Ryan Murphy Refused to Film ‘The Shards’ Anywhere But Los Angeles — and He Has Strong Words for Those Who Don’t Do the Same

Ryan Murphy had one non-negotiable condition when it came to filming his new FX series The Shards — it was going to shoot in Los Angeles, regardless of what it cost, and the conversation about alternatives was essentially never going to happen.

Speaking with Variety at the show’s New York premiere on July 27, Murphy explained the thinking behind that decision — and delivered some pointed commentary about who he holds responsible for the broader decline in LA production that has been reshaping the industry for years.

A Love Letter That Had to Be Filmed in the Right Place

The Shards, Murphy’s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s thriller novel, is set in Los Angeles and was always conceived as an intimate portrait of the city and a specific era within it. Filming it anywhere else was never something Murphy was prepared to entertain. When his producers floated the idea of shooting in Canada — the financially obvious alternative — he shut it down immediately. His partners, he said, responded well to that. They rolled up their sleeves and made it work economically.

Murphy described walking through Hollywood soundstages that have become ghost towns as genuinely haunting — and said it simply doesn’t have to be that way. He has committed to keeping his next two projects in Los Angeles as well, and called on other showrunners and filmmakers to make the same demand of their own productions.

His Message to Filmmakers

Murphy was direct about where he believes the responsibility lies. Studios aren’t the obstacle, he argued — in his experience, production companies are generally enthusiastic about keeping work in LA if the financial case can be made. The real issue is the tax credit structure, which he described as insufficiently competitive and insufficiently attractive to studios compared to what other states and countries offer.

He has spoken about the issue directly with California Governor Gavin Newsom, whom he described as a friend and someone who agrees with his assessment. On the subject of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, his tone was more pointed — he said flatly that she could be doing a significantly better job than she has been.

What the Show Is Actually About

The Shards centers on a group of high school students in 1980s Los Angeles navigating relationships, first experiences, and escalating danger as a serial killer operates in the area. Murphy emphasized that he was deliberately conscious about how the show handles sexual content — describing it as a story about first times, first kisses, and first heartbreaks rather than graphic material, and expressing genuine interest in whether younger audiences will connect with that approach.

He praised the casting process, which involved nearly 500 auditions across many months before the ensemble came together. Homer Gere, who recently had a breakout moment in Euphoria, was cast before Murphy had even seen that show — Gere simply gave an exceptional audition and earned the role on his own merits.

The Shards premieres on FX and Hulu on August 12.