Ryan Murphy — the mega-TV producer whose resume includes numerous LGBTQ series including Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and the transgender-themed Pose — is heading to the Walt Disney Co. after his five-year, $300 million contract with Netflix expires later this year, according to multiple reports.
The move represents a seismic shift in the TV industry where Murphy is regarded as a highly sought-after talent even though his output at Netflix consisted mostly of little-watched prestige projects, appealing to an increasingly narrow viewership.
Ryan Murphy is expected to find a new home at the Disney-owned FX network, where he has produced many titles both prior and after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Murphy appears to have been tempted to Disney by Dana Walden, who previously worked with him when she headed 20th Century Fox TV. Walden now serves as co-chairman of Disney Entertainment.
While it remains unclear why he is leaving Netflix, Murphy’s tenure at the streamer resulted in a number of duds, including the gay-themed The Politician, The Prom, and The Boys in the Band. His sole breakout hit was the limited series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Netflix is also undergoing a painful round of belt-tightening following a long period of profligate spending. The left-wing streamer lost more than a million customers last year and instituted company-wide layoffs as its stock plunged 50 percent in 2022.
Meanwhile, Disney has embraced LGBTQ activism and made it a prominent component in its entertainment for children. Disney is currently in the midst of a complex legal battle with Florida after the studio vowed to fight the state’s anti-grooming Parental Rights in Education law, which protects public school students from radical transgender and LGBTQ indoctrination.
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