Branding is central to ’s TV empire, but the brand names themselves can often feel a little fungible. Take Murphy’s output in this current two-week period: FX’s absolutely could have been renamed . Netflix’s probably could have be .
I haven’t seen ABC’s , but all promotion indicates that it’s . On that shifting scale, FX’s could easily have had the name appended in front of it. With hints of , and immediately evident, it looks to take almost an everything bagel approach to the signatures of that series.
After only two episodes (none were made available for critics ahead of the premiere), it’s too early to tell if that description will prove reductive, even given how expansive the franchise has become. While the series is off to a fittingly audacious yet wildly over-familiar start, neither the titles nor would truly capture the best reason to check it out — namely, the absolute pleasure of watching front and center as the undisputed star of what could be her very own branded property within the Murphy realm. The co-creator has done well by Nash in the past, setting her up for a thoroughly deserved Emmy win for the Dahmer thing.
But this latest endeavor could develop into one of her best roles. Nash plays Lois Tryon, a weary police detective nearing the end of a decorated career in a small town where none of the electricity works and it always seems to be raining. Lois, who keeps a carefully tabulated record of all the heinous crimes she’s solved over the .
