‘The Beauty’ takes on beauty standards with lots of body horror

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What I loved most about FX and Hulu’s new show, “The Beauty,” is a clever reference to the 1960s singing duo Chad and Jeremy. It’s a small joke that only people familiar with their music or their appearance on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” will get, and I can just imagine the writers enjoying including it. While I didn’t enjoy the rest of the 11-episode first season as much, the show isn’t really trying to be delightful; it’s a body-horror procedural adventure, and it leans into that.

The scene opens with a supermodel – played by Bella Hadid – losing control on a Paris fashion runway. She throws water bottles at the audience, shoves people aside, and generally causes chaos. She then steals a motorcycle and speeds through the city to the beat of Prodigy’s “Firestarter” before crashing. Despite being injured, she enters a cafe, aggressively drinks water, and continues her violent outburst. Even after being shot, she doesn’t stop, and ends up facing a line of armed police officers in the street. The scene culminates in a dramatic explosion, followed by the opening credits.

The show reveals its story gradually and doesn’t follow a straightforward timeline, so if you prefer to go in knowing absolutely nothing about the plot, you might want to stop reading now – though I don’t think anything ahead will ruin the surprise. The story revolves around a drug called ‘Beauty,’ which can make anyone incredibly attractive, but eventually causes people to overheat – literally. (A good reminder of why we need organizations like the FDA!) Even more concerning, the drug turns into a sexually transmitted virus after just one dose – as the show’s tagline says, “One shot and you’re hot” – and you can imagine how quickly that would spread.

The incredibly wealthy person behind the drug is more upset about the potential disruption to their business plans than about any possible deaths. They want to control the market for a product called Beauty, which is now spreading beyond their control. Their solution to problems is murder, and they use a hitman known as the Assassin (Anthony Ramos) to carry it out – though they’re willing to do the job themselves when it suits them. The Assassin will later be joined by an assistant, Jeremy, played by Jeremy Pope. (The overall business strategy isn’t very sound, to begin with.)

The series kicks off with a bizarre case – a supermodel unexpectedly explodes – drawing in FBI agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall), stationed in Paris. Their witty back-and-forth and stylish appearance are a highlight, reminding some of Mulder and Scully, though this pair have a more immediate connection. As more attractive people meet explosive ends in glamorous locations, Madsen and Bennett pursue the source of the trouble, traveling to Venice, Rome, and New York. The show makes a point of filming in these iconic cities, rather than relying on cheaper stand-ins. Everything about the production feels lavish and well-funded, perhaps even including luxurious travel for the cast and crew, and it’s another appealing aspect of the series. A nice detail is that the agents are fluent in both French and Italian.

Stories like “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and countless vampire tales consistently warn us that the pursuit of eternal youth and beauty leads to ruin. We see the damaging effects of this obsession play out in the real world every day. It’s no surprise that the show “Nip/Tuck,” which explored the world of cosmetic surgery, gained attention back in 2003. This new work seems to satirize our current culture’s focus on superficial goals, particularly in the age of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. The powerful, foolish characters may be a commentary on figures like former President Trump, but they really represent greedy and corrupt billionaires in general.

Beauty is subjective, varying with personal preference and cultural norms. Isabella Rossellini, playing Franny Forst—somehow married to the corporation—embodies the idea of aging with grace, and will even deliver a speech on the topic. However, the story doesn’t shy away from difficult portrayals, showing overweight characters as unhappy. The ‘patients,’ who have undergone cosmetic procedures, are undeniably attractive, but in a bland, almost cookie-cutter way—the women slender, the men muscular—which feels more depressing than alluring. A Nobel laureate will appear to explain the drug’s effects, but it’s essentially just a fantastical, unexplained solution.

The show is filled with graphic violence and disturbing imagery – the changes characters undergo aren’t pleasant to watch. While some stories aim for emotional impact, they often get lost in the bizarre elements or feel unnecessarily shocking, and the characters themselves aren’t developed enough to truly connect with. There are twists and turns in the plot, but they’re predictable and don’t create genuine suspense. While the first season ends with a setup for more, it doesn’t fully deliver on being scary.

Honestly, this series is so over-the-top and sometimes just plain silly, I think the best way to enjoy it is to treat it like a really stylish action-comedy. I mean, things get wild fast – there’s literally supermodel debris flying around after the first scene! It reminds me a bit of those fun, low-budget B-movies, and hey, look at ‘Star Wars’ – that started as one of those too! It’s all about embracing the ridiculous and having a good time.

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2026-01-21 19:01