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'American Horror Story': How 'Cult' Went Beyond Trump vs. Clinton
Plus, how 'Cult' ties in with all the other seasons of Ryan Murphy's FX anthology.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the seventh season finale of American Horror Story: Cult, "Great Again."]
One throwaway line in the season finale of American Horror Story: Cult placed the seventh cycle of the FX horror anthology within the larger AHS world: "If she turned down Lana Winters, why the fuck would she say 'yes' to Rachel Maddow?"
The question came from Beverly Hope (Adina Porter) about her fellow cult survivor, Ally Mayfair-Richards (Sarah Paulson). Once again, franchise leading lady Paulson played a famous survivor, only this time she turned down an offer to be interviewed by the first famous survivor she played in the Ryan Murphy franchise — AHS' version of Barbara Walters, Lana Winter. Paulson played Lana in season two, Asylum, and came out of retirement to reprise her Briarcliff journalist last season in Roanoke. The finale stunt was AHS' most high-profile season crossover to date, solidifying how all of the seasons exist in one big, twisted universe. Though Cult also resurrected AHS villain Twisty the Clown (John Carroll Lynch) this season, callbacks to the larger AHS universe were slight.
Ahead of Roanoke, co-creator and showrunner Murphy confirmed what AHS viewers had long suspected, that all seasons of the franchise are, in fact, connected. When speaking to The Hollywood Reporter last year, Murphy promised of the tie-ins, "You'll see it this season, and then you'll really see it after this season. We lay a lot of pipe, and you'll see it explode in seasons seven and eight."
Roanoke doubled-down on Murphy's promise with its AHS mythology nods, but now that the finale of Cult has come and gone: Did the election throw a wrench into Murphy's plans for the larger universe?
"The writers have their finger on the pulse of what’s going on," star Evan Peters tells THR about Cult delivering a provocative and timely ending, instead of a thematic one. "The writers were ahead of the curve with the riots in Charlottesville, something Ryan has talked about. And when filming the ending, at the time it did feel relevant. Now, it's horrible what's happening, but it's a good thing that women are getting their power back."
This season documented Kai Anderson's (Peters) rise from a basement-dwelling Trump supporter to a small-town cult leader to a candidate for Michigan's open Senate seat. In order to accomplish that, Peters morphed into five real-life cult leaders — Charles Manson, Jim Jones, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite and Andy Warhol — to hammer home Murphy's point of how a man — like Donald Trump — can rise within a disenfranchised community.
The finale, titled "Great Again," also came full circle as the women of the cult came out successful — unlike Trump v. Clinton — in their resistance. The finale revealed a layered plan enacted by Ally, who was working with the FBI to arrest Kai. Ultimately, the two swapped roles. Kai was sentenced to prison and Ally was now running for the Senate seat he had so desired. Her campaign platform echoed Hillary Clinton's run for president and rings even more true in the wake of the country's current climate where women are taking back power and speaking out about stories of sexual harassment and assault.
“All my life I have been told to smile. Stay quiet. Look pretty. Not to stand out from the crowd," Ally said in a campaign ad. When her approval ratings revealed a distrust from Americans that she could get the job done in a stark Clinton parallel, she noted that the results were code for fear: "They’re scared. Isn’t it sad when a strong woman scares people more than clowns?"
Cult then depicted a new kind of post-election America, one different than the world it had created thus far. Though the setting was now two years after the 2016 presidential election, Ally's first televised debate mimicked moments when Clinton would out-wit Trump ("I am tired of being mansplained to," Ally said to her male opponent). Cult then took and the analogy even further when Kai managed to manipulate his way into a well-planned prison escape, and threaten Ally's life on the debate stage — creating a much larger foe for the aspiring candidate. But the former phobia-ridden Ally was now fearless as she got to Kai's guard first. After realizing he was duped and left holding an unloaded gun, Beverly shot and killed Kai — illustrating a shocking moment of a woman taking back her power for all other women.
