Ryan Murphy TV Shows, Ranked

When he’s not winning Emmys, Ryan Murphy makes headlines for two reasons — and we’ve got examples of each in September 2024.

With Netflix’s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” the consistently controversial showrunner is once again battling backlash for exploring dark psychosexual themes through outrageous camp. And with FX’s horror mystery “Grotesquerie,” guest-starring the NFL’s Travis Kelce among others, the writer-director-producer is showing off his famous network by casting major celebrity talent next to his repeat collaborators.

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As a craftsman, Murphy often leaves something to be desired. Look back at IndieWire reviews for his past six or so shows and you’ll notice a pattern. Splashy styling, regularly mixed with a shock-value premise, injects life into a vibrant ad campaign that draws real attention. Sometimes the show debuts to strong effect, other times not — but problems almost always ravage the back half of a Murphy project. Unfortunate but true, the man knows diminishing returns almost as well as he knows Sarah Paulson (who, it’s worth noting, never misses).

Still, the Murphyverse gets eyeballs and the television auteur’s 25 years on the small screen have given us scads of meme-able moments. “So you’re a nun…who’s a journalist…who’s covering crime,” as said by Niecy Nash-Betts in the trailer for “Grotesquerie,” hasn’t broken out yet although something from the show probably will.

Set in a small town, the occult detective story incorporates several Murphy hallmarks — including a vaguely spooky nun (Micaela Diamond), the looming specter of a serial killer, and a tortured woman juggling addiction, career, and family. Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Lady Gaga, and more appear on the roster of legendary actresses who have championed Murphy as a treasured artistic partner.

“The thing I always say about him is he always believes that you can do something before you believe it yourself,'” Leslie Grossman told IndieWire in 2022, ahead of “American Horror Story” Season 11. “And you’re like, ‘Oh no, I don’t think I can do that.’ And he’s like, ‘No, I do think you can do it and you’re going to do it. So there you go.’ That faith that he has in you is incredibly validating.”

Read on for IndieWire’s complete ranking of Ryan Murphy’s TV shows — with a few caveats. The following excludes all films, including straight-to-streaming features (apologies to “The Normal Heart”). It mostly includes series that Murphy created or co-created, with an exception for “American Crime Story.” Also, spinoffs “9-1-1: Lonestar” and “American Horror Stories” appear in combined entries with their inspirations. Without further ado, the good, the bad, and the…thing that happens to Chlo? Sevigny in “AHS: Asylum”…of the Murphyverse.

With editorial contributions by Proma Khosla, Ben Travers, and Erin Strecker.

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