FX Sinks to Greater Depths With Show About Transsexuality
Next up from the creator of one of the filthiest shows on television: a series about transsexuals.
Ryan Murphy, creator of Nip/Tuck, the FX network's ode to plastic surgery, graphic sex and depravity, has sold a new pilot to FX about “the metamorphosis of a married sportswriter with children who comes to the realization he is a transsexual.”
At least that's how the pilot was originally pitched. Now, according to the TV column in The Washington Post, the conflicted main character is a gynecologist, not a sportswriter. (For those not paying close attention to the transsexual news of the day, LA Times sportswriter Mike Penner set the world on its ear in April by announcing he was undergoing a sex change operation and would, after a hiatus, be returning to her column as Christine Daniels.)
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the working title of the show is “4 Oz.,” though The Washington Post reports the title has been changed. Murphy has reportedly said “4 Oz.” refers to the average weight of a penis, quipping “(it is) remarkably light given the amount of havoc it creates for men.”
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The Hollywood Reporter also states that Murphy has signed a “rich multiyear deal with FX, 20th Century Fox and Fox Broadcasting Co.”
So why are these entertainment giants showering their money on the likes of Murphy? Compare and contrast: Nip/Tuck has been on the air for four years. Its average audience is 1.4 million people. Disney's perfectly clean High School Musical 2 debuted with 17.2 million viewers on Friday, August 17, shattering basic cable records. On Saturday, August 18, HSM2 was rebroadcast and pulled in 5 million viewers. The third re-airing on Sunday, August 19, garnered 4.9 million viewers.
So much for market demand.
