Murphy directed)
Anybody who has watched these shows can probably attest to the fact that they share few similarities except for his rather twisted sense of humour and the fact that the ones that have ended already saw a rather short shelf-life as far as successful TV shows go.
I like lists, so here’s a list of the number of awards (including individual actors and actresses) each show has been nominated for/the number each show has won:
- Popular: 14 nominations/5 wins
- Nip/Tuck: 23 nominations /2 wins
- Glee: 194 nominations/78 wins
- American Horror Story: 179 nominations/40 wins
- The New Normal: 6 nominations/2 wins
- Scream Queens: Not available at the moment
- The Normal Heart: 30 nominations/10 wins
While I side-eye those Glee nominations and wins, let’s take a look at what we have laid out here. Glee and American Horror Story were and are, respectively, huge successes. They both, however, encompass two completely different genres and they reside on different networks, meaning that they will naturally attract different crowds. Obviously people will be able to watch both shows without batting an eye, myself included, but the stark difference in production, style, and writing stood out to me like horribly contrasting colours.
I think a lot of Ryan Murphy’s success is attributed to his tenacity and pure talent as a creator/producer/lord of the small screen, bringing content to delight (and anger) audiences all around the world. He has never backed down from the challenges presented, particularly the challenges presented by the societal reception to his rather — at the time — controversial topics. Glee is the prime example because of how much it did to normalize LGBTQ relationships and storylines to a general audience. I will say, however, that Glee was one of the perfect conversation starters for many people with varying degrees of investment in LGBTQ topics, especially in such a contemporary and pop-culture-heavy setting.
Glee: The Rise and Fall of an Almost-Legacy
Glee saw a dip in viewership and ratings by its third season. I sometimes sit and think about the tragedy that was Glee after its third season. Then I try to think about something else because it really is too sad.
Why did this change in viewership happen? I have been struggling to figure this out for a while now and have come up with a variety of conclusions, most of them involving my own personal biases against a few characters that shall not be mentioned.
Glee received a boost from following American Idol on Tuesday nights during their first season. Their viewership was about 9.77 million by the end of Season 1. By the end of Season 2, Glee had reached 10.11 million viewers. By their final, shortened sixth season, they were only pulling 3.14 million viewers. A far cry from the 10.11 million at the height of their popularity.
For further sadness, click here to check out their awards and nominations.
They weren’t necessarily doing anything wrong, but they were trying to do all the right things, too fast. I found myself cringing at the fact that they pulled on Darren Criss as a lead (Season 3), after having him play an affable, secondary character for a good portion of Season 2.
(This is solely my opinion: it was a travesty to have him sing more solos than Lea Michele.)
Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, and Brad Falchuk — RIB as they are affectionately called by “Gleeks” — released some of their powers to a larger helm of staff writers by Season 3. The show had obviously been a huge success to a huge range of audiences who were calling for more music, more humour, and more of these genuinely lovable characters. After the whirlwind success of Seasons 1 and 2, — filled with plentiful reviews, ratings, and awards — it was time to bring on more writers as Ryan Murphy decided he wanted to work on his next project: American Horror Story. At this point, he only wrote 3 episodes out of 22, as opposed to 9 & 8 for Seasons 1 and 2 respectively.
Suddenly, the storylines were completely out of whack, with very thin continuity and even thinner plotlines due to an excess of ideas. The ideas were definitely flowing, but they were threatening to drown out the very core of the show itself, which was so well-established within the confines of Season 1's “back 13” episodes — the episodes before Glee really knew whether they would be renewed for a full season. Those were truly the glory days: the show was fresh and rugged enough to be charming. It was so self-aware and intelligent enough to spark the interest of even the most cynical viewers.
It goes without saying that I have to talk a little bit about the musicality of the show. Music is such an important part of Glee that it makes or breaks episodes when it comes down to the final verdicts. RIB have of course encountered their fair share of artists declining to let them use their songs in episodes, but that has rarely stopped them from finding a song to fit the situation. It did feel, however, that the episodes started trying to match the songs which ended up doing more harm than good.
Summarily, here are his seven deadly sins:
- Too many writers.
- Distractions in the forms of The New Normal and American Horror Story.
- The Glee Project. Enough said.
- Glee’s eventual bad reputation in terms of the songs they used and their reaction to artists who declined to let them use their songs.
- Too many PSAs, too little time/audience attention.
- Choosing to continue Glee beyond the end of Season 3, which featured a symbolic and literal high school graduation.
