Ryan Murphy‘s “Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans” shatters the social hierarchy of 1960s elite New York, one betrayal at a time.
Season 2 of the anthology series centers on acclaimed writer Truman Capote (Tom Hollander), once a confidante to society’s most elite women, whom he nicknamed “the swans.” However, his act of betrayal effectively destroyed those relationships, banished him from high society and sent him into a spiral of self-destruction from which he would ultimately never recover.
Per the official synopsis, “Enchanted and captivated by these doyennes, Capote ingratiated himself into their lives, befriending them and becoming their confidante, only to ultimately betray them by writing a thinly veiled fictionalization of their lives, exposing their most intimate secrets. When an excerpt from the book, Answered Prayers, Capote’s planned magnum opus, was published in Esquire, it effectively destroyed his relationship with his swans, banished him from the high society he so loved and sent him into a spiral of self-destruction from which he would ultimately never recover.”
An all-star cast including Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore, and Molly Ringwald portrays the swans Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest, Lee Radziwill, Ann Woodward, and Joanne Carson, respectively.
The cast is rounded out by late actor Treat Williams as Bill Paley, Joe Mantello as Jack Dunphy, and Russell Tovey as John O’Shea. The limited series culminates in Capote’s death in 1984. A first look at the series showcased the period piece stylings and costumes.
Actress Watts also executive produces the series, based on the bestselling book “Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era” by Laurence Leamer. Jon Robin Baitz adapted the screenplay, with Gus Van Sant, Max Winkler, and Jennifer Lynch directing. Baitz serves as showrunner.
The show is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Alexis Martin Woodall, Baitz, Van Sant, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Naomi Watts, Eric Kovtun and Scott Robertson. It is produced by 20th Television.
“Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans” premieres January 31 at 10pm ET/PT on FX and will stream the next day on Hulu. Check out the trailer below.