"I don't know what the ending means, was it that Hillary should have won?" Peters tells tells The Hollywood Reporter about Cult's parallels to the election. "I thought it was a great ending. Kai should definitely be killed. Everything that he says represents evil and fear and negativity and he should definitely be stopped."
Before Kai was killed, he told Ally, "You symbolize the hope that women will one day win an argument with their husbands. That they won’t be catcalled when they walk down the streets. That their bosses won’t talk about their tits anymore. That they’ll make just as much money as men make. That the fight is winnable … Women can’t lead." But Ally brought the season full circle when she recalled Kai's earlier statement about a humiliated man: "There is something more dangerous in this world than a humiliated man: A nasty woman."
Ally emerged triumphant. A self-proclaimed Nasty Woman going on to win the Senate seat, reopen a now-thriving restaurant and happily reclaim this new life with her son. But, then, Murphy asks: At what cost?
In the final moment, it is implied that Ally has begun her own female cult in place of Kai's all-male regime. After telling her son that she plans to meet with powerful friends to lead, "show them the way, take them to a better place — a better world," she dons the green velvet cloak previously seen on Bebe Babbitt (Frances Conroy), the ex-girlfriend of Valerie Solanas (Lena Dunham) and the surviving member of Valerie's SCUM Manifesto ("Society for Cutting Up Men"), in which women were instructed to kill men in order to rise to power.
The ending circles back to Murphy's promise that the season, at its core, is about identity politics and the cult of personality. Before the first episode, when the election theme was the season headline, the showrunner promised: "It's not about Trump or Clinton. It really is about the cult of personality that can rise in a divisive society — and I hope that people can figure that out." (Though Donna Brazile, former DNC chairwoman, did recently describe Clinton's campaign as a "cult.")
The darkness in the end is something Peters can put into perspective when analyzing Ally's shift in wake of Kai's demise. "What does that mean, now that she’s a leader of the feminist cult?" he asks. "If you have to do that darkness in order to get what you need? To get fairness, maybe you have to get dark. Is that the lesson? Is that what we’re supposed to take from that? Is that a good thing? I don’t know. Maybe you have to get angry sometimes in order to make it all come to fruition, but I don’t know if a cult is the answer. To me, the takeaway from the whole show is that cults are bad. (Laughs.)"
And with that, Murphy — who had promised the season wasn't only for his liberal viewers — gives his AHS audience much to think about.
#AHSCult pic.twitter.com/FNIXwecs0o
— AmericanHorrorStory (@AHSFX) November 15, 2017
What did you think of the finale of American Horror Story: Cult? Tell THRin the comments below and head keep up with all things AHS here until it returns with season eight.
American Horror StoryRead the full article – Hollywoodreporter.com
'This Is Us' Star Justin Hartley Doesn't Think Kevin Has Hit Rock Bottom Yet
The oldest Pearson sibling talks with THR about substance abuse, insecurity and working with Milo Ventimiglia.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the "Number One" episode of NBC's This Is Us.]
It's hard to muster sympathy for an attractive, rich, famous TV star, but in the first of three This Is Us stand-alone episodes focusing on each of the Pearson family siblings, Justin Hartley had his most emotional hour yet as the troubled Kevin.
In "Number One," the ailing ex-sitcom star continued his downward spiral, telling the students honoring him at his former high school to stop idolizing him. What's more, Kevin almost filled a forged prescription from his high school classmate-turned-one night stand before breaking down in tears on her front lawn. The hour ended with Kevin heading to his brother Randall's (Sterling K. Brown) house and attempting to confess his painkiller addiction.
Below, Hartley speaks with The Hollywood Reporter about his character's substance abuse, finally working with This Is Us leading man Milo Ventimiglia and whether Kevin has hit rock bottom.
This episode was a tough one to get through.
