Ryan Murphy’s ‘The Shards’ Trailer Brings Bret Easton Ellis’ Prep School Thriller to Life With Sex, Drugs and a Serial Killer

Ryan Murphy has built an entire career out of turning glamorous, dangerous worlds into must-watch television, and his latest project looks primed to continue that streak. After years of behind-the-scenes shuffling between networks, one of the most anticipated literary adaptations in recent memory is finally ready for its close-up.

That long-gestating project is ‘The Shards,’ based on the bestselling novel by Bret Easton Ellis, the author behind ‘American Psycho’ and ‘Less Than Zero.’ The series has been through a winding road to the screen, originally developed at HBO before eventually finding its home at FX, with Murphy stepping in to help revive it after creative differences derailed the original plan.

That long wait is now over, with FX officially releasing the first trailer for the series ahead of its August 5 premiere. The footage introduces Bret, an aspiring teenage writer played by Igby Rigney, pitching his latest story idea to his editor, Terry, played by Wes Bentley. When Terry asks whether the story includes sex, Bret confirms it does, and when pressed further about drugs and hookers, he simply replies that it has that too, prompting Terry to note that everyone loves a good coming-of-age story.

That exchange sets the tone for a series that leans heavily into its unsettling mix of glamour and menace. ‘The Shards’ is set in Los Angeles in 1981 and follows a semi-autobiographical version of Ellis during his senior year at the elite Buckley prep school, where his tight-knit social circle gets upended by the arrival of a mysterious new student named Robert Mallory, played by Homer Gere. Robert’s unsettling presence coincides with the escalating activities of a serial killer known only as The Trawler, who appears to be closing in on Bret’s group of friends.

Rounding out that social circle are Susan Reynolds, played by Kaia Gerber, Debbie Schaffer, played by Hayes Warner, and Thom Wright, played by Graham Campbell, described as a glamorous and deeply entangled group swept up in a life of wealth, beauty, and excess. The adults surrounding them are just as complicated, with Wes Bentley’s Terry Schaffer, Evan Rachel Wood’s Liz Schaffer, and Jordan Roth’s Steven Reinhardt bringing a colder, more cynical energy that contrasts sharply with the teenagers’ privileged world.

The series originally began its life in an unconventional way, with Ellis first reading chapters aloud on his own podcast during pandemic lockdowns, presenting the story as though it were drawn directly from his own teenage memories. That approach turned the project into something of a literary sensation before it was ever formally published, eventually leading to the full novel release and setting the stage for a television adaptation that had been rumored for years.

Behind the camera, the series is executive produced by Murphy alongside Ellis himself, along with Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and a lengthy list of additional producers, with Max Winkler directing. The show also comes with a notable music pedigree, featuring original contributions from Troye Sivan and Leland alongside a soundtrack stacked with era appropriate needle drops, including Sly Fox’s 1985 hit ‘Let’s Go All the Way’ featured prominently in the new trailer.

Given Murphy’s track record with true crime adjacent, character driven dramas and Ellis’ reputation for unflinching depictions of privilege and moral decay, ‘The Shards’ looks positioned to fit right alongside some of FX’s most talked about recent series. The pairing of Ellis’ semi-autobiographical source material with Murphy’s stylistic instincts gives the show a genuinely distinctive identity heading into its debut.

With two episodes set to premiere August 5 on both FX and Hulu, and internationally on Disney Plus, fans of Ellis’ novel will not have to wait much longer to see how faithfully the series captures the book’s blend of nostalgia, paranoia and dread. Between the starry ensemble cast and Murphy’s involvement, ‘The Shards’ already looks like one of the more buzzworthy limited series of the late summer season.

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