Ryan Murphy’s buzzy new show The Shards is already off to an amazing start after premiering on August 5. Star Igby Rigney has gone viral for a scene where he was only sporting a pair of white underwear, and everyone is talking about the steamy show and its hot stars.
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, The Shards is based on a Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name. It follows the prep school student Bret, whose privileged life begins to unravel when he meets the enigmatic new student Robert. Things get complicated as Bret navigates teenage drama, drug-fueled excess, and secret sexual relationships with his male classmates, all while a serial killer known as “The Trawler” begins terrorizing the city.
Murphy is known for his soapy gay dramas, and The Shards is living up to this reputation. Full of dramatic tension, excess-soaked parties, and plenty of steamy sex, The Shards is proving to be the perfect summer escape.
The show’s first season has only just begun, but fans are already hooked. The ‘80s hair, fashion, and sets — combined with the sexy and thrilling plot — make it must-watch TV. You would also be forgiven if you’re mostly glued to your screen because of the hunky stars.
But just who are these hot young stars and where else can you see them? Meet the boys ahead! And catch new episodes of The Shards Wednesdays on FX and Hulu.
Igby Rigney
Igby Rigney is playing the lead character, Bret, a 17-year-old fictionalized version of Bret Easton Ellis, who has an on-again, off-again relationship with Debbie (Hayes Warner) while having secret gay rendezvous with male classmates.
Rigney is best known for starring in Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
Homer Gere
Homer Gere is starring as Robert Mallory, the enigmatic, privileged new student at the fictional Buckley prep school, whose entrance upends Bret’s life.
Aside from being Richard Gere’s son, Homer Gere also starred as Dylan Reid in four episodes of Euphoria.
Graham Campbell
Graham Campbell plays star football player Thom Wright, who is one half of the archetypal high school couple alongside Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber).
Prior to starring in The Shards, Campbell was in the Willem Dafoe film Late Fame.
Owen Painter
Owen Painter stars as Matt Kellner, one of Bret’s close friends. He is a laid-back, weed-smoking teen who has a secret sexual relationship with Bret.
Prior to The Shards, Painter starred in an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, the miniseries Tiny Beautiful Things, and played Slurp in Netflix’s Wednesday.
Wes Bentley
Wes Bentley plays Hollywood mogul Terry Schaffer, the father of Brett’s girlfriend Debbie, who tries to seduce Bret with promises of hiring him as a screenwriter.
Bentley has had a long and storied career in Hollywood that started with his breakthrough role in American Beauty and has continued for decades. He also starred in Interstellar, The Hunger Games, Mission Impossible: Fallout, and played main character Jamie Dutton on the hit series Yellowstone.
