Ryan Murphy‘s shows are known for their out-of-the-box story lines — but is All’s Fair his most unhinged series yet?
Murphy’s TV universe is sprawling, with shows such as Nip/Tuck and Glee putting him on the map before he launched the American Horror Story franchise. The FX series became an overnight success, allowing the producer to continue exploring his creative interests with American Crime Story, Feud, the 9-1-1 franchise, the Monster anthology, American Sports Story, Pose, Grotesquerie and more.
Viewers have also come to love Murphy’s more campy shows. On Scream Queens, Doctor Odyssey and now All’s Fair, Murphy threw the wildest concepts at the storytelling wall to see what sticks.
All’s Fair, which premiered in November, follows “a team of female divorce attorneys leave a male-dominated firm to open their own powerhouse practice.”
A Comprehensive Guide to Ryan Murphy’s Sprawling Television Universe
“Fierce, brilliant, and emotionally complicated, they navigate high-stakes breakups, scandalous secrets, and shifting allegiances — both in the courtroom and within their own ranks,” the description reads. “In a world where money talks and love is a battleground, these women don’t just play the game — they change it.”
The show centers around an all-female law firm run by Allura Grant (Kim Kardashian), Liberty Ronson (Naomi Watts), Emerald Greene (Niecy Nash), Milan (Teyana Taylor) and Dina Standish (Glenn Close). In addition to the star-studded main cast, there will be appearances from Sarah Paulson, Matthew Noszka, O-T Fagbenle, Kathleen Garrett, Ed O’Neill, Judith Light, Steven Pasquale, Tamara Taylor and Lorraine Toussaint. The guest cast also includes Elizabeth Berkley, Grace Gummer, Brooke Shields and more.
While the series premiere didn’t win over everyone, it did get viewers talking with some truly unhinged story lines. Keep scrolling for the biggest highlights from All’s Fair as it continues to drop new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu:
Allura’s Wrecked Marriage
Kardashian’s character, Allura, running a law firm that specializes in divorce while being blindsided by her own breakup is the definition of irony. Things were going well in the beginning — or at least Allura thought they were. But her husband, Chase (played by Noszka), was cheating on her with her secretary, Milan, who later revealed she is pregnant.
Chase — who is a professional football player — wasn’t loyal to Milan either because he was later seen meeting up with a trans sex worker in secret.
The Baby Trap
Chase does not know that Milan is expecting their baby because he was too busy trying to get control of his and Allura’s embryos. She started taking injections in the bathroom at work before secretly undergoing IVF in hopes of getting pregnant with twins.
Elizabeth Berkley’s ‘All’s Fair’ Character’s Death
One of the cases the firm took on included Deandre (Berkley) trying to get a divorce from ex Arthur (Eddie Cibrian), who saddled her with severe money issues that would haunt her for the rest of her life. After seeing how limited her options were, Deandre asked to smoke on the balcony before jumping off the building to her death.
Allura Does Vaginal VRP
All’s Fair featured a scene where Kardashian’s character defended getting vaginal rejuvenation. Art imitating life?
Jessica Simpson’s Guest Role
Simpson played a new client whose romance with her ex-husband appeared to take inspiration from Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson.
“We’ve been married almost three years. I knew he had had one affair — probably more. So when he had told me to get plastic surgery, I couldn’t say no,” Simpson’s Lee-Ann said as her botched surgery was revealed. “My marriage was at stake.”
The fictional couple on All’s Fair has sex multiple times before he told Simpson’s character that she needed surgery after turning 40. She ultimately went under the knife — with disastrous results — and won big in court thanks to her legal team.
Later in the episode, Allura found out that Lee-Ann chose to seek revenge on her estranged husband by cornering him at a restaurant when he was on a date with a younger girl and burning his face with sulfuric acid.
Anything That Comes Out of Carrington’s Mouth
Paulson is carrying All’s Fair on her back with her dialogue alone. “Boy, do I love coming here. Walking down that hallway shaped like a clown cervix,” she quipped in the trailer before referring to Kardashian and Nash as “beef curtains [and] Black Mae West.”
Carrington’s other highlights include dressing up as Allura, saying, “Before you comment on my new appearance, please know that this look is nothing more than next Halloween’s costume where I will be dressing as a whore lawyer.”
Elsewhere in the trailer, Carrington interrupted mediation with a dig. “Enough edging, counsellor. Let us cum already,” she added.
The series premiere allowed Paulson to have even more fun while tormenting Allura with her embryos.
“Little Allura-dorable can’t have a wittle baby in that cobweb-dusted womb of hers. Boo hoo!” she said. “You don’t give us what we want and those eggs will never see the inside of Allura’s hoo-ha because I’ll personally slather them in A-1 steak sauce and eat them with a side of fries.”
