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Does anyone have a work ethic quite like super-producer Ryan Murphy? In 2020, he unveiled two new series, a documentary, and two movie versions of stage plays. In 2021, he upped the ante even more, giving us new seasons of American Horror Story, Pose, American Crime Story, 9-1-1, and 9-1-1: Lone Star while also premiering a new documentary and launching two new series. And from what we can tell, Mr. Murphy’s 2022 is poised to become just as ambitious as the past couple of years.
Below is your guide to what the busiest man in Hollywood has in store for us all. While he currently only has a handful of projects confirmed for 2022, it’s still early days, and we expect more announcements before the year wraps up. Here are 16 TV shows, movies and documentaries in various stages of development from Murphy.
'9-1-1: Lone Star' Season 3
Premiere Date: January 3
Rob Lowe’s Texan thriller isn’t just coming back. It’s already here. This January marks the Season 3 premiere of Fox’s emergency drama set in Austin. New episodes are set to premiere Mondays at 8/7c p.m., and there are expected to be 18 episodes in this new season.
'9-1-1' Season 5
Premiere Date: March, 2022
Season 5 first premiered in September of 2021 before the series took a break in early December. That means we have eight episodes remaining in this emergency thriller. That’s the good news. The bad news is we’ve have to wait until at least March to continue the adventures of our plucky 9-1-1 operatives. The series will pick up back-to-back with 9-1-1: Lone Star on Mondays after Fox finishes airing football — and the even better news, a crossover is coming.
‘American Horror Stories' Season 2
Premiere Date: TBA, potentially Summer 2022
Instead of devoting an entire season to a new story, each episode of American Horror Stories tells a different, terrifying tale. The first season premiered in July of 2021 after being announced a year earlier. Based on that timeline and how quick the AHS team typically is, it feels safe to expect this one to premiere around the summer of this year, though there has been no official announcement as of yet.
‘American Horror Story’ Season 11
Premiere Date: TBA, most likely Fall 2022
The tentpole FX original is coming back. In 2020 it was announced that American Horror Story was renewed through Season 13. At the moment, we don’t know when Season 11 will premiere. Will we see another gap year like we saw in 2020? Will it be another two-parter like Season 10? Who knows. But based on this show’s history over the past decade, it seems most likely that we’ll be watching another creepy season in fall of 2022.
‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’
Premiere Date: 2022
Have you been craving more horror from this creative team? Your prayers are about to be answered. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is a collaboration between Ryan Murphy Productions and Blumhouse that will adapt the short story of the same name from Stephen King. It follows a young boy who befriends a reclusive billionaire. But once the old man passes away, the boy realizes that the dead aren’t completely gone as he’s able to communicate with his friend using an iPhone. Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Donald Sutherland, Jaeden Martell, and Joe Tippett have all been announced for the project.
‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’
Premiere Date: 2022
Out of all the new Murphy projects on our horizon, this one may be the most exciting. Starring Evan Peters as the titular serial killer, Monster will tell the story of Jeffrey Dahmer from the perspective of his victims. In addition to Peters, the miniseries will star Penelope Ann Miller, Richard Jenkins, Michael Learned, Colin Ford, Shaun J. Brown, and Niecy Nash. Dahmer was responsible for 17 victims and has gone down in history as one of most notorious serial killers in American history. Expect an excellent performance from Peters and an examination about how police incompetence failed so many victims.
'The Watcher'
Premiere Date: TBA
Prepare for more horror. This upcoming miniseries follows a married couple who moves into their dream home. But when they get a series of increasingly terrifying letters from someone only known as “The Watcher,” that dream turns into a nightmare. The Netflix miniseries (which has yet to be formally announced by the streamer) is an especially exciting one as it will star Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Coolidge, Naomi Watts, and Mia Farrow. Admit it; you’ve always wanted to see Coolidge in American Horror Story.
'Ratched' Season 2
Premiere Date: TBA
Sarah Paulson is coming back to make you reconsider all your opinions about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Season 1 of the Netflix prequel series ended with Paulson’s Nurse Ratched on the run from her mentally unstable brother. With an ending that crazy, you know that Season 2 is going to ramp things up even more. Here’s hoping we get to see it this year.
Studio 54 Season of 'American Crime Story’
Premiere Date: TBA
To date, American Crime Story has covered some of the biggest events of the ‘90s, including the trial of OJ Simpson, the murder of Gianni Versace, and President Clinton’s impeachment. For its fourth season, this anthology series is going back to the 1970s. The Studio 54 season of the show is expected to focus on the rise and fall of club owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. Prepare to relearn everything you thought you knew about this historic club.
Where to watch The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
'A Chorus Line'
Premiere Date: TBA
First there was The Boys in the Band and The Prom. Now, Murphy has one more theatrical adaptation up his sleeve with this upcoming Netflix musical miniseries. The original play follows 17 Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on the chorus line for a musical. Rather than a by-the-books retelling, this upcoming series will delve into how director Michael Bennett created this historic show.
'American Love Story'
Premiere Date: TBA
American Horror Story is getting two more soft anthology spinoffs. First up is American Love Story. Each season will cover a different sweeping love story that captured the world’s attention. The romance and tragic demise of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette are set to be the subject of the show’s first season. In addition to Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and Alexis Martin Woodall are set to executive produce.
'American Sports Story'
Premiere Date: TBA
But wait, there’s more. The fourth spiritual sequel to AHS will be American Sports Story, which will reexamine a different sports figure through the prism of today’s world. The first season will focus on football tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez and will be based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. Once again, Murphy, Falchuk, Jacobson, Simpson, and Woodall will executive produce.
Untitled Marlene Dietrich Netflix Project
Premiere Date: TBA
You’ve been silently begging for her return. You’ve not-so-silently missed her in American Horror Story. Now your favorite is coming back. Jessica Lange is set to star in Murphy’s currently untitled Marlene Dietrich project, a miniseries that’s currently in pre-production. The German-American actress was a star of stage and silent films who later became known for her humanitarian efforts. The upcoming series has been described as “The start of a legend include all the ups and downs of living large.”
Untitled Andy Warhol Netflix Documentary Project
Premiere Date: TBA
This is another one we know little about. The docuseries was announced in 2019, and in 2021, some of the late Warhol’s friends and colleagues came forward to criticize the project, fearing that they wouldn’t be featured in the series at all. But that’s about all we know about this ambitious documentary.
Untitled Billie Lourd Project
Premiere Date: TBA
We all know that Billie Lourd is an absolute goddess on American Horror Story. And her reign is only getting more powerful. In 2020, it was announced that Murphy was creating a project specifically for her. We don’t know what this show or movie will look like, but after her performance in American Horror Stories, we can’t wait to see what’s next.
'Consent'
Premiere Date: TBA
This anthology series will focus on stories of sexual harassment in the workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Murphy has noted that, if the series were to happen, it would tackle the stories of Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. Out of all the projects on this list, the tentatively titled Consent seems the most up in the air. It was only mentioned during an interview with The New Yorker in 2018.
