If you want better cliffhanger effectiveness
Choose Steal, Season 1. It scores 4.8 vs 2.0 for cliffhanger effectiveness, with a 3.7 overall score.
The Beauty, Season 1 Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for stylish, gleefully grotesque body horror and a committed cast. Skip it if you want subtle satire, disciplined storytelling, or restrained sex and violence.
Best for
Best for adult viewers who enjoy maximalist body horror, camp, glossy visuals, and deliberately outrageous genre television.
Not for
Not for viewers sensitive to explicit sex, nudity, graphic violence, or gore, nor those seeking subtle social commentary and tightly controlled plotting.
Verdict
The Beauty has an immediately recognizable visual identity, committed performers, and enough gruesome invention to make its body-horror set pieces memorable. Several reviewers found it addictive, entertaining, and unexpectedly thoughtful when its many storylines connect. The larger consensus, however, is sharply qualified: its commentary on beauty, body image, power, and desire often stays at surface level, while the plotting and tone can feel chaotic or overextended. The explicit sex, nudity, violence, and transformation gore are central to the experience rather than occasional flourishes. Viewers already receptive to Ryan Murphy’s maximalist style may enjoy the audacity and camp; those looking for coherent satire or emotional depth are more likely to see an attractive production wrapped around half-developed ideas.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
42 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.02 (5%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.421 (50%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.414 (33%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.44 (10%)
-
Very negative below 1.51 (2%)
Pros
-
The dialogue quality is a recurring strength, helping the series land its most effective moments.
-
The entertainment value divides opinion: some moments work, while others feel uneven or overdone.
-
The story quality divides opinion: some moments work, while others feel uneven or overdone.
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The sexual content level divides opinion: some moments work, while others feel uneven or overdone.
-
The villain quality divides opinion: some moments work, while others feel uneven or overdone.
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The faithfulness to source material is a recurring strength, helping the series land its most effective moments.
Cons
-
The cultural representation is a recurring weakness, with critics finding it ineffective or poorly handled.
-
The tone consistency divides opinion: some moments work, while others feel uneven or overdone.
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The cliffhanger effectiveness is a recurring weakness, with critics finding it ineffective or poorly handled.
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The costume design is a recurring weakness, with critics finding it ineffective or poorly handled.
-
The language level is a recurring weakness, with critics finding it ineffective or poorly handled.
-
The production design is a recurring weakness, with critics finding it ineffective or poorly handled.
Cast & Creators
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ActorIsabella Rossellini's work is singled out as a strength, bringing energy or credibility to the series.
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Jordan BennettRebecca Hall's work is singled out as a strength, bringing energy or credibility to the series.
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Cooper MadsenReactions to Evan Peters's contribution are divided, with both strengths and reservations.
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The AssassinReactions to Anthony Ramos's contribution are divided, with both strengths and reservations.
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JeremyReactions to Jeremy Pope's contribution are divided, with both strengths and reservations.
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The CorporationReactions to Ashton Kutcher's contribution are divided, with both strengths and reservations.
View all 42 feature scores and cast & creators
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in humor, dialogue quality, sexual content level, near average in entertainment value, story quality, below average in cultural representation, production design, costume design.
Comparison summary
42 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher5 (12%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts19 (45%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower18 (43%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| cultural representation | 1.0 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
| production design | 2.0 | 4.4 | -2.4 |
| costume design | 2.0 | 4.3 | -2.3 |
| cliffhanger effectiveness | 2.0 | 3.9 | -1.9 |
| tone consistency | 2.6 | 3.9 | -1.3 |
| acting quality | 3.5 | 4.4 | -0.9 |
| humor | 5.0 | 3.8 | +1.2 |
| theme depth | 3.3 | 4.0 | -0.7 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better production design
Choose Young Sherlock, Season 1. It scores 5.0 vs 2.0 for production design, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better cultural representation
Choose The Boroughs, Season 1. It scores 4.7 vs 1.0 for cultural representation, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better costume design
Choose Dark Winds, Season 4. It scores 5.0 vs 2.0 for costume design, with a 4.4 overall score.
FAQ
Is The Beauty worth watching?
It depends heavily on your tolerance for excess. The visual ambition and body horror win praise, but the writing and satire divide critics.
Is it very graphic?
Yes. Reviews repeatedly describe explicit sexual content, nudity, brutal violence, gore, and prolonged transformation scenes.
Does the show have a deeper message?
It explores beauty standards, body image, desire, and corporate power, though many critics think those ideas remain underdeveloped.
How is the acting?
The experienced ensemble is often treated as a strength, although reactions to individual casting choices vary.
Is the story easy to follow?
The central investigation is clear enough, but multiple plotlines and tonal shifts make the season feel chaotic to some reviewers.
Will horror fans enjoy it?
Fans of body horror and camp may appreciate its commitment to grotesque spectacle; viewers wanting restrained or frightening horror may not.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Cut Like This Music
- Review score
- 3.5
Article Reviews
capesandtights.com
The first season of The Beauty was entertaining and had me glued to the screen to find out what happens.
- Review score
- 4.2
cinemablend.com
The Beauty ends with a major twist that changes a lot of things for a potential second season. It gave me hope for the show's future.
- Review score
- 4.2
television.mxdwn.com
Episode 8 of The Beauty begins with Byron practicing the speech he’ll use to reveal The Beauty to the public at a convention. Afterwards, a...
- Review score
- 4.2
uscannenbergmedia.com
Ryan Murphy’s new FX series makes a serious point on unrealistic beauty standards—or at least it tries to.
- Review score
- 3.6
tvfanatic.com
While understanding where this beauty drug came from was important, spending so much time on it on The Beauty Season 1 Episode 5 was wasteful.
- Review score
- 3.0
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