Ryan Murphy on Toning Down Sex in ‘The Shards’ and Why L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Could Do a ‘Much Better Job’ Bringing Productions Back to Hollywood

FX’s “The Shards,” Ryan Murphy‘s adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis thriller novel, is a love letter to Los Angeles. Filming there, he told his producers, was a non-negotiable.

“We shot it in L.A. and, of course, it could have shot in Canada,” the showrunner told Variety at “The Shards” New York premiere on Monday night. “I could have made it for cheaper, but I said absolutely not. My partners were like, ‘Great, let’s roll up our sleeves and make it work.’ And we did.”

Hollywood, the historic epicenter of American film and television productions, has been grappling with production fleeing California in search of more competitive tax incentives. Despite recent efforts from state and city officials to increase tax incentives, Los Angeles production volume dropped 3.1% in the second quarter of 2026.

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During a rare interview with Variety, Murphy explains why he “demanded” his next two projects shoot in Los Angeles, and how he was “very conscious” about the way sex was portrayed in “The Shards.”

A UCLA study from a few years ago found that nearly half of Gen Z doesn’t want sexual content in film and TV. I asked Olivia Wilde about this, and she told me that’s because sex hasn’t always been portrayed authentically. What’s your take on that?

Well, that’s interesting because one of the first things I did was “Nip Tuck.” It’s funny, I directed the pilot and worked on all the episodes, so I don’t consider that there’s a lot of sexual content in it. 

What I like about this show is that it has a lot of romantic relationships that turn into romantic triangles. At the heart of the show, there are several strong romances that — in success — would carry on over three seasons. But I was very aware, and I made it about that idea. So, I think the key is not a lot of graphic-ness, but then you see something like “Heated Rivalry,” which was done so beautifully. And everyone’s obsessed with it.

The key is that it’s not about the sexual content; it’s about whether [the audience] likes the characters and what they’re doing. This show is different than [“Heated Rivalry”]. This is a high school show: first times, first kiss, first break-up. So I think that generation of young people will like it for that reason. I hope so, but I was very conscious about that when I was making it.

Homer Gere stars in “The Shards.” He just had a breakout role in “Euphoria.” Is that where you found him?

No, I did not know Homer. He auditioned, and I saw his audition. We auditioned close to 500 people for these parts [over] many, many months. He just gave an incredible audition. I mixed and matched him with the cast. All of these actors earned those parts. I would never have dug them up.

You watched “Euphoria,” though?

Well, afterward, when we were shooting [“The Shards”]. And I’m friends with Sam Levinson. [Gere] had just done one episode, but he was cast before I knew about “Euphoria.” I thought, “Well, good for Sam. Homer’s a star and a great actor.” What Homer did in that show was incredible. Very brave. People had a lot of opinions about that, as they do. But no, I had my own relationship independent of seeing that show. But I watched that show as a fan. I love that show. I always have. It’s incredible.

The biggest Hollywood story of the year is the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. Do you feel confident that creators will continue to thrive amid the potential industry consolidation?

Well, I think they will always continue to thrive, right? There have been many of those [mergers] in our history. The thing that I’m very conscious about and would like to protect is the jobs. Keep the jobs, and more specifically, my next tranche of work is bringing filming back to Los Angeles. It’s ridiculous. It’s a travesty. I think the mayor [Karen Bass] could do a much better job than she’s done, for one.

That’s also on the filmmakers to figure out the economic troubles and how to make things in L.A. so that our crews and cast can sleep in their home city, go home and have meals with their families. I have two things shooting, and they’re both going to be in L.A. I demanded that. I made that work economically. The most important thing to me is that it’s up to the individual showrunners and filmmakers to say, “Hey, we want this.” In my experience, as long as you can figure out a will, there’s a way. And they’re the first people to say, “Great, we’d love for it to shoot in L.A.”

I don’t think that’s the obstacle. It’s always the tax credits. The tax credit in L.A. should be better. It should be made more interesting and inviting to the studios. That starts with the government. I’ve spoken to the governor about this. He’s a friend, Gavin [Newsom]. He agrees. I haven’t spoken to Mayor Bass about this. I’d love to, but I think start there. Do that. That’s what matters.

I think they’re making progress. Do you have faith they can pull it off and bring back more productions?

I hope so. I started working in Hollywood in 1995. There’s nothing more haunting than walking on those beautiful soundstages that are ghost towns. It’s upsetting, and it doesn’t have to be that way. Everybody wants to shoot in L.A.

And this show is a love letter to L.A.

Right. And we shot it in L.A. Of course, it could have shot in Canada. I could have made it for cheaper, but I said absolutely not. My partners were great about that. They were like, “Great. Let’s roll up our sleeves and make it work.” And we did.