It's a lot, isn't it? Obviously it's beautifully written, but in a way it's also because that problem affects so many people. I don't know anybody that doesn't know one person that is affected by someone in their family or their friends by drugs or alcohol. It's a tough one.
When Kevin was first introduced, it was hard to feel sympathy for him: Sorry about your wonderful career and life, you rich, handsome TV star! But obviously it's more complicated than that, as viewers saw in "Number One."
That's the whole crux of the [episode]. He can literally say, "These are my problems," and people literally do [not listen]. I'm guilty of it, too. "I'm so sorry that your sushi is not at the right temperature. It's awful, I'm sure." No one thinks that he has real problems. Even when he talks about it people are like, "Uh, right, gotcha. Real tough. Real difficult."
Viewers have learned a lot more about Kevin this season, but this one dug the deepest into his insecurities about how much pressure he feels being the first-born, golden child.
I think there are certain things that his parents put on him, like, "You're OK, it's fine," and, "Kevin is gonna be fine, what's the big deal?" But I think all of the stuff that [he feels pressure about] — "I have to be the first on this, I have to be the best here, I have to do that" — he put that on himself. That does come with being firstborn, my brother has told me. I'm second and so my brother is first. Being second sometimes you get left out and all of that. There anecdotal stories about the firstborn, the baby, the middle — all of that is true.
This was a huge, emotional episode for you, but it was also a big episode for Logan Shroyer, the actor who plays Kevin as a teen. Do you work with him at all on the character?
Not a ton. I love [all the teen actors]; we get along great. I don't want to get in his way. We collaborate when we need to. He's had a few questions and a few times I've had answers for him. A few times unfortunately I haven't. For the most part I'll have the answer for him but he does a fine job on his own. Interestingly enough, even though we are playing the same character, I think he gets a lot of guidance from Milo because he works so closely with him. The story that they are telling is this father/son relationship and Milo is the one that is there. The back story is on the page and Logan does just a bang-up job of playing it. He's got a really difficult job on the show because he plays this character that is not always the greatest guy to be around. He is volatile and he's kind of pompous, and he's a loner sometimes. He's got a really difficult job, Logan does, and he pulls it off flawlessly.
Speaking of Milo, this is the first time you shared a scene with him. What was that like?
It was really great because that was one of the most difficult scenes of the episode emotionally. There were so many things Kevin was doing in that scene. He was seeing his old coach for the first time. He was getting an award he that didn't think he deserved. He was afraid to go up there and sort of say thank you. But then he was moved to the point of doing something completely different and explaining to these people, "Let me teach you a lesson. Don't be like me. Don't think for one second that anything that I've ever done is worth this. Be better." So he is trying to salvage something from this and he is in this drunken, drugged state. Then he sees his father. He is hallucinating, for God's sake. His father is saying these powerful things to him. He's switching in out and from knowing that his father isn't there to thinking that it really his father, and then he hugs his father. There are so many things going on.
I've always said that the only bad thing about my character on this show is that I don't get to work with Milo, because I adore him so much. I just took that. I was listening to the dialogue and to the speech and getting in my moment and then I looked up and I saw Milo. I got emotional. It was really easy for me to go there because I was finally getting to work with Milo. I thought it was beautifully done. It wasn't a trick, like, "How do we get these two to work together?" I think it was just great storytelling.
Did you know the direction his storyline would take when the season began?
Yes. We built him up so much and everything was going great. He had the girl, he had the job, he had the fame, he had the money. He was mending things with his brother. The relationship with his sister was great. He's hanging with Stallone, and now you look at where he is and it's just unbelievable how they've been able to write that story. What a downfall.
It was interesting when Charlotte, Kevin's classmate, told him he was always nice to her in school, especially considering what he does after that and all the things that came before it. What did that moment do for him?
