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The 10 Best Ryan Murphy Shows, Ranked

From Pose’s singular ensemble to American Horror Story’s shifting worlds, these are the 10 Ryan Murphy shows that stand out—and what each does best.
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For a ranking that balances critical recognition, originality, cultural impact and how well each series fulfills its premise, Pose comes first. The order is an editorial judgment, not a critics’ consensus: viewers who prize pop-culture reach, anthology invention or early-career influence may put Glee, American Horror Story or Nip/Tuck higher.

Here, “Ryan Murphy shows” means series he created or substantially developed—not every production with an executive-producer credit, and not films or documentaries. FX’s creator biography names many of the shows below; Netflix’s Ryan Murphy guide covers a broader mix of series, films and documentaries.

The 10 best Ryan Murphy shows

  1. Pose

    Pose earns the top spot for the specificity of its world and the way its ensemble carries it. Set in New York’s ballroom scene, the drama centers people often pushed to the margins of television stories and gives their relationships, ambitions and chosen family the space to define the series. FX’s biography identifies it as a Murphy-created show and records its award recognition. Its strongest achievement is not simply its setting, but how fully the characters inhabit it.

  2. American Crime Story

    This anthology turns major real-world cases into season-long dramas, giving each installment a distinct cast, subject and narrative shape. Its best-known early seasons demonstrate the format’s range: FX reports that The People v. O.J. Simpson won 10 Emmy Awards in 2016, while The Assassination of Gianni Versace won seven in 2018. Those are achievements for those installments, not a quality score for every season. The series ranks near the top for its capacity to make familiar events feel newly legible as character-driven television.

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    #1 Best Overall
  3. American Horror Story

    American Horror Story is Murphy’s most adaptable showcase for anthology storytelling. Each installment uses its own setting and premise rather than continuing a single plot; recurring performers help give the changing worlds a connective identity. FX’s current franchise page lists 13 installments and describes settings ranging from a murder house and a witches’ coven to a traveling freak show, a haunted hotel and the apocalypse. FX also reports more than 100 Emmy nominations since the 2011 launch and more than 700 million hours streamed globally; those are figures published by FX, not direct comparisons with other series. The show’s willingness to reinvent itself is its defining strength, though the quality and appeal vary by installment.

  4. Glee

    Glee made the high-school ensemble and musical performance the engine of a comedy-drama. Its combination of underdog dynamics, heightened conflicts and familiar songs gave it a distinctive identity and a substantial cultural footprint. FX lists it among Murphy’s created series. It ranks below the top three because its broad, fast-changing style can be uneven, but its format remains one of his clearest demonstrations of how performance can drive both plot and character.

    Rank #2
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  5. Feud

    Feud is a limited anthology built around a different historical rivalry in each installment. The format lets it focus on the people, power struggles and social pressures behind a conflict rather than sustain one continuous story. FX lists the series among Murphy’s work. Its appeal is in the concentrated performances and the way private antagonism can expose a larger world; its anthology structure also means each installment stands on its own.

  6. Nip/Tuck

    An early, provocative drama about plastic surgeons, Nip/Tuck established Murphy’s interest in ambition, identity and deliberately uncomfortable subject matter. FX identifies it as a Golden Globe-winning television drama. Its place here reflects its importance as an early statement of his sensibility, even if its confrontational tone and excess may be less inviting to viewers who prefer his later ensemble or anthology work.

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  7. Hollywood

    This Netflix limited series is best approached as a revisionist period fantasy, not an account of what actually happened in Hollywood history. It imagines an alternate version of the postwar film industry and uses that premise to explore who gets access to fame and power. Netflix’s Ryan Murphy guide includes it in the collection of Murphy-associated Netflix titles. The show’s stylized optimism and counterfactual premise make it an intriguing one-off, though its compressed story does not have the same durability as the top-ranked series.

  8. Ratched

    Ratched builds a horror-tinged prequel around the character of Nurse Ratched, using meticulous period visuals and a heightened atmosphere as its main draws. Netflix includes the series in its Murphy collection. It is most successful as a visual showcase and a reimagining of a familiar figure; viewers looking for a close, restrained adaptation may find its approach too extravagant.

  9. 9-1-1

    9-1-1 brings Murphy’s taste for spectacle to an emergency-services procedural, following responders and the people caught in crises. FX names it among his created series. Its appeal is momentum: large-scale emergencies, an ensemble cast and the continuing rhythms of a returning procedural. It ranks lower than the limited series here because its long-running format prioritizes ongoing story and episodic crises over a tightly contained premise.

  10. Popular

    Popular is an early look at Murphy’s fascination with heightened teen social worlds. The series turns high-school status and identity into an exaggerated comedy-drama, anticipating interests that would recur in later work. FX names it among his created series. Its historical value and sharp premise make it worth including, even though it is a less fully realized achievement than the shows above it.

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How to choose which one to watch first

Start with the format and tone you want, rather than treating the ranking as a viewing order:

  • For an ensemble drama with a distinctive setting: choose Pose.
  • For a self-contained story based on real events: try a season of American Crime Story.
  • For horror that changes its premise by installment: begin with American Horror Story; its seasons are not one continuous plot.
  • For a musical high-school comedy-drama: watch Glee.
  • For a concentrated historical rivalry: choose an installment of Feud.
  • For Murphy’s earlier, more provocative drama: start with Nip/Tuck or Popular.
  • For a stylized period fantasy or prequel: try Hollywood or Ratched.
  • For an ongoing, high-stakes procedural: choose 9-1-1.

Netflix’s guide is a discovery page for its Murphy-associated titles, not a guarantee of availability in every country; catalogs can change by region and date.

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