Ryan Murphy’s limited Netflix series, Hollywood, could easily morph into an anthology for season 2, and should be set in a different time. While the focal point for Hollywood was centered around post-World War II, Tinseltown has many other stories to tell in later eras, as the history surrounding motion pictures and the significant events explored in the miniseries, including racism, homophobia, and women’s rights have gone hand-in-hand for generations.
Executive producers Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan are no strangers to bringing their unique methods of storytelling to audiences. Murphy has enjoyed success for close to twenty years with shows like Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, and more recently, Pose and Netflix’s The Politician, among others. Brennan has been a longtime collaborator with Murphy, working with him on Glee and The Glee Project, The Politician, and now Hollywood. Hollywood boasts an impressive cast with a few familiar faces from Murphy’s various other projects, including Darren Criss, Dylan McDermott, Patti LuPone, David Corenswet, and new faces such as Samara Weaving, Laura Herrier, Jake Picking, and Jeremy Pope.
While the focal point of Hollywood for the miniseries was a complete story that explored some characters who were heavily steeped in real life, it also posed a poignant ‘what if’ to audiences, suggesting that if studios during the 1940s and 1950s had allowed for women to be studio heads, women of color to be leading ladies, and minorities of all backgrounds to contribute as directors, screenwriters, and in other stages of production, the film industry could have been forever changed for the better. Even so, while the characters featured in the miniseries got their Hollywood ending, there’s always room to explore further in a way that Murphy is competent and comfortable doing.
Why Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood Is Perfect As An Anthology
Hollywood ends on a light-hearted note despite the odds being stacked against many of the main characters due to the often difficult nature of making it in Hollywood for numerous reasons, but tied up loose ends in a satisfying conclusion over seven episodes. The anthology format is arguably more popular than ever, and has been proven by Murphy to be successful through his long-running horror anthology, American Horror Story, which started in 2011 and has recently been green-lit through season 13. Another anthology from Murphy, American Crime Story, has seen critical success and has earned major awards for some cast members, including Hollywood‘s Darren Criss, who won an Emmy for his performance in The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
There’s certainly no shortage of information to pull from if the decision to continue Hollywood was made; the film industry was forever changed by the introduction of the small screen, making the silver screen and “talkies” subject to a completely different kind of competitor. There could be room to move a few years forward and discuss more of the Golden Age of television, which could lead into historical events such as Jim Crow laws, segregation, and even culminate into the height of the Cold War, which utilized television in a very interesting way with propaganda surrounding nuclear threats. What makes Hollywood most unique is its focus on integrating fact vs. fiction and diversifying history in a way that makes the audience think about what could have happened, if things had been ever so slightly changed.
