Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans is the second season of the American anthology television series Feud created by Ryan Murphy, Jaffe Cohen, and Michael Zam for FX. Directed by Gus Van Sant, Max Winkler, and Jennifer Lynch, it is written by Jon Robin Baitz. The eight-episode season is based on the book Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era written by Laurence Leamer. Its first two episodes premiered on January 31, 2024, with episodes available on Hulu the day after broadcast on FX.
Premise
Acclaimed writer Truman Capote ruins his friendships with the Swans, a group of high society ladies, by writing a thinly veiled fictionalized account of their scandalous and hedonistic lives in his planned novel, Answered Prayers. When Esquire publishes the chapter "La Côte Basque 1965", after the restaurant of the same name frequented by the Swans and Capote himself, several vow to ruin his life in revenge.Cast
Main
The Swans
- Naomi Watts as Babe Paley, a socialite, former Vogue editor, and wife of Bill Paley, the founder of CBS. She is Capote's close friend, the first among the Swans.
- Diane Lane as Lady Slim Keith, a socialite and fashion icon with a disdain for Capote.
- Chloë Sevigny as C. Z. Guest, a socialite with WASP background, horsewoman, and author. She is the last Swan to remain friends with Capote.
- Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill, a sardonic socialite and the younger sister of Jackie Kennedy.
Recurring cast
- Tom Hollander as Truman Capote, the esteemed author of La Côte Basque, 1965, the story that scandalizes the New York elite society and ruptures his relationship with "the Swans".
- Demi Moore as Ann Woodward, a socialite and radio actress accused of murdering her husband.
- Molly Ringwald as Joanne Carson, a model, show host, and Capote's final martyr.
- Treat Williams as Bill Paley, Babe's adulterous husband.
- Joe Mantello as Jack Dunphy, Capote's longest-lasting boyfriend, who got him into rehab.
- Russell Tovey as John O'Shea, Capote's abusive side-piece with a "heterosexual dominance" complex.
- Jessica Lange as Lillie Mae Faulk, Capote's mother.
- Ella Beatty as Kerry O'Shea, O'Shea's estranged daughter and Capote's protégé.
Guest
- Rebecca Creskoff as Happy Rockefeller, a philanthropist and wife of 41st vice president of the United States, Nelson Rockefeller.
- David Healy as Nelson Rockefeller, 41st vice president of the United States.
- Daniel Adaro as Chris O'Shea, O'Shea's estranged son.
- Tom Stratford as Bill Blass, a famous fashion designer and Capote's old friend.
- Marin Ireland as Katharine Graham, a lead publisher of The Washington Post, her family's newspaper.
- Alison Wright as Pamela Harriman, a socialite with a multitude of suitors, as well as the Ambassador to France.
- Pawel Szajda as Albert Maysles, a filmmaker that filmed the fictional documentary, "Masquerade 1966".
- Yuval David as David Maysles, a filmmaker and Albert's brother.
- Chris Chalk as James Baldwin, a civil-rights activist, author, and Capote's friend.
- Charlotte Cronin as Cornelia Guest, the daughter of C.Z. Guest.
- Jeffrey Grover as Richard Avedon, a fashion photographer and old friend of Lillie Mae Faulk.
- Dennis Staroselsky as Stanley Siegel, host of the The Stanley Siegel Show.
- Jessica DiGiovani as Kate Paley, Babe's estranged daughter.
- Dan Cordle as Joe Capote, Capote's stepfather and Lillie Mae Faulk's second husband.
- Roya Shanks as Louisa Firth, a socialite with a love for Capote's stories.
- Jamie Askew as Jennifer Jones, an actress and health-advocate.
- Scott Zimmerman as David Selznick, a producer and screenwriter of Capote's short stories adapted to the big screen.
Episodes
Production
Development
FX renewed the Feud series for a second season in February 2017, with Ryan Murphy and Jon Robin Baitz attached as writers, with an initial focus on the relationship between the then Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales.By April 2022, the focus had shifted onto Truman Capote and his tempestuous relationship with New York high society with Gus Van Sant on board to direct and Naomi Watts attached to star.
Baitz adapted the bestselling book Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer for the series. Executive producers on the series include Murphy, Alexis Martin Woodall, Baitz, Van Sant, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Watts, Eric Kovtun, and Scott Robertson.
It was the last project of Treat Williams before his death in 2023.
