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23rd January 2026
12:31pm GMT

Disney+ has just added The Beauty, a star-studded and very addictive new sci-fi thriller series.
Co-created and directed in part by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Monster, The Watcher), the show follows two FBI agents (Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall) who are assigned to investigate a string of highly bizarre deaths around the world.
The victims were all young supermodels who seemed to have spontaneously combusted and who tested positive for a strange new sexually transmitted virus.
As the FBI agents traverse the globe, their story is juxtaposed with that of Jeremy (Jaquel Spivey), a young and alienated man in New Jersey who is highly self-conscious about his looks.
Out of the blue, he receives a message on an internet chatroom, offering a supposed fix to his problems.
The Beauty also boasts a stacked supporting cast, which includes Anthony Ramos, Ashton Kutcher, Bella Hadid, Ben Platt, Isabella Rossellini, Jeremy Pope and Meghan Trainor.
JOE checked out the first two episodes of the series and is very impressed.
The cast is fantastic (particularly Rebecca Hall). The locations (so far Paris and Venice) are stunning. The body horror is as strange, visceral, gloopy, yet oddly beautiful as you could want.
Plus, this is all in service of an exploration/satirical look at society's obsession with beauty from several different perspectives.

We are not the only outlet to feel this way. You can read some other glowing reviews for The Beauty below:
The Guardian: "In short, The Beauty is a return to bingeable Murphy goodness (and a harking back, subject-wise, to arguably some of his best work, Nip/Tuck)."
London Evening Standard: "Silliness and high camp is part of the tried and tested Murphy formula. You may not want to contract The Beauty fever, but after binging those first few episodes, you’ll be addicted to this super hot mess."
RogerEbert.com: "All in all, this show is best appreciated as a wild ride. Ryan Murphy excels at world-building, and his skills are on full display here."
TheWrap: "It’s a sci-fi body horror that, despite comparisons, will likely win over fans of The Substance. Just make sure not to watch it on your lunch break unless you have a strong stomach."
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The first three episodes of The Beauty are streaming now on Disney+, with the rest of its 11 episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays.
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