FX has released the official trailer for The Shards, Ryan Murphy’s new drama series based on Bret Easton Ellis’ bestselling novel. Set in 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a group of privileged high school seniors whose world begins to fall apart when a serial killer starts targeting teenagers across the city.
Igby Rigney stars as Bret, an aspiring writer whose attention turns to mysterious new student Robert Mallory, played by Homer Gere. Robert arrives shortly before the start of senior year, around the same time a killer known as The Trawler begins terrorising Los Angeles.
The trailer sees Bret becoming increasingly convinced that Robert is connected to the murders, warning his friends that he is a “psycho” as the violence begins moving closer to their group. Not everyone believes him. “You always embellish everything,” Susan tells Bret in the trailer, raising questions over whether he has uncovered something real or is becoming consumed by his own suspicions.
FX describes the series as following its characters through “identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence.”
Kaia Gerber plays Susan Reynolds, with Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer and Graham Campbell as Thom Wright. Together, they form Bret’s close circle of wealthy friends as relationships, secrets and fear begin to pull the group apart. Wes Bentley and Evan Rachel Wood play Debbie’s parents, Terry and Liz Schaffer, while Jordan Roth stars as Steven Reinhardt.
The trailer leans heavily into the contrast between the glamour of private-school life and the growing threat surrounding the characters. Parties, drugs and relationships sit alongside brutal crime scenes as Bret becomes increasingly focused on Robert and The Trawler.
The series is adapted from Ellis’ 2023 novel, which blends fiction with elements inspired by his own teenage years in Los Angeles. Murphy and Ellis co-created the series, with Ellis writing the scripts. They also executive produce alongside Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson and others.
For CultureCues, this trailer has definitely caught our attention. It surprised us with just how much darker the series looks compared with what we expected from the synopsis, with brutal crime scenes, blood spatter and plenty of references to sex, cocaine and the excess of the era. At the same time, it really leans into the golden 1980s Los Angeles aesthetic, giving the whole thing a striking look. This is now firmly on our watch list. We will be tuning in, assuming The Trawler does not get us first!
The Shards premieres with two episodes on FX and Hulu in the US on 5 August 2026, before arriving exclusively on Disney+ in the UK on 6 August and continuing weekly.
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