Casting
In August 2022, Tom Hollander was cast as Truman Capote with the cast also including Diane Lane and Calista Flockhart. In September 2022, Demi Moore joined the cast.Filming
Filming began in New York in the autumn of 2022.Release
Broadcast
The first two episodes of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans premiered on January 31, 2024. The series debuted at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX, with a special Director's Cut of the first episode simulcast on FXX. In Canada, the season debuted on FX on Wednesday, January 31, at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, simultaneously with the U.S. broadcast.Streaming
Episodes of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans were made available for streaming on Hulu the day after their FX broadcast. Internationally, the show was made available for streaming on Disney+ via the Star hub and on Star+ in Latin America.The series debuted at No. 1 on Hulu's "Top 15 Today"—a daily updated list of the platform's most-watched titles—on its first full day of release. JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, estimated that the show was the sixth most-streamed series in the U.S. for the week of February 5–11. The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which monitors real-time data from 5 million users in the U.S. for original and acquired streaming programs and movies across subscription video-on-demand and ad-supported video-on-demand services, calculated that the series was the eighth most-streamed television show in the U.S. during the week of February 4. It climbed to the third most-streamed show the following week, before moving to the ninth spot by February 21.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans holds an approval rating of 77% based on 64 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While this Feud might lack the abundance of incident that made its predecessor such a nasty delight, Capote vs. the SwansDavid Bianculli of NPR praised the season, concluding that Capote vs. the Swans merits attention for its quality. Bianculli described it as a strong drama with a compelling story and a powerhouse cast, noting that the actors deliver particularly powerful performances in this installment of Feud. Alison Herman of Variety commended the show's portrayal of the "complex, enduring, often co-dependent bond between straight women and gay men." Herman described the series as a sincere and moving exploration of this dynamic, a rarity treated with empathy and depth. Herman noted that this unique focus helps make the show's flaws more forgivable, viewing them as part of its ambitious storytelling.
Benjamin Lee of The Guardian awarded Capote vs. the Swans four out of five stars and praised it for its thoughtful approach, crediting the shift away from Charles and Diana. Lee commended the performances of Tom Hollander, Naomi Watts, and Chloë Sevigny, as well as the show's exploration of the emotional toll on high society figures. While the expected cattiness is present, Lee found the series more focused on the poignant relationships between Capote and his female friends. Despite some minor flaws in pacing, Lee concluded that the second season surpasses the first by emphasizing melancholy over meanness.
Carol Midgley of The Sunday Times awarded Capote vs. the Swans four out of five stars and found it to be a visually stunning and sharply written series that, while too long at nearly eight hours, is elevated by Tom Hollander's mesmerizing portrayal of Truman Capote. Hollander's performance, marked by his convincing physical transformation and voice work, captures Capote's descent into alcoholism, drug abuse, and self-destruction. Midgley also praised Naomi Watts as Babe Paley, highlighting the cast's strong performances. Though the series explores rich people's self-obsession, Midgley found that Hollander's nuanced portrayal brings depth and pathos to Capote’s tragic decline. Emma Fraser of IGN rated Capote vs. The Swans eight out of ten, praising the actors' performances, particularly that of Hollander. Fraser also complimented the show's costumes and production design, describing it as a "delicious cautionary tale of writing.
Jackson McHenry of Vulture noted that Capote vs. the Swans offers plenty of surface-level details about Capote, highlighting his public persona, but struggles to delve into his creative inner life. McHenry observed that while the show delivers on the cattiness, glamour, and intriguing facts—such as Capote serving spaghetti and chicken hash with champagne—it falls short in providing deeper insight into why Capote's social circle was so groundbreaking or how 1960s society was evolving during that time. Melanie McFarland of Salon observed that the female characters in Baitz's script lacked depth, noting that the writing focuses heavily on one layer of the women's interiority, primarily portraying their vindictiveness, prejudice, or selfishness, without suggesting deeper dimensions. She also critiqued comparisons made by FX and the show to The Real Housewives franchise, arguing that this comparison undermines the cast's efforts. McFarland pointed out that while Bravo's housewives may appear as shallow as Capote’s socialites, Andy Cohen excels at turning problematic personalities into captivating spectacles. In contrast, Baitz and the cast overwork the characters, making them appear rigid rather than allowing them the flexibility to be authentically wicked.