The Beauty TV Series 2026 | Review and Recap

Intro

A new sexually transmitted disease, dubbed The Beauty, sweeps the globe. The infection has a seductive side effect: it physically reconstructs the host’s DNA to make them perfectly, impossibly beautiful. The catch? It eventually burns you alive from the inside out.

Creator: Ryan Murphy & Matthew Hodgson (based on the Image Comics series by Jeremy Haun)

Status: Currently Airing (Episodes 1–4 are out as of Jan 31, 2026).

Genre: Sci-Fi / Body Horror / Satire

Recap

The series opens with a visceral shock at a Paris fashion show. Supermodel Ruby Rossdale (Bella Hadid) is the face of a new kind of perfection. While walking the runway, she begins to overheat, her veins glowing like magma, before she spontaneously combusts, showering the front row in blood and gore.

The Investigation FBI Agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) are tasked with investigating the deaths. They discover a terrifying pattern: the victims are all young, incredibly attractive, and have no prior medical history. They are The Beauties, people infected with a bio-engineered virus that metabolizes fat and reshapes bone structure.

The Transformation (The Twist) The horror hits home in Episode 3. Agent Jordan Bennett, who struggles with body image and aging, is infected after a one-night stand in Rome.

The Metamorphosis

In a grueling body-horror sequence, Jordan enters a cocoon-like state. She sheds her skin and emerges as a completely different person: younger, taller, and perfect (now played by Jessica Alexander). She is no longer Rebecca Hall; she is a Beauty. Terrified of being hunted or studied, she goes into hiding.

The Parallel Story

The Incel We also follow Jeremy (Jaquel Spivey), a lonely, overweight young man rejected by society. Desperate for connection, he seeks out the virus intentionally.

He locates a bug chaser doctor connected to the underground. After being infected, he undergoes the agony of reconstruction and emerges as a stunning adonis (now played by Jeremy Pope).

Jeremy is immediately recruited by The Assassin (Anthony Ramos), a ruthless enforcer for the shadowy Corporation controlling the virus.

The Conspiracy By Episode 4 (Beautiful Chimp Face), the scope reveals itself. The virus isn’t an accident; it’s a product. Byron Forst (Ashton Kutcher), a tech billionaire, is the face of The Corporation.

They aren’t trying to cure the disease; they are trying to monetize the delay of death. The beauty is the bait; the subscription to stay alive is the revenue.

The Ending Explained

Note: As the series finale (Episode 11) does not air until March 4, 2026, the following Ending is based on the Image Comics source material which the show has faithfully followed so far.

The Ticking Clock In the comics, the central conflict reveals that “The Beauty” kills 100% of its hosts within two years. The internal combustion is inevitable. The show has already hinted at this with the “burning” imagery.

The Cure is the Horror

The ultimate twist of the story is the nature of the cure. Cooper and the surviving detectives eventually discover a way to flush the virus from the system. However, the cure does not revert you to your normal self.

The Price of Survival

Because the virus consumed the host’s original fat and tissue to build the “beautiful” layer, removing the virus causes the beautiful skin to necrotize and burn away without killing the host.

The Anti-Beauty

To survive, the Beauties must take the cure, which leaves them horribly scarred, burned, and “monstrous.” The ending poses a philosophical question: Would you rather die beautiful or live as a monster?

The Likely TV Conclusion Ryan Murphy often leans into tragic, operatic endings. We can expect:

Jordan’s Fate: Agent Jordan (now a Beauty) will likely be forced to choose between dying in her perfect body or taking the cure and living as a scarred survivor, forcing Cooper to love her for her soul, not her face.
The Corporation’s Fall: Ashton Kutcher’s character will likely attempt to release a “stabilizer” drug (a permanent subscription model) rather than a cure, leading to a violent confrontation with Jeremy and The Assassin, who may turn on his master.

Review

1. The Ozempic Parable

If The Substance (2024) was the appetizer, The Beauty is the main course. It is a direct, savage satire of the mid-2020s obsession with biological hacking (Ozempic, Wegovy, CRISPR). The show argues that society has reached a point where we view our bodies as hardware to be upgraded, regardless of the lethal warranty void.

2. The Casting Gimmick

The decision to swap actors mid-season (Rebecca Hall to Jessica Alexander; Jaquel Spivey to Jeremy Pope) is a masterstroke of meta-narrative. It forces the audience to confront their own biases. We miss the brilliant acting of Rebecca Hall, but we are visually seduced by Jessica Alexander. The show makes the viewer complicit in the superficiality.

3. Ryan Murphy’s Return to Form

After a few years of mixed reviews, Murphy is back in his American Horror Story: Coven era. He blends camp (exploding supermodels) with genuine noir dread. It is glossy grime, beautiful to look at, but morally rotton.

Where to Watch The Beauty (2026) TV Series

Is Ryan Murphy’s new body-horror hit streaming on Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+?

If you have seen the viral clips of glowing supermodels and “melted” faces on TikTok, you are likely looking for The Beauty. This new sci-fi thriller, based on the Image Comics series, has taken the internet by storm since its January 2026 premiere.

Here is your complete guide to watching the series in the US and internationally.

1. In the United States: FX & Hulu

The Beauty is an FX Original series.

Streaming (Best Option): New episodes stream exclusively on Hulu.

Release Time: Episodes land on Hulu on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM ET (Simultaneous with the cable broadcast).

Disney Bundle: If you have the Disney Bundle, you can watch it directly through the Hulu hub on Disney+.

Live TV: You can watch it live on the FX Cable Network or via live TV services like YouTube TV, Sling TV, or Fubo (check for free trials).

2. International Viewing (UK, Canada, Australia, Europe)

Outside the US, “The Beauty” is branded as a “Star Original.”

The Platform: It streams exclusively on Disney+.

Release Schedule: New episodes typically arrive on Thursdays (the morning after the US premiere).

Canada: Wednesdays (Simultaneous with US).
UK & Australia: Thursdays.

3. Is The Beauty on Netflix?

No. Because this is a production by 20th Television (a Disney company) and Ryan Murphy Productions (under his new deal), it will likely never come to Netflix. It is a permanent exclusive to the Disney/Hulu ecosystem.