Over a period of 10 days, Ryan Murphy released four new television series — “ American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez ” and “Grotesquerie” on FX, “ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story ” on Netflix and “Doctor Odyssey” on ABC — and debuted new seasons of successful ongoing shows “9-1-1: Lone Star” on Fox and “9-1-1” on ABC.

“Six shows in a month is a lot, but everyone in my company worked tirelessly, and miraculously, they all succeeded,” Murphy told Variety during a conversation on Oct. 1. “They all debuted at the top spot and individually, they’re all performing very well.”

Everything coming out at once “wasn’t really planned that way,” Murphy said, but happened as part of his new deal at Disney, which he’s a year and a half into.

“It was a combination of the writers strike and my new agreement. They asked me, when we finally realized that six projects were coming out over 10 days, ‘How are you going to manage this?’ I said, ‘Well, I have a fantastic team. I work with exceptional people. I believe we can do it,'” Murphy said. “It was crucial for me to get my crews back to work immediately, and to have a lot of shows, to provide employment for many people, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. And many people who work for me transition seamlessly from one project to the next, so it’s continuous employment.”

And the number of Murphy’s productions is only expanding. He has multiple shows in development including FX’s “ The Beauty ,” “ American Love Story ” and Hulu’s “All’s Fair,” the last of which he begins directing this week, starring Glenn Close, Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson and Nash. “It’s my take on a legal drama, which I haven’t really done before,” he mentioned. “These are divorce attorneys, so each week features a different divorce case. It’s highly stylized, it’s incredibly glamorous, it’s very aspirational.”

“The Beauty” was created with Evan Peters and Jeremy Pope in mind, Murphy stated.

“It’s a concept I haven't explored before, a sci-fi medical show about a new virus that mutates and is sexually transmitted, transforming individuals into their ideal selves. The central question is, how far would one go to achieve beauty? What sacrifices would they make, and does it even matter?” he explained. “The show examines what I call the Ozempic culture. One simple injection, and suddenly you're looking and feeling better, with your problems seemingly vanishing. But what are you truly addressing? What underlying issues are driving this desire for change? Sometimes it's about health, other times it's about vanity.”

He mentioned that he has always been interested in collaborating with Anthony Ramos and Ashton Kutcher and is excited to embark on this project, particularly because of its grand scale: “It’s a unique venture. Filming takes place in Europe — Venice, Rome, and Paris. It’s a large-budget production, reminiscent of ‘Game of Thrones’ in its scope.”

Murphy has established a high standard of achievement for all his upcoming projects.

Globally, the story of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez” has been the most watched series on Netflix for two consecutive weeks , attracting 12.3 million views in its first four days and soaring to 19.5 million in its second week. The series has also claimed a spot in the Netflix Top 10 in 89 countries.

Last Thursday marked the premiere of both “Doctor Odyssey” and the eighth season of “9-1-1” on ABC, with both shows attracting substantial viewership. “9-1-1” was the most-watched broadcast program of the evening, drawing an average of 4.9 million viewers. Following directly after, “Doctor Odyssey” retained 86% of that audience, reaching 4.2 million viewers. This marked the strongest drama debut for ABC since “Big Sky” four years ago. Meanwhile, “9-1-1: Lone Star” returned to Fox with 3 million viewers for its fifth season premiere on September 23rd. When taking into account three days of viewing, that number climbs to 4.2 million on broadcast and 4.9 million when including streaming, making it the network’s most watched scripted program in Live + 3 since the “Lone Star” Season 4 finale in May 2023, excluding post-NFL broadcasts.

“Doctor Odyssey,” “9-1-1” and “9-1-1: Lone Star” have all achieved placements within the Hulu Top 15 since their premieres, as have two additional Ryan Murphy series: “ American Sports Story : Aaron Hernandez” and “Grotesquerie.”

These five projects are all part of his overall agreement with 20th TV; upon rejoining the company under a new contract, he sought to showcase his capabilities once again.

“My closest confidant is Dana Walden, and I’ve collaborated with John Landgraf since time immemorial, so I felt a responsibility to my partners — let’s jump right in with some impactful projects, some bold ventures,” Murphy shared. “They are all shows designed to appeal to a broad audience, or at least that’s our intention. Therefore, I felt obligated to deliver, and I felt a responsibility post-strike to get my crews back to work, which I accomplished.”

Typically, Murphy endeavors to present a contrast to his recent actions, alternating between “horror and joy,” which explains his back-to-back work on “Grotesquerie” and “Doctor Odyssey”. The Nicey Nash-led drama was a personal project for him, but it was crucial to release it before the election.

“It’s truly inspired by the collective feeling we all share. It undeniably reflects a very dark, chaotic era . This show focuses on an African American woman who’s taking on perhaps the most formidable fear of all time, which mirrors our current election cycle. When we began production, this connection became quite evident,” said Murphy. “I believe it serves as a statement about the bleakness we perceive, but more importantly, it highlights how we overcome such challenges, ultimately through unity and love. That’s the essence of Niecy’s character. She strives to rise every day and — amidst these terrifying circumstances — attempts to hold her family together, maintain a relationship, and be a leader while remaining optimistic. I can relate deeply to this concept at this juncture, and I think Niecy felt it too.”