--- title: "The Beauty: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-beauty/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-beauty" critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 13 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): what the critics said Critics' score 65 from 13 reviews: 8 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative. 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. ## Empire — David Opie Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-beauty/) ## The Telegraph — Anita Singh Rating 4/5. 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2026/01/21/the-beauty-disney-review/) ## The AV Club — Jarrod Jones Rating B. 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-beauty-review-fx-tv-ryan-murphy) ## Evening Standard — India Block Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/the-beauty-fx-disney-aston-kucher-bella-hadid-b1267098.html) ## The Times — Carol Midgley Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. 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 the review](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 Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-1236631037/) ## Vulture — Kathryn VanArendonk Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-beauty-fx-hulu-series-premiere-review.html) ## Radio Times — Molly Moss Rating 3/5. 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/the-beauty-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-fx-ashton-kutcher-bella-hadid-1236479469/) ## The Independent — Patrick Smith Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-b2904087.html) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-the-substance-1235173713/) ## Consequence Rating B-. 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://consequence.net/2026/01/the-beauty-review-ryan-murphy-fx/) ## Collider — Jasneet Singh Rating 6/10. 21 January 2026. 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 the review](https://collider.com/the-beauty-review-fx-ryan-murphy-evan-peters-ashton-kutcher/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/the-beauty.md