Grotesquerie (TV series)


Grotesquerie is an American horror drama television series created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken for FX. Niecy Nash-Betts stars as Detective Lois Tryon, alongside Courtney B. Vance, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Micaela Diamond, Raven Goodwin, and Lesley Manville.
The series premiered on September 25, 2024.
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Premise

Detective Lois Tryon must work with Sister Megan, a local nun, to figure out the source of a series of heinous crimes that is affecting both their community and their personal lives.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Production

The series was announced in February 2024, when creator Ryan Murphy released a teaser on Instagram. Niecy Nash, Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville were set to star.

Release

Broadcast

The trailer for Grotesquerie was released in August 2024. The first two episodes of Grotesquerie premiered on FX on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. The subsequent eight episodes aired weekly on Wednesdays in pairs until October 23, 2024. In Canada, Grotesquerie premiered on FX on Wednesday, September 25, with the first of two weekly episodes airing at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Streaming

Episodes of Grotesquerie were made available for streaming on Hulu the day after their FX broadcast. Internationally, the series was made available to stream on Disney+.
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 and remained on the list for five consecutive days as of October 1, 2024, alongside other Ryan Murphy-produced series like American Sports Story and Doctor Odyssey. The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks 20 million monthly viewing decisions across all streaming platforms in the U.S., reported that Grotesquerie was the eighth most-streamed television series in the U.S. for the week of September 26 to October 2. Analytics company Samba TV, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs and content providers, calculated that it was the ninth most-watched program during the week of September 30 to October 6. By the week ending October 9, Reelgood announced that Grotesquerie was the ninth most-streamed series in the U.S.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 16 critics' reviews are positive. The critics' consensus reads, "Equal parts campy and terrifying, Grotesquerie is a stomach-churning feast for viewers seeking a thrill." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 51 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Nakeisha Campbell of PureWow remarked that while the graphic imagery in Grotesquerie can be unsettling—almost prompting her to stop watching the series—she stated that Niecy Nash-Betts's strong performance kept her engaged. She praised the exploration of Detective Lois Tryon's personal struggles and highlighted the partnership between Tryon and Sister Megan, describing their dynamic as a refreshing addition to the narrative. Campbell also acknowledged the suspenseful tone and expressed curiosity about the series' direction, recognizing its appeal to fans of intense horror. Matthew Creith of TheWrap praised Nash-Betts for her performance, portraying a flawed character who battles alcoholism and personal struggles while investigating a series of grotesque murder cases. He appreciated the eccentricity of the supporting characters, particularly Sister Megan and Nurse Redd, saying they add layers of strangeness to the narrative. Creith complimented the show for its dark and macabre tone, noting its evolution from a typical police drama into a deeper exploration of paranoia and sociopathy, while also acknowledging the intriguing dynamics and theological themes presented throughout the series.
Daniel Kurland of Bloody Disgusting noted that Grotesquerie feels akin to a season of American Horror Story while being more focused and grounded. He found the atmosphere to evoke a heavy sense of dread, drawing parallels to Seven and Hannibal, and said that the contrast between horror and domestic life enhances the impact of the murders. Kurland praised Nash-Betts for her performance and highlighted Micaela Diamond's Sister Megan Duval as the standout character, suggesting that their dynamic explores themes of faith amid violence. Kurland recognized that while Murphy's shows often start strong but may falter, Grotesquerie establishes a solid foundation, concluding with cautious optimism regarding the series' potential within the horror genre. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter noted that Grotesquerie feels familiar within Murphy's universe, with a setup reminiscent of American Horror Story and Seven, incorporating themes of religious symbolism and societal decay. He praised Nash-Betts' portrayal as a detective, complimenting her fresh take on the archetype and strong chemistry with supporting actors Raven Goodwin and Courtney B. Vance. Fienberg also highlighted Diamond's breakout role as Sister Megan but found the series somewhat predictable in its early episodes, hoping for more innovation in future installments.
Petrana Radulovic of Polygon described Grotesquerie as intriguing but flawed, highlighting the engaging mystery and over-the-top, religiously symbolic murders. She praised the performances, particularly those of Nash-Betts as Detective Lois Tryon and Diamond as Sister Megan. Radulovic also complimented the show's setup and its disturbing crime scenes reminiscent of Seven, but expressed doubt about Murphy's ability to deliver a satisfying conclusion, based on his previous projects. Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian gave Grotesquerie a score of three out of five stars and called the show more downbeat compared to Murphy's typical work, focusing on a grander narrative amid its gothic horrors. She found the show visually striking but criticized its reliance on clumsy exposition, which undermines its eerie atmosphere. Nicholson praised Nash-Betts' performance as a hard-drinking detective, noting her poise despite the clichéd nature of the role, and complimented Lesley Manville's skilled delivery of absurd lines. While acknowledging its slow pace, she found the series intriguing with its themes of societal collapse, faith, and fear, suggesting it is worth continuing despite some flaws.

Ratings

The premiere episode on September 25, 2024, had 343,000 viewers with a 0.11% rating and 276,500 household viewers with a 0.22% rating. Subsequent episodes recorded fluctuating viewership, with the October 30, 2024 episode drawing 196,000 viewers, a 2% decrease from the October 16 episode, which had 200,000 viewers. Household viewership ranged between 138,500 and 163,500 from October 2 to October 30, with ratings between 0.11% and 0.13%. The adult 18–49 demographic ranged from 40,500 to 67,000 viewers during this period.

Accolades

Grotesquerie was one of 200 television series that received the ReFrame Stamp for the years 2024 to 2025. The stamp is awarded by the gender equity coalition ReFrame and industry database IMDbPro for film and television projects that are proven to have gender-balanced hiring, with stamps being awarded to projects that hire female-identifying people, especially women of color, in four out of eight key roles for their production.
YearAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2025Black Reel Awards for TelevisionOutstanding EditingShannon Baker Davis
2025Critics' Choice Super AwardsBest Actress in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV MovieNiecy NashNomitated
2025Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild AwardsBest Contemporary Makeup - Television Series, Limited Series or Miniseries, or Movie for TelevisionGrotesquerie
2025Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild AwardsBest Contemporary Hair Styling - Television Series, Limited Series or Miniseries, or Movie for TelevisionGrotesquerie
2025NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Stunt Ensemble Grotesquerie
2025Queerty AwardsTV PerformanceNiecy Nash
2025Saturn AwardsBest Horror Television SeriesGrotesquerie