Obsession has a dark side.
And in FX's new series The Shards, that obsession unfolds against the seductive backdrop of Los Angeles in 1981, where sex, jealousy, privilege, and murder are about to collide.
Based on Bret Easton Ellis' bestselling novel and executive produced by Ryan Murphy, The Shards is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+, bringing its blend of coming-of-age drama, psychological tension, and erotic thriller to television.
And if you've only seen some of the promotional material, you might not immediately realize just how dark this story gets.
At first, The Shards almost presents itself like a sensual period drama. Beautiful young people, wealthy Los Angeles lifestyles, complicated relationships, desire, jealousy, and all the excess that comes with its early-'80s setting.
Then people start disappearing.
The story follows a group of privileged high school friends in 1981 Los Angeles while a serial killer strikes across the city. As the danger grows, the glamorous world surrounding these characters begins giving way to something much more sinister.
That's also what makes The Shards an interesting addition to the current horror and thriller landscape.
Rather than immediately announcing itself with monsters, supernatural forces, or a masked killer running around with a knife, the series appears to let its horror creep into a story already fueled by obsession and jealousy. The threat exists alongside teenage relationships and the seductive atmosphere of Los Angeles, allowing the murder mystery to slowly contaminate everything around it.
FX describes the series as part teenage coming-of-age story, erotic thriller, and exploration of Los Angeles in 1981, and that combination alone makes this one stand apart from a more traditional serial killer series.
There's also some fitting creative DNA behind it.
Bret Easton Ellis' work has never exactly been afraid of exploring obsession, privilege, sexuality, violence, and the uglier things hiding underneath beautiful surfaces. Pairing that material with Ryan Murphy makes The Shards an intriguing prospect for anyone who likes their thrillers stylish, provocative, and increasingly uncomfortable.
So if you're expecting straightforward horror, this probably isn't that.
But if a slow-burning psychological thriller where sex, obsession, jealousy, and a serial killer begin colliding in 1980s Los Angeles sounds like your kind of nightmare, this one may be worth adding to the watchlist.
The Shards is streaming now on Hulu and Disney+.
Sometimes the prettiest things have the darkest secrets.
