SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the first two episodes of FX’s Grotesquerie.
Niecy Nash-Betts leads Ryan Murphy‘s Grotesquerie as a seasoned detective who, while battling her own addiction, must throw herself into perhaps the most disturbing case of her entire career.
The first two episodes of the FX series, which launched on September 25, establish Lois Tryon as a once-revered investigator whose alcoholism has begun to affect both her work and home life. But, when she begins investigating a series of gruesome killings with religious undertones, she’s determined to solve the case at all costs.
She enlists the help of a journalist nun named Sister Megan, who helps provide some context about the Biblical connections to each of the crime scenes — until the end of the second episode, when the police discover a scene that needs no explanation. The killer, who Lois is starting to feel is taunting her, recreates a bloody version of The Last Supper at a church’s altar with the corpses of multiple unhoused people.
“The Last Supper. But, for whom? You? Me? All of us?” Nash-Betts’ Lois wonders as she stares at the scene laid out before her, stunned.
It leaves audiences with an eery feeling that things will only get worse from here.
Nash-Betts is coming off of her acclaimed turn in Murphy’s Dahmer as Glenda Cleveland, Jeffrey Dahmer’s nosy neighbor who tries to warn police about him to no avail. She tells Deadline that, at this point, she’ll never say no when Murphy comes knocking.
“I’m happy that I graduated in Ryan’s world to a leading lady. I really wanted my peers to know that they could trust me with whatever caliber of work there is for me to do, and I think that this hopefully will confirm that,” she said. “I can make them laugh and I can make them cry.”
In the interview below, Nash-Betts spoke with Deadline about the first two episodes of Grotesquerie and teased what’s in store for the rest of the season — including the introduction of Travis Kelce’s character in his much-anticipated scripted TV debut.
DEADLINE: How is Lois’ addiction going to impact her ability to solve this case, and her career in law enforcement more generally?
NIECY NASH-BETTS: Lois has a very, very long career in law enforcement, and she has been a big deal for many of them. She is the master of her game. So even in her addiction, she is better with context clues than anyone on their best day. Som because she’s very passionate about what she does, she is going to seek to unravel the thread, no matter where she is in her addiction.
DEADLINE: She’s a very layered character. How did you start to peel back some of those layers to figure out who she is at her core?
NASH-BETTS: Detailed conversations with Ryan Murphy. We really talked for hours about this woman, about her backstory, about what makes her tick, about where she is in her marriage versus where she is in her career. Originally, she was more of a public success and a private failure. And then, because of her addiction, it started to seep over into her work life.
DEADLINE: So she’s no longer a different person at home than she is at work?
NASH-BETTS: At this point, I don’t think that she is trying to hide it. Yes, this is where I am in my personal life. But also, yes, I am going to catch the serial killer. She’s too far gone.
DEADLINE: I really enjoy the dynamic between Lois and Sister Megan. First, how is it working with Micaela Diamond?
NASH-BETTS: Oh, first of all, I love Michaela diamond. She is visually stunning. The camera loves her. You can’t take your eyes off this girl. I told her, I said, ‘Baby, you are a star.’ She had mainly been living in the theater world, and this is her first entry into being a series regular on television, and I felt like she did it seamlessly. I think she is so talented, and she’s gonna be one of the greats.
DEADLINE: Why do you think Lois began giving that information to Sister Megan that she really shouldn’t have?
NASH-BETTS: Well, because these crimes are not typical. They all have a religious overtone, and because of that, there may be things that Lois doesn’t know, and she may be able to track it faster, get to it faster, with more insight in the religious and spiritual world.
DEADLINE: Ryan Murphy often explores the intersection of horror and religion. How was that experience, for you, on this show in particular?
NASH-BETTS: Well, you know, there is horror and evil everywhere. He could have picked anything. I think there are enough stories in the world where people could identify. It just so happens that this one is Catholicism.
DEADLINE: Some of the murders are very horrific. The Last Supper scene at the end of the second episode was really jarring. How were those set pieces?
NASH-BETTS: Yeah, the first time, it’s jarring, because you read it in the script and you’re like, ‘Oh, okay.’ And then when you actually see the wonderful job that the crew has created in building the world, it takes your breath for a second. Then I go into comedy mode, because I don’t want this whole set to be down for the rest of the shooting day. So you got to find the levity in the day, even though you’re facing this horrific scene.
DEADLINE: Lois has this confrontation with Nurse Redd, accusing her of being a sexual predator. It’s hard to tell if Nurse Redd’s actions are real or not, and I feel like the series is leaning into that intersection of reality and fantasy. What can you say about that?
NASH-BETTS: Ryan Murphy has a brilliant way of telling a story. All I can say is, maybe the things you think aren’t real are and vice versa. You just got to stay tuned.
DEADLINE: What are you looking forward to that will unfold for audiences this season?
NASH-BETTS: I’m looking forward to audiences meeting Travis Kelce’s character. I’m looking forward to a deeper connection with Lois and sister Megan, and I’m looking forward to the twists and the turns that people may not see coming.
DEADLINE: Have you spoken to Travis recently, since he’s about to make his TV debut?
NASH-BETTS: Yes, because at the premiere, we actually showed the first episode that he’s in. It went over really well. Audiences really liked him. And so, yes, we spoke about it, and I just gave him his props, and I told him, ‘You’re gonna be so happy with your work in this.’ He was very, very appreciative. I got to spend time with his mom at the premiere. It’s like, these are my folks now.
DEADLINE: It’s been great to see how supportive everyone has been of him.
NASH-BETTS: You gotta support people. Football life has a short period…and finding other things and other interests and other places you can be equally as great, I’m a champion of it.
DEADLINE: Your turn in Dahmer was critically acclaimed. You won an Emmy for it. It’s a different role, of course, but is there anything you took from that experience and that role that you brought to this one?
NASH-BETTS: Ryan constantly is offering me something that allows me to tap into a new part of my art, a new part of my instrument. So I’m very appreciative for that. But then he doesn’t just offer it up and leave you there. He offers it up and then walks you through it to get the best performance out of you. So because of that, he will always have me at ‘Hello.’