Ryan Murphy is streaming over to Netflix
A big payday for the producer, but what does it mean for fans of shows like American Crime Story?
Seven months after Netflix nabbed mega- producer Shonda Rhimes, the streaming giant has lured the equally prolific Ryan Murphy from his longtime home at 20th Century Fox.
It’s a big get for Netflix and a big payday for Murphy, but what does it mean for fans of shows like American Crime Story? We answer your burning questions.
Are all of his shows moving to Netflix now?
No. His current series will continue airing as long as their networks renew them. Their current status:
❚ American Crime Story ( currently midway through its second season on FX, about the killer of designer Gianni Versace). Murphy is currently at work on the third and fourth seasons, about Hurricane Katrina and the ClintonLewinsky scandal, respectively.
❚ American Horror Story , the FX anthology series, has been renewed for two more seasons on FX.
❚ 9- 1- 1, Fox’s hit emergency rescue drama starring Connie Britton, Peter Krause and Angela Bassett.
❚ Feud, which follows its first story about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford with a second on FX about Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
❚ Pose, a new FX series about New York’s ballroom dancing and club scenes in the late 1980s.
Which shows will be on Netflix?
Murphy had already sold two shows to Netflix under his current pact at 20th Century Fox, which expires July 1: Ratched, an origin story about the infamous nurse from One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; and The Politician, a comedy starring Tonywinner Ben Platt ( Dear Evan Hansen, Pitch Perfect).
What happens to the shows that are already on Netflix?
Netflix has licensing deals for American Crime Story, American Horror Story and Glee. But those shows are all owned by Fox, and if the sale goes through, Disney could pull them once current licensing deals expire.
Disney has already announced plans to remove content from Netflix in 2019, in anticipation of creating its own streaming service.
Why is Murphy leaving Fox?
Disney’s plan to acquire Fox likely played a role. During the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour in January, Murphy expressed trepidation over what a Disneyowned Fox might mean for his edgy shows, which include the upcoming
Pose, which will feature TV’s largest transgender cast.
Murphy, 52, told reporters, “I got a call from ( Fox owner Rupert) Murdoch and I got a call from ( Disney chief Bob) Iger, and I said point blank, ‘ The stuff I do is not Disney. Am I going to have to put Mickey Mouse in
American Horror Story?’ ”
What does Murphy get out of this deal?
Even more freedom than he now has. Since Netflix is subscriber- funded, he won’t have to worry about network censors, alienating advertisers, or getting notes from Disney minders. His shows will be available worldwide on Netflix’s global streaming service. And then there’s the money. The
New York Times estimates his fiveyear deal at $ 300 million.
What does Netflix get out
By signing Murphy, who’s been at Fox for more than a decade, and
Grey’s Anatomy producer Shonda Rhimes, Netflix gains further legitimacy as a competitor to the broadcast and cable networks.