It was inevitable producer Ryan Murphy and author Bret Easton Ellis would join forces at some point.
Murphy has told stories about teens for years, and Ellis has danced around secrets and murders in a handful of books.
Put them together and you get “The Shards,” a look at the 90210 set in the 1980s and their obsession with status. To goose the concept, Murphy cast the children of ‘80s celebrities to give this a double-edged point.
From left: Kaia Gerber as Susan, Igby Rigney as Bret, Hayes Warner as Debbie, Homer Gere as Robert and Graham Campbell as Thom in "The Shards."
Initially, the limited series just introduces the characters — a writer named Bret (Igby Rigney) who’s something of a stand-in for Ellis. He wants to move into the movie world sooner than it seems possible, but there are plenty of barriers for his Mercedes-level ambition. His girlfriend, Debbie (Hayes Warner), is the daughter of a movie mogul and his pill-popping wife. Their best friend, Susan (Kaia Gerber), is the school’s queen bee, matched with the star jock Thom (Graham Campbell). They spend countless hours smoking cigarettes and driving fast, and then a newcomer, Robert (Homer Gere), enters the picture and upsets the not-so-norms.
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Graham Campbell as Thom in "The Shards."
Once the stage is set, Murphy kicks in the camp and lampoons the lifestyles, the clothing, the secrets. “Shards” seems pretty straightforward until Debbie’s dad’s assistant, Steven (Jordan Roth), emerges. He plants the doubt and stirs the pot.
Roth, a Broadway producer, is so good as the Warhol-like manipulator you long to see him pop up in any number of situations. He’s fairly compliant and watch-worthy. The rest of the series is reheated “Dynasty” as costumed by early-day Ralph Lauren.
Jordan Roth as Steven in "The Shards"
A serial killer called The Trawler begins tormenting Los Angeles and, of course, gets into the closed community. Then, it becomes a matter of figuring out who’s the likely culprit.
Before the confrontation, there’s a homecoming battle, dramas involving Debbie’s dad (played with Paul Michael Glaser gusto by Wes Bentley) and mom (Evan Rachel Wood) and a few close encounters with Bret.
Igby Rigney as Bret, left, and Kaia Gerber as Susan in "The Shards."
While Gerber is a doppelganger for her mom, Cindy Crawford, Gere doesn’t remind you of his dad, Richard. He’s the wild card tossed in the deck and a lust object of sorts for Bret. Because Rigney seems so much older than the others, it’s difficult to view him as a high schooler with goals.
Still, Murphy and company are able to fill this with plenty of ‘80s totems, including Giorgio perfume, Cartier tank watches and those au-so-courant video cassette players.
Homer Gere as Robert in "The Shards."
He borrows some of his “American Horror Story” tricks, too, and reminds you what seemed important more than 40 years ago.
“The Shards” isn’t as compelling as the original “90210,” which made children of the rich and famous attractive before reality television appeared. But it could be remembered as the series that launched a big performing career for Roth. He’s the real one to watch.
“The Shards” airs on FX and streams on Hulu.
