Ryan Murphy is about to take us back to 1980s Los Angeles. The TV producer mogul has adapted Bret Easton Ellis’ psychological horror novel The Shards, and the cast is ready to turn up the heat (and the drama) this summer. On June 10, FX announced the premiere date for the highly anticipated series and gave viewers a glimpse at the cast of rising stars.
The Shards, which was released in 2021, is loosely inspired by the American Psycho author’s own life growing up. A TV adaptation initially started out at HBO, but those plans fell through, and Murphy took The Shards over to FX.
The Shards has assembled an incredible ensemble cast to bring this bestselling novel to TV. Who is playing the fictional version of Bret Easton Ellis? What about the mysterious Robert Mallory? When will the show premiere? TV Insider is breaking down all the latest updates about The Shards TV series.
When is The Shards coming out?
The Shards will premiere on August 5 on FX and Hulu beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The series will also be available on Disney+ internationally. New episodes of The Shards are expected to be released weekly.
Who has been cast in The Shards?
Igby Rigney has been cast as a young Bret Easton Ellis in The Shards. Rigney is best known for his roles in the Mike Flanagan TV universe, including Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Midnight Club.
Homer Gere will play Robert Mallory, the new kid at the posh Buckley prep school that Bret attends. The 26-year-old is the son of Richard Gere. The younger Gere recently played Dylan Reid in Euphoria.
In a Ryan Murphy-style twist, Homer will star alongside Kaia Gerber in The Shards. Gerber will play Susan Reynolds, a major character in The Shards. Gerber’s mom, Cindy Crawford, was married to Richard Gere from 1991 to 1995.
The rest of the main cast includes Graham Campbell as Thom Wright, Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer, Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer, Evan Rachel Wood as Liz Schaffer, and Jordan Roth as Steven Reinhardt.
Murphy and Ellis executive produce alongside Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, Nissa Diederich, Tanase Popa, Nick Hall, Michael Uppendahl, Max Winkler, Kathleen McCaffrey, and Brian Young.
What is The Shards about?
The Shards takes place primarily in 1981, Bret’s senior year of high school. An older Bret recalls what happened that fateful year when he met Robert Mallory and the “Trawler” terrorized Los Angeles. Bret becomes obsessed with the serial killer who is seemingly targeting young women in the Los Angeles area. As Robert Mallory is welcomed into Bret’s friend group, Bret becomes convinced this enigmatic young man is hiding secrets.
The official synopsis for the TV series reads: “Set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles, the series 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. At its center is Bret, an aspiring writer and keenly observant teenager whose reality begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic new student, Robert Mallory. Transferring in just before his senior year, Robert’s appearance coincides with the growing terror of The Trawler, a serial killer targeting teenagers across the city.”
“Alongside Bret is his elite social circle, which consists of Susan Reynolds, Debbie Schaffer, and Thom Wright, a glamorous and deeply entangled group drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties, and excess. The promise of their youth is contrasted with the dark and cynical world of the adults surrounding them: Terry Schaffer, Liz Schaffer, and Steven Reinhardt.”
The Shards was initially serialized by Ellis as an audiobook through his podcast before he traditionally published it in 2021.
The Shards, Series Premiere, August 5, FX and Hulu