Scream Queens, the latest Ryan Murphy venture that mixes the Glee and American Horror Story creator’s passion for dark comedy with his love of gore, is coming back to FOX this fall with an all-star cast. The series, which focuses on a gaggle of crime-solving millenials called the Chanels, wrapped up last season with the girls cracking the case behind the murderer terrorizing their campus’s sororities. For season 2, things are about to get medical, as the ruthless Dean Munsch has bought a psychiatric hospital and recruited the Chanels for assistance.
New developments for season 2 keep coming in, like news that the show has cast sitcom veteran John Stamos and the release of the first season 2 teaser. The show’s latest development is another piece of casting news: long-time comedy actress Kirstie Alley (Cheers) will join the show’s cast for season 2, where she will play the hospital’s administrator.
Alley will join special guest stars Taylor Lautner (Twilight) and Colton Haynes (Arrow), as well as series regulars Emma Roberts, Abigail Breslin, Billie Lourd, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The show has been a who’s who of famous faces since it debuted last year, with special guest stars like Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas meeting grisly ends in its premiere season. Some more information on Alley’s character, as well as her casting, came from EW:
“Alley will play the ‘brilliant and devious administrator’ of the C.U.R.E. Institute, ‘where some of the most fascinating and bizarre medical cases are under observation.’
Fox’s press releases declares that Alley is ‘one of the great actresses of her generation, proving time and again that she is capable of great depth and range, as well as possessing a comedic timing second to none.'”
Alley has been known for blunt and boisterous roles in the past, so it’s refreshing to see that her upcoming character, the director of Dean Munsch’s C.U.R.E. Institute, is described as “brilliant and devious.” The Emmy-winning actress will play a series regular this season, so perhaps viewers will get to see her butt heads with Dean Munsch or the Chanels. No matter what, we can undoubtedly expect that Alley will bring incredible energy to this already flamboyant show.
It’s interesting that season 2 of Scream Queens will also be set in a psychiatric institution, since season 2 of American Horror Story did the same. Despite not-so-great ratings for the show’s first season, reviews found it to be original and wild, so we can only hope that this season will be the same, despite the repetition. It’s also a bit concerning that they’re stuffing the cast so full with recognizable faces instead of giving unknowns a chance to shine, since that can often overshadow a series’s story line. Hopefully, Scream Queens will be able to provide fans with a season that’s as ridiculous and unique as the first from start to finish, even with all of these celebrities prowling C.U.R.E.’s sterile halls.
Scream Queens season 2 premieres on FOX on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. EST.