- Attempting to force long-time viewers into accepting a completely new cast as if they were suitable replacements for the old cast.
By the time they decided to shift the focus back to the core essence of the show, it was too late in terms of viewership. Unfortunately, around the same time, Cory Monteith had passed away and the show had to completely re-route and deviate from its original plan to end the series. The show would literally never be the same. I knew it, the cast knew it, everybody knew it.
Glee was, in my eyes, a child who had grown up beautifully only to make all the wrong decisions as a teenager. For some, it’s hard to come back from some (bad) decisions, and you will definitely pay for those in your adult years. You stick around though, because it’s just family at that point. At a period where the show could have (still!) been one of the most socially poignant pieces of popular culture, it sadly lost its relevancy and power to shows like Modern Family.
Nonetheless, I believe Glee opened doors for other musically-inclined shows like Smash (NBC) at a time where musical shows were thought to never see the respect of primetime television unless you count Disney Channel productions. It brought to light, old classics that today’s generation might have never picked up on its own. I am 100% guilty of using Glee to broaden my own musical tastes and I have no regrets.
I will also explicitly thank Ryan Murphy for gracing my screen with Idina Menzel even if she was only a guest star.
American Horror Story: Horrifyingly Good
I don’t want to make it seem like Ryan Murphy neglected his show — he didn’t. He was still making calls on the show like he owned it (he did, didn’t he?), but he decided that he wanted to make a show to bring horror into mainstream television like never before.
I like to joke that American Horror Story is less horrifying than Glee, then I think about how many people genuinely love AHS and how many people genuinely hate Glee and … Well, you get the idea. As a self-proclaimed scaredy-cat when it comes to horror movies, the fact that I liked Murphy’s anthology series was a surprise to myself and everybody around me.
The latest addition to the series is American Horror Story: Hotel. The thing about an anthology series is that the seasons don’t necessarily have to join up to each other. However, this season might be linked to the first, which opens a whole new world of links between each of the individual seasons. Mr. Murphy has already stated that “they’re all connected” which makes me want to a) fist pump or; b) roll my eyes very hard.
When the show first came to be in 2011, I was not too sure what to expect. It was a surprise hit — for me, at least — and I only really found myself invested by the second season (Asylum). The great thing about the show is that it doesn’t need to follow the rules of continuity to work well. In fact, one separate story per season makes it that much more exciting and interesting and allows new viewers to tune in as they please. Other anthology-series shows are Fargo (FX) and True Detective (HBO) — both of which have been successful with their audiences.
The show it captivating, intelligently written, and hosts an all-star casts that constantly manages to introduce audiences to new and old talents. The creative team behind the show is constantly delivering and maintains its relevancy as one of FX’s most successful shows to date, even breaking viewership records.
In a world where people are so invested in science fiction, period shows, or post-apocalyptic worlds, American Horror Story was that gruesomely refreshing show that stood out with its eerily good plotlines and managing to constantly keep audiences interested. Who would have thought that a horror show would have such a huge success with television audiences, when horror movies manage to attract an arguably niche crowd?
So, the bottom line: In the midst of his success with Glee, Ryan Murphy (and Brad Falchuk — another Glee showrunner) took quite the risky gamble with American Horror Story and boy, did it pay off.
I think I’m only bitter because Glee ended on a low note as opposed to the glory note that I had expected six or seven years ago. Ryan Murphy’s taste for fame and keen talent in creating great television has only further expanded his kingdom and reach. His shows have had impact, have triggered controversial reviews, and some have changed people’s lives.
I watch Lea Michele and Emma Roberts star as leads in his latest creation, Scream Queens. I cannot help but see a show that looks like Glee and American Horror Story decided to procreate. A seed has already been planted to establish the two lovely ladies as frenemies, which he loves.
See, the thing about Ryan Murphy is that he is frustratingly talented. He’s also smart about popular culture and so unnervingly in tune with his shows’ fandoms. Add the fact that he’s already no stranger to the entertainment industry, and you generally have a smash hit right out of the box.
If you’re just tuning in to Scream Queens and you hate it, I’m sure you’re not the only one. If you love it, then you’re definitely not the only one.
If you’ve never, ever, heard of Ryan Murphy or any of the shows I’ve mentioned, then that’s fine too, although I’m confused as to why you clicked in.
But you should definitely stick around.
Scream Queens airs on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST on FOX. American Horror Story airs on Wednesdays at 10 PM EST on FX.
