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When TV hitmaker Ryan Murphy and American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis join forces, you can very well expect a feisty, scandalous and potentially bingeable joyride. The Shards, which is airing on FX throughout August, is based on Ellis’ 2023 novel that blends his own high-school experiences with traces of heightened psychological horror.
With a fresh-faced cast and a soundtrack full of ’80s earworms, the series promises to dominate your late summer watchlist. It boasts veteran rockers like Duran Duran, Fleetwood Mac and Joan Jett, but also throws in a healthy dose of Troye Sivan with the Aussie pop star releasing new tracks for the first two episodes.
What is The Shards about?
Drawing from Ellis’ youth, the series follows aspiring writer Bret (Igby Rigney), who finds his world turned around when mysterious student Robert Mallory (Homer Gere) enters his life. Robert joins Ellis’ school as a serial killer called the Trawler begins targeting teens in the area.
The Shards also taps deeper into the elite social circles that runs 1980s-era Los Angeles. Expect drunk parties, vanity and a celebration of reckless youth.
What’s on The Shards soundtrack?
True to its era, The Shards includes several 1980s needle drops like Human League’s synth-pop hit ‘Don’t You Want Me’ and The Buggles’ MTV-inaugurating track ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’. For a more contemporary sound, the first two episodes also incorporate three new songs from Sivan and his frequent songwriting collaborator Leland.
Episode 1
Moving in Stereo – The Cars
Vienna – Ultravox
Presentation Destination – Troye Sivan and Leland Feat. Allie X
Planet Earth – Duran Duran
This Town – The Go-Go’s
Golden Brown – The Stranglers
Crimson and Clover – Joan Jett
Bad Boys Get Spanked – The Pretenders
LA Wants Me Dead – Troye Sivan and Leland
Episode 2
Rise – Herb Alpert
Another Day Goes By – Troye Sivan and Leland
Don’t You Want Me – Human League
Deja vu – Dionne Warwick
Video Killed the Radio Star – The Buggles
Tusk – Fleetwood Mac
Year of the Cat – Al Stewart
Who stars in The Shards?
The lead ensemble includes Igby Rigney (Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher), Homer Gere (Euphoria), pop singer Hayes Warner, Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games, Interstellar) and Kaia Gerber (Bottoms, Saturday Night).
Recurring guests include Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, Westworld), Tony-winning theatre producer Jordan Roth, and Owen Painter (Wednesday).
Where can I watch The Shards?
The Shards is available to stream on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US. The series premieres with two episodes on August 6 followed by weekly episode drops.
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From the archive: Time Out meets Bret Easton Ellis.