---
title: "The Beauty"
year: 2026
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-beauty"
fi1m_id: "the-beauty"
imdb_id: "tt33517752"
tmdb_id: 273160
wikidata_id: "Q133567109"
fi1m_score: 65
critics_score: 65
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-09-11"
updated: "2026-09-11T22:10:58.618378+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Beauty (2026)

Created by Matthew Hodgson, Ryan Murphy · MPA TV-MA · Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

## Identity

The Beauty

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/the-beauty
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** the-beauty
- **IMDb ID:** tt33517752
- **TMDB ID:** 273160
- **Wikidata ID:** Q133567109
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33517752/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/273160, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133567109

**Fi1m score: 65** · Critics 65 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* Eleven episodes is a long time to spend regretting an injection

> Ryan Murphy’s body-horror series delivers enough gruesome invention and committed acting to reward a strong stomach. Its beauty-industry satire is blunt, though, and an eleven-episode season gives the scattered storytelling too much space.

## Synopsis

A shot promises to make people beautiful, turning the wish for a different body into a treatment. *The Beauty* follows that promise into a story of physical transformation, beauty sold as a commodity and the harm that can accompany it. Evan Peters plays Cooper Madsen and Jeremy Pope plays Jeremy, with Ashton Kutcher as Byron Forst and Anthony Ramos as Antonio. Combining science fiction, drama and body horror, the series concerns the pursuit of physical perfection, the value placed on appearances and the risks people take to change how they look.

## Review

*The Beauty* is worth considering for the grotesque transformations and the actors willing to take them seriously; its satire gives us much less to work with. Writers Matthew Hodgson and Ryan Murphy start with a useful horror premise: physical perfection can be acquired, and the treatment can do terrible damage. That should be enough to support both disgust and uncomfortable recognition. Across eleven episodes, however, the series keeps finding more things to include without looking much harder at why people want to be beautiful.

The transformations work. We were disgusted by the prolonged bodily damage, because the effects make becoming beautiful look physically unbearable. There is enough time to register the process rather than simply wait for a splash of blood, and that patience matters: the treatment begins to seem like something a person must endure. The practical effects do more to question the promise of a better body than the dialogue, which too often spells out what the gore has already made clear.

Evan Peters, as Cooper Madsen, supplies the seriousness this material needs to make its horrors matter. Jeremy Pope’s Jeremy gives us another reason to stay interested in the people, even when the writing is impatient to introduce another idea. Ashton Kutcher’s Byron Forst and Anthony Ramos’s Antonio are game for the series’ excesses. The cast’s willingness to commit is a considerable virtue, particularly when the tone cannot settle between black comedy and horror.

Jason McCormick and Stanley Fernandez Jr.’s cinematography gives the promised perfection a glossy appeal, making the ugliness harder to shrug off. Production designers Ioannis Papadopoulos, Marci Mudd and Kim Jennings help sustain that expensive-looking fantasy. The trouble is that the polished surroundings remain seductive even when the writing wants us to distrust the whole business of selling beauty. That contradiction could have been uncomfortable in a useful way, but the series rarely seems curious enough about its own pleasure in attractive people and their surroundings.

Editors Caroline Wang, Travis Weaver, Shannon Baker Davis, Philip Welch, Peggy Tachdjian and Julia Franklin cannot keep the growing number of storylines equally engaging. The early pace slackens, and movement between strands becomes something to sit through before the next sustained piece of horror. Mac Quayle’s music adds to the general overstatement, though it is more effective when the horror dominates than when the performances need space. We wanted a quieter stretch in which someone could hold our attention without another outrage being prepared.

Body horror becomes more disturbing when we understand why someone would risk such damage in the first place. Here, the writing repeatedly tells us that appearance has become a commodity, then treats that observation as sufficient. The uneven shifts into camp can be enjoyable, and we would not ask this programme to become a lecture. We would ask it to trust an ugly image, or a committed performance, without explaining the lesson quite so firmly.

