Ryan Murphy Productions
Ryan Murphy | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 9, 1965 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Television creator, director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for | Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Pose, 9-1-1 |
Ryan Patrick Murphy (born November 9, 1965) is an American television creator, director, and producer renowned for developing and executive producing series such as Nip/Tuck (2003–2010), Glee (2009–2015), American Horror Story (2011–present), American Crime Story (2016–present), Pose (2018–2021), and 9-1-1 (2018–present). His portfolio also includes recent ventures like Grotesquerie (2024) and 9-1-1: Nashville (2025–present).
Murphy has directed several film adaptations, including the 2006 film version of Augusten Burroughs' memoir Running with Scissors, the 2010 movie Eat, Pray, Love, the 2014 adaptation of Larry Kramer’s play The Normal Heart, and the 2020 musical film The Prom.
He holds six Primetime Emmy Award wins from a total of 39 nominations, along with a Tony Award and two Grammy Award nods, establishing him as a prominent figure in television production. Murphy secured the largest development agreement ever recorded in television history with Netflix, bolstering his competitive position in the global market. His business approach is distinguished by championing inclusive narratives, which has had a profound impact on industry diversity standards and market dynamics.
Early life
Born on November 9, 1965, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Murphy grew up in a Catholic household with Irish and Danish roots. He attended Catholic schools until eighth grade before graduating from Warren Central High School. His mother, J. Andy Murphy, was a communications expert and author, while his father spent three decades working in newspaper circulation.
After coming out as gay at age 15, Murphy began therapy and later disclosed that he dated several football players during his high school years. His early participation in choir significantly influenced his later creation of Glee.
Murphy pursued journalism studies at Indiana University Bloomington, where he sang with the Singing Hoosiers vocal ensemble. In 1986, he completed an internship at The Washington Post, contributing to the fashion and style section.
1990–2008: From Journalism to Popular and Nip/Tuck
Murphy started his professional journey as a journalist for publications such as The Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, and Entertainment Weekly. By the late 1990s, he shifted focus to screenwriting; notably, Steven Spielberg acquired his script titled "Why Can't I Be Audrey Hepburn?".
Together with Gina Matthews, he co-created the teen comedy-drama series Popular, which aired on The WB network between 1999 and 2001. During this timeframe, Ryan Murphy Productions secured a deal with Warner Bros. Television. Subsequently, he developed the FX drama series Nip/Tuck, which debuted in 2003. This show drew inspiration from Murphy's investigative reporting on plastic surgery and ran for six seasons until 2010. It earned him his initial Primetime Emmy nomination for directing. In 2006, Murphy wrote and directed the feature film adaptation of Augusten Burroughs' memoir titled Running with Scissors.
2009–2017: Glee and American Horror Story
Together with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, Murphy co-developed the musical comedy-drama series Glee, which debuted on Fox in 2009. The show quickly garnered critical praise, earning Murphy a Primetime Emmy Award for directing its pilot episode. Spanning six seasons until 2015, Glee significantly broadened Murphy’s influence in television. Additionally, he served as executive producer of the reality competition show The Glee Project on Oxygen, which aired for two seasons.
In 2010, Murphy directed the cinematic adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love. The film achieved commercial success with a global box office exceeding $204 million, although critical responses were mixed.
Murphy and Falchuk introduced the anthology series American Horror Story on FX in 2011, distinguished by its ensemble cast portraying different characters each season. Alongside co-executive producer Ali Adler, Murphy also created the NBC comedy The New Normal in 2012, drawing from his personal surrogacy experience; however, it was discontinued after one season.
In 2014, Murphy directed the television film adaptation of Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart. That same year, he partnered with executive producer Jason Blum on the metasequel to the cult horror film The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014). FX also commissioned the companion anthology series American Crime Story, executive produced by Murphy and Falchuk, which premiered in 2016.
Murphy co-created the comedy-horror series Scream Queens, broadcast on Fox from 2015 to 2016 before its cancellation after two seasons. His drama anthology series Feud premiered on FX in 2017, with its inaugural season focusing on the cinematic rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
2018–present: 9-1-1, Pose and Netflix projects
In 2018, Murphy co-created the police procedural drama 9-1-1, undertaking roles as director, writer, and executive producer.
Murphy, Falchuk, and newcomer Steven Canals developed Pose, set within New York’s 1980s ballroom culture. Inspired by Paris Is Burning, Canals crafted a narrative centered on a homeless African American teenager aspiring to attend dance school. The writing team included Our Lady J and Janet Mock; Murphy encouraged Mock to direct an episode, marking her as the first transgender woman of color to both write and direct for television. Debuting on FX in June 2018, Pose received widespread critical acclaim and featured the largest transgender cast ever assembled for a scripted network show. It was renewed for a second season in July 2018.
