The Beauty (2026) is a new show by FX, I watched it on Hulu. It currently has 3 episodes, all released 21 January, of a total 11 episodes slated for Season 1. Episodes will begin releasing weekly beginning 28 January. The show is based on a comic by the same name, The Beauty, by Jeremy Huan and Jason A. Hurley. I've never read the comic. The show is about a new drug that makes people beautiful, and is described as the fountain of youth, which can be transmitted from person to person. The corporation behind the drug is trying to stop it's spread, which will cut into their revenue. There is also a side effect, which is gruesome and deadly, but the show hasn't revealed the cause of the side effect yet.

I'm not big on horror and gore, but the sci-fi side of the show is interesting to keep me interested. I like it, enough, so far to continue watching it. I don't want to provide any spoilers, so I wont go into too many details. It has a decently star heavy cast and so far I think the acting may be carrying the writing/directing, somewhat. My theory is the "drug" requires a booster to prevent the side effect, but it's possible a person to person transmission expedites the effect. At this stage (through episode 3), it is almost like 2 shows running in parallel, with few explanations, other than the overlaps. One is law enforcement, investigating the deaths, which occur from the theorized side effect. The other is the corporation trying to contain the spread.

Overall, it's interesting enough to keep me watching, for now. I can't think of another show similar enough to compare it to, but it feels like a prequel to some dystopian stories, where a corporation makes you dependent on it and you have to keep going back to it to live. It also has some Alien: Earth similarities, very thinly, but you'll probably see where that thought comes from if you watch it.