Stephen Graham stuns in new role: the unexpected comeback viewers can’t miss

Could a virus make you beautiful? That’s the question at the core of Disney+’s fresh gamble, “The Beauty,” a series whose audacity is only rivaled by its unpredictability. Adapted from American comics and launching with its first three episodes this Thursday, January 22, this new drama is what happens when Ryan Murphy trades his glitter for viral glamour—alongside Matthew Hodgson, the script-wielding mind from “9-1-1” and “Glee.” Buckle up: this one’s a wild catwalk.

The Promise and the Chaos: Where The Beauty Begins

• Packed with anticipation after Murphy’s hit “Monster” on Netflix and his critically battered “All’s Fair” on Disney+, “The Beauty” enters the streaming world with expectations sky-high and patience running low.
• The opening episode wastes no time: Fashion Week, Paris. A runway model, dripping with sweat and gripped by sudden violence, abandons her strut for a motorbike chase through the City of Light—only to wreck a restaurant in desperate search of water and then, in a feat of gory literalism, explode in the middle of a roundabout surrounded by riot police.
• Blink and you’ll spot a memorable cameo by top model Bella Hadid, who may leave you as stunned as the Parisian onlookers.

From Paris Runways to FBI Files: A Dizzying Spread of Subplots

• The action shifts continents and genres with the reckless abandon of a DJ at a genreless party. Two FBI agents step in, tasked with untangling the bizarre phenomenon that’s dropping beautiful people all over the globe.
• Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away in the US, we meet a lonely, overweight man, spending his days before a screen, paying women to undress and airing his misery in incel forums—a portrait of digital-age malaise as raw as it is unsettling.
• The plot thickens with episode two, introducing a one-eyed assassin and a billionaire, both orbiting the mysterious virus. But clarity regarding what the virus really does—or represents—is conspicuously absent, leaving viewers grasping for firm narrative ground.

A Medley of Genres or a Hot Mess?

“The Beauty” tries everything—like a chef with every spice in the rack but no recipe. Is it a police procedural? A horror thriller? Social commentary on the tyranny of appearances? A psychological exploration, especially of adolescent angst? Yes, yes, yes… and also, somehow, no. Rather than blending these elements into something savory, the result is a narrative stew that’s often hard to swallow. Some will be hooked by the wild, gory sequences; others may be put off their dinner.

Adding to the sense of chaos is Murphy’s visual extravagance: episodes shot in Paris, Venice, and Rome dazzle the eye, and he helms episodes 1 and 3 with obvious relish. Still, that beauty is skin-deep when episodes jump abruptly in length—from a breezy 24 minutes to a feature-length 52—which disrupts the show’s rhythm and makes binge-watching feel more like an obstacle course.

For all its clever plot twists (some genuinely surprising), coherence suffers. The more the plot thickens, the greater the frustration as the series fumbles ideas that might have carried it to greatness.

A Cast Bursting with Potential

• One undeniable bright spot: the acting. Evan Peters, a Ryan Murphy mainstay from “American Horror Story” and “Dahmer,” brings FBI agent Cooper Madsen to life with genuine charm, impressing in scenes delivered in both French and Italian.
• Ashton Kutcher slides naturally into the role of a billionaire desperate to commercialize the beauty virus, while Anthony Ramos chills as his one-eyed hired killer.
• And a special nod to Isabella Rossellini, who dazzles as the billionaire’s wife, swanning around in outfits as extravagant as her role.

The pieces are all here for a top-tier series: a killer premise, globe-trotting style, and a cast that brings every scene to life. But “The Beauty” can’t quite pull itself together. Instead, it’s a kaleidoscope—more alluring than satisfying, and likely to leave you with more questions than answers.

In the end, “The Beauty” stuns as much for its chaos as for its cast. If you’re game for a series that defies every mold (and possibly good sense), it might just be the wild comeback you didn’t see coming. Just don’t expect every ingredient in this viral recipe to go down easy.