There is enough gruesome invention here to interest anyone curious about what a beauty treatment might do to human flesh. The performances and effects make the scattered storytelling frustrating, because this could have been a much tighter programme. We would reserve it for committed body-horror viewers with patience for digression; anyone arriving for a searching account of beauty and power should make other plans.

*Fi1m score 65, published 11 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find The Beauty entertaining despite its shallow satire, with praise clustering around the grotesque body horror, practical effects and performances. The combination of camp comedy and gruesome transformations works for the more enthusiastic reviewers, who also welcome its interest in beauty standards and the treatment of beauty as a commodity. Peters and Hall draw praise, as do several supporting and guest performances.

Reservations centre on blunt messaging, familiar ideas and a story that becomes scattered, with even favourable reviews acknowledging the lack of depth. The spread is wide: a clear majority enjoy the excess, but a small minority find it empty or exhausting. The Independent regards the flashy visuals and unsubtle exposition as inferior to the series’ influences, notably The Substance. IndieWire is harsher still, finding the episodes plodding and, against much of the consensus, the gruesome transformations unmemorable.

## Straight answers

**Is The Beauty worth watching?**

*The Beauty* is worth watching for committed body-horror viewers with patience for an eleven-episode season, and we scored it 65. The grotesque transformations and Evan Peters's serious performance reward a strong stomach, but the beauty-industry satire is blunt and the storylines drift. Anyone wanting a sharp account of beauty and power should look elsewhere.

**How long is The Beauty, and what is it rated?**

*The Beauty* is rated TV-MA by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and sci-fi & fantasy series.

**Where can I watch The Beauty in the US?**

*The Beauty* is streaming on Hulu and Disney+ in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Beauty, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Beauty* is not suitable for children: it carries a TV-MA rating in the US and is built around prolonged, graphic body horror. The practical effects make becoming beautiful look physically unbearable, and the series dwells on the damage rather than cutting away. The squeamish should avoid it; older teenagers and adults who can take sustained gore will manage.

