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Sex, drugs and serial killers: inside Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis’s lurid TV thriller
The Shards brings the cocaine-addled teens of a 1980s prep school to life with a cast of newcomers and a heavy dose of sleaze
TL;DR
- The TV adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's 'The Shards' is set in Los Angeles in 1981, focusing on wealthy, unchaperoned teenagers engaged in parties, drinking, and cocaine use.
- The series centers on a character named Bret Ellis, a stand-in for the author, at a Los Angeles prep school, whose life is disrupted by a new student and a serial killer.
- Ryan Murphy took over the adaptation from Luca Guadagnino, bringing his signature extravagance to the project, which explores themes of hidden identities and coming-of-age during the AIDS crisis.
- The cast includes Kaia Gerber, Igby Rigney, and Homer Gere, with producer Jordan Roth playing a character modeled after him. Many cast members are newcomers facing the prospect of overnight fame.
- The series is described as an erotic thriller but is surprisingly chaste, focusing on tension and suspense rather than explicit content, although the recreated drug use involved significant amounts of milk and coconut powders.
- The actors discussed the challenges of portraying intense scenes and the pressures of the music and film industries, with many hoping for a second season.