Ryan Murphy’s New Horror Show Could Be The Perfect True Detective Replacement

Summary

• Grotesquerie promises to be a terrifying drama with a mysterious crime scene at its core, challenging characters and viewers alike.
• The show, led by Niecy Nash-Betts, may explore the supernatural to delve into themes of good and evil, echoing the success of True Detective.
• Ryan Murphy’s new horror project could potentially fill the void left by True Detective by integrating disturbing crimes with otherworldly elements.

Ryan Murphy is returning to the horror genre with his upcoming show Grotesquerie, and the terrifying-sounding drama could be the perfect replacement following the success of True Detective: Night Country. Having worked on horror hits like American Horror Story and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Murphy is widely hailed as one of the most influential voices in the genre – especially on the small screen. While Ryan Murphy’s various TV series come in many different forms, the limited available information about Grotesquerie suggests that it may take a similar direction to Issa Lopez’s 2024 crime drama.

Starring Niecy Nash-Betts (who worked with Murphy on Dahmer), Lesley Manville, and Courtney B. Vance, Grotesquerie remains shrouded in mystery. The series was only confirmed via a 24th February Instagram video, which featured only a black title card and a sinister voiceover from Nash-Betts. While much of the voiceover is deliberately opaque, it nevertheless reveals some crucial details about Grotesquerie that could provide a thematic link to True Detective.

Ryan Murphy’s New Show Will Have A Criminal Investigation At Its Core

Though Grotesquerie‘s finer plot points remain shrouded in mystery, Murphy’s cryptic Instagram post confirmed that the show will revolve around a disturbing “crime scene“. Nash-Betts’ unknown character confirms that the details of the case are so upsetting that “shrinks” were provided to anyone who worked on it. This all suggests that some sort of crime will play a key role in Grotesquerie‘s wider story.

The rest of Nash-Betts’ dialogue is equally unnerving. In the audio, she is heard explaining:

“I don’t know when it started, I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s
different
now. There’s been a shift, like something’s opening up in the world — a kind of hole that descends into a nothingness…

“…You say, ‘Well, hon, evil has always existed,’” that “things are getting better, there’s never been a better time to be alive!’” she continues, but “it’s
not
getting better! Something’s happening around us, and nobody sees it but me.”

This all indicates that the crime scene at the core of Grotesquerie has such a profound effect on Nash-Betts’ character that it forces her to reevaluate her relationship with good and evil, asking existential questions of anyone involved. Such a story is potentially terrifying. Yet in setting up a crime as a catalyst for a wider conversation about morality, Grotesquerie may be thematically tying itself to another popular horror-drama – True Detective.

Why Grotesquerie Could Be The Perfect True Detective Replacement

Part of True Detective‘s success over four seasons has come from the show’s ability to integrate the supernatural into stories about disturbing crimes. Although Grotesquerie is deliberately vague, it looks like Ryan Murphy’s show may be taking a similar approach. Much as Danvers and Navarro were forced to reckon with the spiritual aspect of evil in True Detective season 4, it seems as though Nash-Betts’ character’s experiences in Grotesquerie will prompt similar introspection. Because it explores similar themes (perhaps even emphasizing supernatural elements, given Murphy’s record), Grotesquerie may become a perfect True Detective replacement, despite telling a distinct story.