**What should I watch after The Beauty?**

After *The Beauty*, try [*Seconds*](https://film.one/film/seconds) (1966, Fi1m 84): Another promised fresh start, with the cost written into the body. Then [*Eyes Without a Face*](https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face) (1960, Fi1m 86): Surgical horror that gives damaged faces and desperate love equal attention; and [*The Skin I Live In*](https://film.one/film/the-skin-i-live-in) (2011, Fi1m 80): For more controlled unease about beauty, bodily autonomy and medical power.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **Empire**, David Opie (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the series an absolute riot, praising its gruesome thrills, entertaining clash of camp and gravitas led by strong performances from Peters and Hall, and vile prosthetics and effects. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-beauty/)
- **The Telegraph**, Anita Singh (4/5): The critic calls the series a wild, kitschy body-horror satire on weight-loss jabs and beauty obsession, with gruesome effects and strong performances from the leads grounding the chaos. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2026/01/21/the-beauty-disney-review/)
- **The AV Club**, Jarrod Jones (B): The critic praises the series as a playfully profane satire with skin-deep pleasures, stylish visuals, and engrossing performances in its back half, while noting it wears its influences loudly and can be cloyingly grandiose. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-beauty-review-fx-tv-ryan-murphy)
- **Evening Standard**, India Block (75/100, inferred): The review praises the high-concept, gory body-horror premise as a fun, campy Murphy vehicle with strong guest turns and timely satire on beauty standards, calling it an addictive super-hot mess. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/the-beauty-fx-disney-aston-kucher-bella-hadid-b1267098.html)
- **The Times**, Carol Midgley (75/100, inferred): The review describes the black comedy as a return to form for Ryan Murphy, an off-its-rocker parody of the Ozempic age that is funny and bingeable despite heavy messaging. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-beauty-review-this-dark-parody-of-the-ozempic-age-is-off-its-rocker-2zqg77jms)
- **Variety**, Aramide Tinubu (70/100, inferred): The critic calls it a mostly enjoyable but chaotic and imperfect ride that dares to explore pretty privilege and the perils of beauty as a commodity. They single out the grotesque, prolonged body horror transformations (and the blood/guts) for praise while complaining that the story splinters and loses focus after the strong early episodes. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-1236631037/)
- **Vulture**, Kathryn VanArendonk (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the series fascinatingly ugly and surprisingly thought-provoking in its lurid take on beauty standards and masculinity, with memorable gore and production design, though its themes are simplistic and its attitudes contradictory. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-beauty-fx-hulu-series-premiere-review.html)
- **Radio Times**, Molly Moss (3/5): The review finds the body horror thriller stylish and visually stunning with an intriguing plot and terrific cast, but faults its surface-level social commentary that lacks depth and subtlety. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/the-beauty-review/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (60/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a gory, fun-enough satirical body horror thriller that is not smart or original but provides a good-enough time with exploding bodies and strong effects. They praise the visceral practical effects and some game performances (especially Jeremy Pope) while complaining that the ideas are cursory, derivative, and lack depth or self-reflection. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-fx-ashton-kutcher-bella-hadid-1236479469/)
- **The Independent**, Patrick Smith (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the series excessive and dumbed-down, with lurid visuals and unsubtle exposition that make it flashy but vacant and inferior to its influences like The Substance. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-b2904087.html)
- **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (30/100, inferred): The critic calls Ryan Murphy's series a feeble spin on The Substance, diluting its pointed premise across 11 plodding episodes into a misshapen mess that fails to deliver memorable gruesome transformations. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-the-substance-1235173713/)
- **Consequence** (B-): The show is a campy, unsubtle body horror series full of chaos and gorgeous visuals that embraces its own messiness effectively. It offers fun performances and a timely satire on beauty standards without deep insights. [Read](https://consequence.net/2026/01/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-fx/)
- **Collider**, Jasneet Singh (6/10): The series has potential but is messy and chaotic with too many ideas and tonal inconsistencies. It excels in grotesque body horror sequences and features strong performances from supporting cast like Ashton Kutcher and Anthony Ramos. [Read](https://collider.com/the-beauty-review-fx-ryan-murphy-evan-peters-ashton-kutcher/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Matthew Hodgson, Ryan Murphy
- **Creator:** Matthew Hodgson, Ryan Murphy
- **Director:** Michael Uppendahl, Alexis Martin Woodall, Ryan Murphy, Crystle Roberson Dorsey
- **Writer:** Matthew Hodgson, Ryan Murphy
- **Cinematography:** Stanley Fernandez Jr., Jason McCormick
- **Editor:** Travis Weaver, Julia Franklin, Peggy Tachdjian, Shannon Baker Davis, Philip Welch, Caroline Wang
- **Music:** Mac Quayle
- **Production design:** Marci Mudd, Kim Jennings, Ioannis Papadopoulos
- **Costume design:** Sarah Evelyn
- **Producer:** Kip Davis Myers, Peggy Tachdjian
- **Cast:** Evan Peters as Cooper Madsen; Anthony Ramos as Antonio / The Assassin; Jeremy Pope as Jeremy; Ashton Kutcher as Byron Forst / The Corporation; Bella Hadid as Ruby; Céline Menville as Vincent Seraphine; John Carroll Lynch as Meyer Williams; Jaquel Spivey as Jeremy (Pre Beauty)
- **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA
- **Release (the US):** 21 January 2026
- **Genres:** Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bDmmK15CNY

## Where to watch in the US

- Hulu: streaming, uhd
- Disney+: add-on, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-11.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Seconds* (1966), Fi1m 84: Another promised fresh start, with the cost written into the body. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/seconds.md)
- *Eyes Without a Face* (1960), Fi1m 86: Surgical horror that gives damaged faces and desperate love equal attention. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face.md)
- *The Skin I Live In* (2011), Fi1m 80: For more controlled unease about beauty, bodily autonomy and medical power. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-skin-i-live-in.md)
- *Helter Skelter* (2012): A model’s manufactured perfection makes for harsher scrutiny of the beauty business.
- *Safe* (1995): A quieter, more unsettling look at bodily distress and promises of treatment.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-beauty