Glee creator Ryan Murphy signs up for exclusive Netflix deal, vows to make new LGBT shows
Ryan Murphy (Mike Windle/Getty)
Glee creator Ryan Murphy will make new shows exclusively for Netflix under a new deal announced today.
The out screenwriter is a prolific creator of successful TV shows – including musical series Glee, upcoming trans-themed series Pose, and anthology shows American Horror Story, American Crime Story and Feud.
Murphy – whose existing shows air on Fox – announced a new deal with Netflix today to create new content exclusively for the streaming giant.
In a statement, Murphy saud that his upcoming shows will continue to “champion LGBTQ heroes and heroines”.
Murphy said: “The history of this moment is not lost on me.
“I am a gay kid from Indiana who moved to Hollywood in 1989 with $55 dollars in savings in my pocket, so the fact that my dreams have crystallized and come true in such a major way is emotional and overwhelming to me.
“I am awash in genuine appreciation for Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings and Cindy Holland at Netflix for believing in me and the future of my company which will continue to champion women, minorities and LGBTQ heroes and heroines, and I am honored and grateful to continue my partnership with my friends and peers at Fox on our existing shows.”
Ryan Murphy (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
The news will be a boon to Netflix, which has invested heavily in content marketed at minority audiences including the LGBT community.
Pose, American Horror Story, American Crime Story and Feud will continue to air on their existing networks under the deal.
A release said: “Boundary-breaking and Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning producer, director and writer Ryan Murphy and his Ryan Murphy Productions have entered into a multi-year deal to produce new series and films exclusively at Netflix, starting July 1, 2018.”
Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at Netflix, said: “Ryan Murphy’s series have influenced the global cultural zeitgeist, reinvented genres and changed the course of television history. His unfaltering dedication to excellence and to give voice to the underrepresented, to showcase a unique perspective or just to shock the hell out of us, permeates his genre-shattering work.
“From Nip/Tuck – our first licensed series – to American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson and American Horror Story, we’ve seen how his brand of storytelling captivates consumers and critics across the globe.
“His celebrated body of work and his contributions to our industry speak for themselves, and we look forward to supporting Ryan in bringing his broad and diverse stories to the world.”
Ryan Murphy (Photo by Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Elsie Fest)
Murphy’s upcoming show Pose, which will air on FX this summer, features the most transgender cast members of any show in US TV history.
Pose is set in 1980s New York, and portrays life in the city’s iconic queer ballroom culture, as most famously portrayed in the film Paris is Burning.
It also tackles other segments of New York society, juxtaposing the ballroom scene with the city’s creative hub and high-flying luxury business world.
MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, Hailie Sahar, and Angelica Ross, all of whom are transgender, lead the cast.
American Horror Story’s Evan Peters is also set to appear, alongside House of Cards actress Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek and Charlayne Woodard.
Trans activists Janet Mock and Our Lady J are writing for the series, while the show will also work to bring through transgender directors through Murphy’s Directing Mentorship Program.
Ryan Murphy (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for The New Yorker)
The show was given an official eight-episode order this week, cementing history as the most trans-inclusive TV show to make it to air.
Murphy said: “I am thrilled to… present what I think is a game changer of a show, which at its heart is an uplifting series about the universal quest for identity, family and respect.
“”Along with being a dance musical and an affirming look at American life in the 1980s, I’m so proud that ‘Pose’ and FX has made history right from the beginning by featuring the most trans series regular actors ever in an American television production.
“Additionally, the first season ‘Pose’ will feature 50-plus LGBTQ characters – a record in American television history. I can’t wait for people to see this incredibly talented, passionate cast.”
American Horror Story actor Colton Haynes previously praised Murphy for casting LGBT talent in his shows.
The gay Teen Wolf and Arrow actor opened up about being snubbed by other execs for ‘action roles’.
He wrote: “Hollywood is so f**ked up. So much of the focus is on your personal life & has nothing to do with the talent you have to bring to the table.”
The actor went on to praise American Horror Story showrunner Ryan Murphy, Arrow exec Greg Berlanti and Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis – the three gay execs who gave Colton all his biggest roles.
(Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
The actor wrote: “Thank god for Ryan Murphy, Greg Berlanti, & Jeff Davis. They believe gay actors are more than just their personal lives.
“So disappointed in how Hollywood cant understand that playing a character has nothing to do with h
He did not publicly single out any specific producer or studio who had refused to give him a part because of his sexuality.
However, the comments add fuel to the fire over long-running reluctance to cast LGBT actors in blockbuster films.
Cara Delevingne recently alleged that disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein told her that if she “was gay or decided to be with a woman especially in public” she would never get a role playing a straight character or “make it as an actress in Hollywood.