Well, not enough, obviously! In my mind, Kevin is there not because he's lonely. He's there because she's a doctor and he understands [she might have access to painkillers]. "Well, Charlotte's a doctor. That's why she's getting honored, for the work that she does. I bet you she has a prescription pad. I bet I can figure out a way to get some drugs from her. I probably don't need to get a prescription pad as much as she probably just has some stuff at her place. If I can get back to her place, I can get the fix. That's what I need right now." He's a drug addict. There's one thing that he needs and he's going to do whatever he has to do to get it. I think that's the heartbreaking moment, when he's on that path to doing unsavory things to get drugs. And he's coming down off of them, so he's having withdrawals. She springs this story on him about he was always nice to her.
The bottom line is Kevin a good guy. He's not a bad person. So, I think that kind of breaks his heart. It broke mine when I watched it. He's not inherently a bad guy. He's an addict. Good people do bad things sometimes. I think that's what that was all about. And you get that little heartbreaking detail where it's like, "Here's this guy and we're watching him do these horrible things and behave in this shitty way." And then you get that little morsel where you're reminded that Kevin is a good person. Inherently, he's a good man.
At the end of the episode, it seemed like Kevin had his window to confess his problems to Randall — and then it was shut when Randall told him Kate (Chrissy Metz) lost her baby. How will that affect him?
Yeah, that's pretty much it. That was his window, and he was gonna open up. There's gotta be a rock bottom, right? It's coming up. You're absolutely right. That was his moment. I think he was gonna walk in there and say, "Dude, I need your help. Please help me." I think he trusts Randall enough to know that he's gonna get help from Randall, and then he quickly realizes that it's not about him in the moment, and there he is on an island again. He was so close, too, to getting help, so close, and it couldn't happen. Bad timing. We're gonna see a few more moments where Kevin is not in a good way.
What you can say about how the next two episodes will play out as the focus turns to Kate and then Randall?
They take place during the same day, same time, so you get to see the three different perspectives of this moment in time. One through the eyes of Kevin, one through the eyes of Kate, one through the eyes of Randall. After this week, we tell the story through Kate's eyes and [see] what happens with her. [K.J. and I] were talking about why she chose to end the episode like that, and she said … it was sort of a way to have a little mercy on our viewers, to maybe give them a week to prepare for that [devastating news]. … Because gosh, that's a lot to ask of the audience. That's a lot for our audience to take in. I feel bad for our audience a little bit with everything that we're taking them through, but it's very much worth it. These stories are great.
The show is essentially just emotional revelation on top of emotional revelation, so people must have started coming to you with their emotional problems.
They totally do, and it's OK. I'm honored. I'll have a complete stranger come up to me and tell me pretty intimate details about their life — it has happened to me at airports; it's happened to me everywhere. And at first, sometimes it's a little bit like, "Whoa. Yeah, OK, let's talk about your [problem], whatever it might be." And then immediately you realize that this show is impacting people in a way that [you didn't know it would]. The fact that you have complete strangers walk up to you and confide in you and tell you things about intimate details about their lives — in a good way, not in a creepy way — is pretty amazing. Whoever would have thought that?
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
‘The Voice’: Adam Levine Cuts Team in Half on Second Night of Playoffs
The artists who advanced Tuesday night will compete in the Lives with the rest of the top 12.
On night two of The Voice season 13’s playoffs on NBC, the six remaining artists of coach Adam Levine’s team took the stage. Levine, who also announced his comeback artist, then had to cut his team in half ahead of the lives. Coaches Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson were on hand to provide feedback for the performances.
First up was Adam Cunningham singing “Have a Little Faith in Me” by John Hiatt. Levine stole Cunningham from Team Blake. He gave an emotional performance, but it wasn’t particularly memorable.
Next, Levine brought out his comeback artist Whitney Fenimore. She sang “If It Makes You Happy” by Sheryl Crow and accompanied herself on the guitar. She looked very comfortable onstage and sang the song as if it were her own.
Emily Luther followed with a performance of The Cure's “Lovesong" that was dramatic and bold. At this stage of the competition, artists really need to fight to stand out, and that’s exactly what she did. The arrangement was unique, and she showcased strong artistry.
