Because he doesn’t have enough shows on FX, Ryan Murphy’s Pose has officially been ordered to series by the soon-to-be-Disney-owned network. Pose will be a dance musical series from producers Murphy and his collaborators Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and Brad Falchuk, with the show co-created by Murphy, Falchuk and Steven Canals.
Pose is set in the 1980s, and (per a press release) “looks at the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York: the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe, the downtown social and literary scene and the ball culture world.” The show boasts the largest cast of transgender performers (five in the main cast, to be exact), selected after a six-month casting search. Murphy has also sought out emerging transgender directors. The show added stars including Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek and Tatiana Maslany, though Maslany has since been replaced by Charlayne Woodard (per Variety).
Murphy said in a statement:
I am thrilled to join forces with John Landgraf and FX Networks and FXP and Dana Walden, Gary Newman and Fox 21 Television Studios to present what I think is a game changer of a show, which at its heart is an uplifting series about the universal quest for identity, family and respect. Along with being a dance musical and an affirming look at American life in the 1980s, I’m so proud that Pose and FX has made history right from the beginning by featuring the most trans series regular actors ever in an American television production. Additionally, the first season Pose will feature 50-plus LGBTQ characters—a record in American television history. I can’t wait for people to see this incredibly talented, passionate cast.
FX ordered an eight-episode season to begin production in February, for a summer 2018 release.