Ryan Murphy, Who Loves an Unnecessary Rape Plot, Wants to Make a #MeToo Miniseries

Ryan Murphy’s series have quite a few hallmarks. Dropped storylines, loose ends and over-the-top camp aesthetic all come to mind.

In a new profile in the New Yorker, the new king of Netflix and chill said that he wants to translate the #MeToo movement into a Black Mirror-influenced series called Consent.

“Every episode would explore a different story, starting with an insidery account of the Weinstein Company,” the New Yorker wrote. “There would be an episode about Kevin Spacey, one about an ambiguous he-said-she-said encounter. Each episode could have a different creator.”

Mr. Murphy,

Murphy is certainly the king of anthologized television. On shows like American Horror Story and American Crime Story, he dives into a new theme every season. Murphy has not yet attempted a series with a brand-new unrelated plot every episode unless you count the latter seasons of Glee.

All shade aside, that Ryan Murphy is interested in capitalizing on the #MeToo movement is odd given how much his own work is steeped in rape culture. Sure, you’re probably thinking that someone who is that interested in depicting sexual assault would be a natural fit to take on the theme, but Murphy has been criticized before for his deeply unempathetic rape plotlines.

American Horror Story: Murder House featured Connie Britton being raped by the ominous Rubber Man. Sarah Paulson’s character is raped by Bloody Face in AHS: Asylum. Max Greenfield is raped to death with a spike strap-on in the season opener of AHS: Hotel. Emma Roberts is raped in Coven. Grace Gummer is raped in Freakshow.

Murphy is not the only creator and American Horror Story is not the only show that relies a little too heavily on unnecessary rape plotlineslooking at you, Game of Thrones. But given his track record, it might be best to put Consent on the shelf and see if another filmmaker, perhaps a woman of color(!) is willing to pick up.