Anthony Alexander sang “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, which didn’t quite suit him, especially since he still lacks confidence.
Jon Mero sang “When We Were Young” by Adele. He understood the importance of making the song your own. He picked the song himself, and Levine helped him with the arrangement and key. It was one of the best performances of the evening, and Mero delivered on the vocal front as well as with stage presence.
Closing out the night, Addison Agen sang “Angel From Montgomery” by John Prine. Agen used to be on Team Miley, and while she seemed to be a better fit there, Levine coached her well.
Levine then had to cut his team in half. He chose Agen, Mero and Cunningham to advance to the top 12.
Team Miley takes the stage Wednesday night.
Cavuto wants to make it known that he's not itching for another Trump interview.
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'The Assassination of Gianni Versace' Official Trailer Unveiled
FX debuted the spot for the upcoming second season of 'American Crime Story' the same night as the finale of 'AHS: Cult.'
FX is ready to deliver the next true-crime obsession.
The network on Tuesday unveiled the official trailer for the The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, the same night as the season finale of American Horror Story: Cult.
The second season of the anthology explores the July 1997 assassination of Versace (Edgar Ramirez), the famed fashion designer, by Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), who was also behind four other slayings before he ultimately killed himself eight days later.
Tuesday's trailer includes the first released footage from the series ahead of its Jan. 17 premiere.
The minute-plus-long video gives viewers an extended look at Penelope Cruz's first TV role, playing the murdered designer's sister Donatella, as well as Ramirez as the famed Versace himself.
However, Glee grad Criss' haunting turn as Cunanan will also turn heads. "You're not better than me. We're the same," the character says in voiceover. "The only difference is you got lucky."
Unlike the first season of American Crime Story — the Emmy-winning hit The People v. O.J. Simpson — season two takes place before and after the central murder. In addition to showing the bloody aftermath of Versace's murder, there are also scenes of the fashion designer and Cunanan together as the latter's lying streak begins.
Viewers will also recognize Ricky Martin, who plays Versace's partner, and New Girl's Max Greenfield, as a friend of Cunanan's, in the footage below.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace premieres Jan. 17 on FX.
'Difficult People' Canceled at Hulu After 3 Seasons
The Billy Eichner-Julie Klausner comedy hailed from executive producer Amy Poehler.
t's the end of the road for Difficult People.
Hulu has canceled the Billy Eichner-Julie Klausner comedy after three seasons at Hulu, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The news comes a month and a half after the end of the Universal Cable Production effort's third season. The single-camera comedy was originally developed for USA Network back in May 2014 before it landed a series order at Hulu six months later.
The series' cast also included Andrea Martin, who has since moved to Universal TV sophomore comedy Great News on NBC, as well as recurring players like Gabourey Sidibe and John Cho.
Klausner created the comedy and exec produced with Amy Poehler, 3 Arts' Dave Becky, Jax Media's Tony Hernandez, Brooke Posch, Jeffrey Walker, showrunner Scott King and Eichner.
Eichner tweeted about the show's cancelation late Tuesday.
Yes it's true. DIFFICULT PEOPLE has come to an end. Thanks to many people but above all my friend, @julieklausner. A singular comedic voice & the funniest person I know. I cannot WAIT to see what Julie creates next. Thanks to all of you Difficult People out there who watched.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) November 15, 2017
Hulu's decision not to bring back Difficult People comes as the streamer's original comedy slate is undergoing a major revamp. On Tuesday, The Mindy Project wrapped its six-season run, the last three seasons of which aired on Hulu. Tuesday also marked the premiere of the time-travel action-comedy Future Man from executive producer Seth Rogen, with the Josh Hutcherson-led half-hour series rolling out its entire 13-episode first season, unlike Hulu's normal weekly rollout. Hulu also recently renewed Casual for a fourth and final season.
