Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Beauty

11 snips
Jan 27, 2026
Roxana Haddadi, a television critic at Vulture, offers sharp analysis of The Beauty. Trebell Anderson, journalist and podcast host, critiques its structure and pacing. They discuss the show’s serum-that-makes-people-perfect premise and its gruesome body-horror. Conversation covers tonal whiplash, crowded ideas, casting choices, and whether the series truly interrogates beauty standards.
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INSIGHT

Premise Turns Beauty Into Body Horror

  • Ryan Murphy's The Beauty uses a biotech serum premise to amplify conversations about beauty and body horror.
  • The show deliberately mixes spectacle with social critique to provoke lasting reflection.
INSIGHT

Atypical Murphy With Effective Body Horror

  • Roxana Haddadi found the show atypical for Murphy and persistently thought about it after watching.
  • She praises its effectiveness as body horror while noting it provokes both fascination and repulsion.
ADVICE

Trim The Concept For Greater Impact

  • Trebell Anderson advises that the series' concept wears thin across 11 episodes and could have been tighter.
  • He suggests trimming to a shorter, more focused run to preserve impact.
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