Prior to the premiere of Pose, Murphy committed to donating all profits from the series to LGBT organizations such as the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, highlighting his dedication to supporting marginalized communities.
In 2018, Netflix secured Murphy under a $300 million development agreement spanning five years. In September 2019, Murphy released The Politician on Netflix, which earned two Golden Globe nominations and was renewed for a second season in 2020. He also co-created the spin-off series 9-1-1: Lone Star, which premiered on Fox in January 2020. In May 2020, Murphy launched the period miniseries Hollywood, contributing as co-creator, writer, and director.
Acknowledged for his contributions to LGBTQ representation, Murphy was named among fifty trailblazers advancing equality by Queerty in June 2020. In 2021, he executive produced and wrote the miniseries Halston, starring Ewan McGregor.
Together with co-creator Ian Brennan, Murphy introduced the true crime anthology series Monster (2022–present) on Netflix. Its first season, titled Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, became one of Netflix’s highest-viewed series. The second season, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, released in September 2024. Both seasons achieved commercial success but encountered mixed critiques concerning ethical issues inherent in true crime narratives and Murphy’s storytelling approach.
In the media
In October 2015, Murphy was honored with the Award of Inspiration from amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, recognizing his significant contributions to television and film as well as his advocacy related to AIDS.
In 2017, Murphy initiated the Half Initiative aimed at enhancing diversity within Hollywood by ensuring equitable opportunities for women and minorities behind the camera. Within twelve months, Ryan Murphy Television employed women directors for 60% of its projects and achieved its goal of having women and minority representation reach 90%. The Half-Director Mentorship Program pairs established directors on Murphy’s productions with emerging women and minority directors, offering mentorship alongside stipends. Filmmaker Kristin Fairweather—the first recipient of the HALF award—commended this program during an interview with Screen Comment.
Unproduced projects
Murphy has developed multiple pilots that did not proceed to full production. These include The WB's sitcom St. Sass featuring Delta Burke and Heather Matarazzo, FX’s 2008 pilot titled Pretty/Handsome, and HBO’s sexuality-focused drama Open, filmed in late 2013 but ultimately not commissioned.
His slate of potential films comprised titles such as Dirty Tricks, a political satire; One Hit Wonders, a musical comedy; and a sequel to The Normal Heart. Additionally, studios sought him to direct adaptations of Broadway musicals including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wicked, and Annie.
In 2014, Murphy pursued development of a feature film about heiress Huguette Clark, based on the book Empty Mansions. By 2018, he was working on an anthology series themed around MeToo entitled Consent. In 2019, he announced projects such as a ten-part miniseries adaptation of A Chorus Line and a Marlene Dietrich biopic starring Jessica Lange for Netflix; however, no further progress has been reported.
In 2020, Rob Lowe revealed discussions with Murphy regarding portraying Joe Exotic in a scripted adaptation of the documentary series Tiger King.
Personal life
Raised in a Catholic environment, Murphy has since distanced himself from organized religion but occasionally attends services. He serves on the National Advisory Board of Young Storytellers. At one point he owned a residence designed by mid-century modern architect Carl Maston. Discussing his show Pose, set amid the AIDS crisis of 1987, Murphy disclosed his own fears about HIV infection during college years that prompted frequent testing.
Murphy has been married to photographer David Miller since July 2012; together they have three sons born via surrogacy.
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Furies | No | Yes | No | Short film |
| 2006 | Running with Scissors | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2010 | Eat Pray Love | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | Glee: The 3D Concert Movie | No | No | Yes | Documentary concert film |
| 2014 | The Town That Dreaded Sundown | No | No | Yes | |
| 2020 | Circus of Books | No | No | Executive | Documentary |
| A Secret Love | No | No | Yes | Documentary | |
| The Boys in the Band | No | No | Yes | ||
| The Prom | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| 2021 | Pray Away | No | No | Executive | Documentary |
| 2022 | Mr. Harrigan's Phone | No | No | Yes |
Television
Numbers next to directing and writing credits indicate episode counts.