On Thursday, Hulu will also debut the period comedy There's… Johnny, which is set at The Tonight Show during Johnny Carson's tenure in the 1970s. That project came to the streamer after the show's original home, the NBC-owned Seeso, shuttered in August.
The shift on the comedy front comes after at the end of a banner year for Hulu, which beat Netflix and Amazon to become the first streamer to win a best series Emmy for The Handmaid's Tale. That show's breakout success in the Trump era, combined with the addition of more than 7,000 episodes of TV shows like 30 Rock and Will & Grace, has helped subscriptions surge by 98 percent.
The streamer on Tuesday unveiled its early 2018 premiere date for new dramas such as The Looming Tower as well as returning series The Path and The Handmaid's Tale.
UCP has also seen its original comedy slate dwindle with the recent cancelations of Playing House on USA Network and Odd Mom Out on Bravo.
In addition to the end of Difficult People, Eichner's other TV series, Billy on the Street, also faces an uncertain future. The Emmy-nominated series left truTV in September after two years. When speaking with THR in October about his role on the seventh season of FX's American Horror Story, Eichner was optimistic if not vague about his show's future.
"We are transitioning, and it is going to evolve as it always has," he said at the time. "I can't announce all the details yet, but the way we distribute, it is going to change. I really want to meet the people who are watching me, where they are. We are taking all that into account, and we're finding a new situation."
Poehler also produces Comedy Central's Broad City and Natasha Lyonne's upcoming Netflix comedy through her Universal-based Paper Kite banner.
For Becky, the cancelation also comes as the longtime manager has become embroiled in the Louis C.K. sexual misconduct scandal. Becky, C.K.'s manager, issued a lengthy apology Monday how he handled previously accusations of sexual misconduct involving C.K. His statement, in which Becky admitted "what I did was wrong," came after a New York Times published an expose Thursday in which five women said that C.K. had either masturbated in front of them or requested permission to do so. In his own lengthy apology the next day, C.K. admitted the allegations were true and issued a lengthy apology as well.
Becky has since been dropped by Pamela Adlon, who created, executive produces, writes, directs and stars in the FX comedy Better Things, which is exec produced by C.K.
Difficult PeopleRead the full article – Hollywoodreporter.com
NBC Developing Family Drama With Nearly All-Asian Cast
'Sleepy Hollow' co-showrunner Albert Kim is developing the project with Dan Lin and Warner Bros. Television.
NBC is looking to Sleepy Hollow co-showrunner Albert Kim for its next soap.
The network is teaming with Kim to develop an untitled family drama that, should it move to pilot, would feature a nearly all-Asian cast.
The project, which received a script commitment at NBC, revolves around a family-owned Korean electronics corporation that is rocked when its CEO dies on the eve of launching their American subsidiary, with his will revealing the existence of a previously unknown heir. Kim based the original concept on Korean chaebols, multinational business conglomerates like Samsung that are run by single ruling families that often go through succession drama. It is described as a multicultural soap, the story of a modern-day Anastasia — an ordinary woman who grew up halfway across the world in the U.S., unaware of her elite status as corporate royalty. Poised to inherit fame, wealth and influence beyond her dreams, her emergence ignites a Shakespearean battle for power amongst her newfound siblings in the Los Angeles-based drama.
Kim will pen the script and executive produce the drama alongside Dan Lin and his Warner Bros. Television-based banner. Lin Pictures head of television Lindsey Liberatore will co-exec produce.
The Kim project landed at NBC following a multiple-network bidding war. This is Lin Pictures' second sale this year under the company's WBTV deal. It also is rebooting the BBC miniseries Murder, which landed at CBS. The company also produces Fox's Lethal Weapon reboot.
Kim, repped by ICM Partners and McKuin Frankel, also counts Nikita, Leverage and Dirt among his credits. Lin is repped by UTA and Myman Greenspan.
TV DevelopmentRead the full article – Hollywoodreporter.com
