Ryan Patrick Murphy (born November 9, 1965) is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for creating and producing a number of television series including Popular (1999–2001), Nip/Tuck (2003–2010), Glee (2009–2015), American Horror Story (2011–present), Scream Queens (2015–2016), American Crime Story (2016–present), Pose (2018–2021), 9-1-1 (2018–present), The Politician (2019–2020), 9-1-1: Lone Star (2020–present), Ratched (2020), American Horror Stories (2021–present), and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022). Murphy also directed the 2006 film adaptation of Augusten Burroughs' memoir Running with Scissors, the 2010 film adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love, the 2014 film adaptation of Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart, and the 2020 film adaptation of the musical The Prom. Murphy has received six Primetime Emmy Awards from 36 nominations, a Tony Award from two nominations, and two Grammy Award nominations. He has often been cited as "the most powerful man" in modern television, including having signed the largest development deal in television history with Netflix. Murphy is noted for having created a shift in inclusive storytelling that "brought marginalised characters to the masses".
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 9, 1965 (60)
- Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Producer, writer and director
- 40 on MovieCove · 53 credits in all
What are Ryan Murphy's films like?
Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 11
Light 4 · Serious 4 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2
Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 4
Steady 5 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 7 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 5
Resolved 7 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet10
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous9
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Ryan Murphy's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 36 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (20).
- Pose (2018) · director, writer, producer
- American Crime Story (2016) · director, producer
- Feud (2017) · director, writer, producer
- American Horror Story (2011) · director, writer, producer
- 9-1-1 (2018) · writer, producer
- Nip/Tuck (2003) · director, writer, producer
- Love Story (2026) · producer
- 9-1-1: Lone Star (2020) · writer, producer
- American Sports Story (2024) · producer
- Scream Queens (2015) · director, writer, producer
- Mid-Century Modern (2025) · producer
- Running with Scissors (2006) · director, writer, producer
- +8 more
- A Secret Love (2020) · producer
- Circus of Books (2019) · producer
- The Boys in the Band (2020) · producer
- Halston (2021) · writer, producer
- Hollywood (2020) · director, writer, producer
- The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022) · producer
- Pray Away (2021) · producer
- The Politician (2019) · producer
- Ratched (2020) · director, producer
- Eat Pray Love (2010) · director, writer
- The Prom (2020) · director, producer
- Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022) · producer
- +1 more
Subscription and free streaming for Ryan Murphy's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
53 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
The Shards(2026)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows
Love Story(2026)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
The Beauty(2026)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows
All's Fair(2025)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows
9-1-1: Nashville(2025)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows
Monster: The Ed Gein Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Mid-Century Modern(2025)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows
Doctor Odyssey(2024)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows
Grotesquerie(2024)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
American Sports Story(2024)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
The Watcher(2022)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows
Mr. Harrigan's Phone(2022)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
The Andy Warhol Diaries(2022)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
Monster(2022)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows
American Horror Stories(2021)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows
Pray Away(2021)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Halston(2021)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
The Prom(2020)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
The Boys in the Band(2020)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Ratched(2020)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows
Pose-a-Thon for Pride(2020)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Hollywood(2020)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
A Secret Love(2020)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
9-1-1: Lone Star(2020)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
The Politician(2019)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Circus of Books(2019)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Pose(2018)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
9-1-1(2018)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Feud(2017)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
American Crime Story(2016)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Scream Queens(2015)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
The Normal Heart(2014)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Open (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Mentiras Perfectas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
The New Normal(2012)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows
Monster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
American Horror Story(2011)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
The Glee Project (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Eat Pray Love(2010)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Glee(2009)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows
Factory Girl(2006)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Running with Scissors(2006)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Nip/Tuck(2003)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
Popular (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
A Chorus Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Janet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Pretty/Handsome (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Queen B (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 52 titles, 48 of them dated from 1999 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Highest rated
The Normal Heart (2014)
Most popular right now
The Beauty (2026)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
6 Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe, 2 BAFTA Awards and 4 other major awards from 76 major nominations, 2004–2026.
