FX’s New Teen Thriller ‘The Shards’ Rotten Tomatoes Verdict and Critics’ Opinions

Ryan Murphy’s latest TV series has officially premiered, and critics are already split in their opinions. ‘The Shards’, created by Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis for FX and Hulu, debuted on August 5, adapting Ellis’ semi-autobiographical novel for the screen. Early reviews have provided fans with insight into what to expect, with the first season currently holding a 52% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews.

Set in Los Angeles in 1981, the series follows a fictionalized 17-year-old version of Bret Easton Ellis, portrayed by Igby Rigney, during his final year at the prestigious Buckley prep school. His seemingly perfect life begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious new student, Robert Mallory. Simultaneously, a serial killer known as The Trawler is targeting teenagers across the city, fostering a growing atmosphere of fear and suspicion.

Alongside Rigney, the cast features Homer Gere as Robert Mallory, Graham Campbell as Thom Wright, Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer, Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer, and Kaia Gerber as Susan Reynolds.

While the show’s stylish visuals and 1980s ambiance have garnered praise, many critics are divided on whether the narrative lives up to its striking aesthetics.

Tim Stevens of The Spool was among the most critical, giving the series a Rotten rating and stating, “Somewhere along the way, it rushed past ‘signature style’ directly into parody.” His review suggests that the series prioritizes style over meaningful storytelling.

Lindsay Traves of Pajiba also expressed disappointment, feeling the adaptation failed to capture the deeper themes of Ellis’ novel. She remarked, “The TV adaptation struggles to work with that, it ending up a vapid and hollow portrait of hot young people and a slasher killer. What else should we expect from Ryan Murphy?”

Joe Lipsett from Queer.Horror.Movies was equally harsh, rating the series 1 out of 5. He commented, “The Shards isn’t fun enough or campy enough or weird enough or salacious enough. It’s pretty packaging standing in for actual substance, and no amount of coke or ’80s needle drops can save it.”

Conversely, not all critics shared this sentiment. Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News awarded the series 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising both its atmosphere and storytelling. He noted, “The Shards captures — as Ellis always has — the mood, the style, the music and the tempo of these wild times. And Ellis and Murphy do it with style and substance.”

Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times also enjoyed the series, despite acknowledging its over-the-top nature. He described it as “often absurd and always melodramatic,” but added that viewers seeking a stylish thriller filled with murder, sex, drugs, and 1980s Los Angeles culture “can’t do better than this.”

Karina Adelgaard of Heaven of Horror had mixed feelings, giving the series 3 out of 5 stars. She stated, “For me, The Shards began as intriguing, became downright dull, and then picked up and became interesting again.” She also suggested that the show could have benefited from a shorter episode count, noting it was “often about looking good rather than being good.”

Collider’s Gabrielle Moss offered a more positive take, rating the series 7 out of 10. She commended its restrained approach compared to some of Ryan Murphy’s earlier works, stating, “The Shards never gets into the over-the-top emotionality that AHS often uses to paper over its flaws. Instead, the show… plays its cards close to its chest, and hopes you care enough to lean in and read them.”

Currently, ‘The Shards’ finds itself in mixed-review territory. Critics agree that the series boasts impressive visuals, a captivating 1980s setting, and an intriguing mystery, but opinions are sharply divided on whether its narrative matches its stylish presentation. As the season progresses, audiences will soon determine if they align with critics or discover something more in Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis’ latest collaboration.

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