In a surprise to absolutely no one, FX has ordered Ryan Murphy’s new pilot Pose to series. The dance musical series was hatched by Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals and features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, and the largest recurring LGBTQ cast, ever for a scripted series. The story takes place in 1980s New York and juxtaposes several segments of life and society, from the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe to the downtown social and literary scene to the ball culture world.
FX has ordered eight episodes of the series, the first two of which will be directed by Murphy. In a statement on the series pickup, Murphy had this to say:
"I am thrilled to join forces with John Landgraf and FX Networks and FXP and Dana Walden, Gary Newman and Fox 21 Television Studios to present what I think is a game changer of a show, which at its heart is an uplifting series about the universal quest for identity, family and respect. Along with being a dance musical and an affirming look at American life in the 1980s, I'm so proud that Pose and FX has made history right from the beginning by featuring the most trans series regular actors ever in an American television production. Additionally, the first seasonPose will feature 50-plus LGBTQ characters – a record in American television history. I can't wait for people to see this incredibly talented, passionate cast."
Murphy, Falchuk, and Canals serve as executive producers alongside Murphy’s American Crime Story partners Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. Murphy and Co. conducted a six-month nationwide casting search to find the LGBTQ cast, and in conjunction with Murphy’s Half Initiative, the series will be bringing on emerging transgender directors to be mentored through his Directing Mentorship Program.
Filming is set to begin in February in New York and the first season of Pose will premiere on FX in the summer of 2018. Additional cast includes Evan Peters and Kate Mara as New Jersey couple Stan and Patty, who get sucked into the glamour and intrigue of 1980s NYC, while James Van Der Beek will play Peters’ financial kingpin boss Matt. So yeah, Pose contains multitudes.
This marks Murphy’s fifth collaboration with FX, which began with his soapy drama series Nip/Tuck in 2003 and has continued with American Crime Story, American Horror Story, and Feud, the latter three of which are still going strong. Pose shows that FX has no plans to back out of the Ryan Murphy business anytime soon.
Check out the first official image from the series, featuring actress Indya Moore as "Angel" competing in the 1987 ballroom category Royalty Realness below.