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
- Golden Globe, won
- BAFTA Award, won · International
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
+1 other major body · 2 nominations
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Adapted Long Form
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Original Long Form
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Music Supervision
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Original Long Form
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
+2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · New Series
- Producers Guild Award, won · Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Limited Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best International
+2 other major bodies · 1 win and 3 nominations
- Writers Guild Award, nominated ×2 · Long Form - Original
- Producers Guild Award, won
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
Show 10 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Main Title Design
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated ×2 · Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special
- BAFTA Award, won · Best International
+2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series
- Producers Guild Award, won · Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Limited Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special
+2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Long Form - Original
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Main Title Design
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Short-Format Nonfiction Program
+2 other major bodies · 1 win and 3 nominations
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series
- Producers Guild Award, won
- Producers Guild Award, nominated ×2 · Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Television Movie
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Miniseries
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Main Title Design
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Main Title Design
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
+2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best International
+4 other major bodies · 4 nominations
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy Series
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
+2 other major bodies · 3 nominations
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Comedy Series
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · New Series
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Ryan Murphy's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up11
- 50th to 74th14
- 25th to 49th11
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
17 of their 40 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Divisive3
- Crowd Pleaser17
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed12
Reviewers score the dialogue 51/100 and the plot and story 42/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Ryan Murphy's work okay for kids?
Across up to 17 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Ryan Murphy work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ryan Murphy's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alexis Martin Woodall shares the most, 15.
Directors
- Max WinklerShared titles: The Shards (2026), Grotesquerie (2024), Monster (2022), The Watcher (2022), Feud (2017)See all 5 shared titles with Max Winkler
- Jennifer LynchShared titles: Doctor Odyssey (2024), Monster (2022), The Watcher (2022), Feud (2017)See all 4 shared titles with Jennifer Lynch
- Paris BarclayShared titles: Doctor Odyssey (2024), Monster (2022), The Watcher (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Paris Barclay
- Crystle Roberson DorseyShared titles: All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Crystle Roberson Dorsey
Writers
- Jon Robin BaitzShared titles: All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024), Grotesquerie (2024), Feud (2017)See all 4 shared titles with Jon Robin Baitz
- Joe BakenShared titles: All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024), Grotesquerie (2024), Feud (2017)See all 4 shared titles with Joe Baken
- Ian BrennanShared titles: Monster (2022), The Watcher (2022), Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011)See all 3 shared titles with Ian Brennan
- Todd KubrakShared titles: The Beauty (2026), All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024), Grotesquerie (2024), Monster (2022), The Watcher (2022)See all 6 shared titles with Todd Kubrak
Actors
- Matt BomerShared titles: Mid-Century Modern (2025), The Boys in the Band (2020), The Normal Heart (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Matt Bomer
- Naomi WattsShared titles: All's Fair (2025), The Watcher (2022), Feud (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Naomi Watts
- Niecy NashShared titles: All's Fair (2025), Grotesquerie (2024), Monster (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Niecy Nash
- Evan PetersShared titles: The Beauty (2026), Monster (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Evan Peters
Composers and editors
- Franzis MullerShared titles: Doctor Odyssey (2024), Grotesquerie (2024), Monster (2022), The Watcher (2022)See all 4 shared titles with Franzis Muller
- Adam PennShared titles: Grotesquerie (2024), Feud (2017), The Normal Heart (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Adam Penn
- Julia NewmanShared titles: Doctor Odyssey (2024), Monster (2022), Feud (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Julia Newman
- Danielle WangShared titles: Monster (2022), The Watcher (2022), The Prom (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Danielle Wang
Producers
- Alexis Martin WoodallShared titles: The Beauty (2026), All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024), Grotesquerie (2024), Monster (2022), Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022), The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022), The Watcher (2022), Pray Away (2021), A Secret Love (2020), Pose-a-Thon for Pride (2020), The Boys in the Band (2020) and 3 moreSee newest 12 of 15 shared titles with Alexis Martin Woodall
- Scott RobertsonShared titles: The Beauty (2026), The Shards (2026), 9-1-1: Nashville (2025), All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024), Grotesquerie (2024), Monster (2022), Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022), The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022), The Watcher (2022), Feud (2017)See all 11 shared titles with Scott Robertson
- Tanase PopaShared titles: The Beauty (2026), The Shards (2026), All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024), Grotesquerie (2024), Monster (2022), The Watcher (2022), Pose-a-Thon for Pride (2020), The Boys in the Band (2020), Feud (2017)See all 10 shared titles with Tanase Popa
- Eric KovtunShared titles: The Beauty (2026), All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024), Grotesquerie (2024), Monster (2022), Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022), The Watcher (2022), The Boys in the Band (2020), Feud (2017)See all 9 shared titles with Eric Kovtun
Mixed roles
- Bradley BueckerShared titles: 9-1-1: Nashville (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024), Eat Pray Love (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Bradley Buecker
- Lynnie GreeneShared titles: All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Lynnie Greene
- Richard LevineShared titles: All's Fair (2025), Doctor Odyssey (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Levine
- John J. GrayShared titles: Doctor Odyssey (2024), Feud (2017)See all 2 shared titles with John J. Gray