| Year | Title | Credited roles | Network | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | ||||
| 1999–2001 | Popular | Yes | Yes (2) | Yes (17) | Yes | The WB | |
| 2003–2010 | Nip/Tuck | Yes | Yes (8) | Yes (24) | Yes | FX | |
| 2009–2015 | Glee | Yes | Yes (8) | Yes (31) | Yes | Fox | |
| 2011–present | American Horror Story | Yes | Yes (3) | Yes (19) | Yes | FX |
Anthology |
| 2012–2013 | The New Normal | Yes | Yes (4) | Yes (5) | Yes | NBC | |
| 2014 | The Normal Heart | No"|"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"style="background:#FFC7C7;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-no"|No"|"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"HBO" | "TV movie" | ||||
| 2015–2016 | Scream Queens | Yes"|"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(1)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(8)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"Fox" | "" | ||||
| 2016–present | American Crime Story | No"|"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(7)'"style="background:#FFC7C7;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-no"|No"'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"FX" | "Anthology" | ||||
| 2017–present | Feud | Yes"'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(3)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(2)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"" | "" | ||||
| 2018–present | 9-1-1 | Yes"'"style="background:#FFC7C7;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-no"|No"'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(3)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"Fox/ABC" | "" | ||||
| 2018–2021 | Pose | Yes"'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(3)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(7)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"" | "" | ||||
| 2019–2020 | The Politician | Yes"'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(1)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(7)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"" | "" | ||||
| 2020–present | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Yes"'"style="background:#FFC7C7;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-no"|No"'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(1)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"" | "" | ||||
| 2020 | Hollywood | Yes"'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(1)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(6)'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"|"" | "Miniseries" | ||||
| Ratched | Yes"'"style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes"(2)"null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null""null"""| | ||||||
| 2021 | 'miniseries Halston'' | 'null'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'(4)'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'|'Miniseries'| | |||||
| '2021–present' | ''American_Horror_Stories#Television_series American Horror Stories'' | Yes'|'null'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'(2)'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'|'FX on Hulu' |
Anthology | | ||||
| '2022–present' | ''Monster_(American_TV_series)#Television Monster'' | Yes'|'null'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'(4)'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'|'Netflix' | |||||
| ''The_Watcher_(2022_TV_series)#Television The Watcher'' | Yes'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'(2)'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'(6)'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes' | ||||||
| '2024–present' | ''American_Sports_Story#Television American Sports Story'' | 'null'|'null'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes' |
Anthology | | ||||
| ''Grotesquerie_(TV_series)#Television Grotesquerie'' | Yes'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'(1)'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes'(10)'|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes' |
Horror | | |||||
| '2024–2025' | ''Doctor_Odyssey#Television Doctor Odyssey'' | Yes' | null | Yes'(1) | Yes' |
Medical | | |
| '2025' | ''Mid-Century_Modern_(TV_series)#Television Mid-Century Modern'' | null|null|'style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes' |
Hulu | Sitcom | | ||||
| '2025' | ''All's_Fair_(2025_TV_series)#Television All's Fair'' | Yes' | Yes' | Yes' | Yes' |
Legal drama | | |
| '2025' | ''9-1-1:_Nashville#Television_credits_9-1-1:_Nashville'' | Yes' | 'TBA' | 'TBA' | Yes' |
ABC | | |
| '2026' | ''American_Love_Story#Television American Love Story'' | 'TBA' | 'TBA' | 'TBA' | Yes' |
FX | Romantic Drama | | |
| 'TBA' | ''The_Beauty_(TV_series)#Television The Beauty'' | 'TBA' | 'TBA' | 'TBA' | Yes' |
Body Horror | | |
Unsold TV pilots
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
|---|
- !2008 !Pretty/Handsome !Yes !Yes !Yes |- !2014 !Open !Yes !Yes !Yes |}
Non-fiction TV
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|---|
- 1965 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male authors
- 21st-century American male authors
- American individuals of Irish heritage
- American male scriptwriters
- American soap opera scriptwriters
- American TV directors
- Television producers based in Indiana
- Catholics originating from Indiana
- American gay authors
- Golden Globe Award-winning producers
- Alumni of Indiana University Bloomington
- LGBTQ Catholics
- LGBTQ TV directors
- LGBTQ television producers
- American LGBTQ screenwriters
- Authors from Indianapolis
- American Roman Catholic authors
- American showrunners
- Primetime Emmy Award recipients
- LGBTQ individuals from Indiana
- Film directors from Indiana
- American male television writers
- American television writers
- Creators of American television shows
- Screenwriters from Indiana
- Tony Award winners
- American LGBTQ film directors
- Carol Burnett Award Golden Globe recipients
- Film producers from Indiana
- Gay screenwriters
- 20th-century American LGBTQ individuals
- 21st-century American LGBTQ individuals
- American companies established in 1999
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment