Related: Complete Coverage of TCA Summer Press Tour
Beverly Hills, Calif. — Fox’s Scream Queens is more than a blend of comedy and horror.
“I think what’s fantastic about this show is it’s a social satire and we say what people think,” said star Jamie Lee Curtis Thursday during the show’s TCA 2015 summer press tour panel.
That satirical quality is what Ryan Murphy, series cocreator, executive producer, writer and director, said differentiates Scream Queens from other horror series out there, including his FX franchise American Horror Story and MTV’s Scream.
“I think that Scream Queens has a much more satirical, cartoonish quality to the attacks than American Horror does,” said Murphy, who credits the resurgence in horror series to AMC’s The Walking Dead.
On Scream, which is based on the film franchise of the same name, Murphy said, “I think that people can easily figure out that there are two shows with scream in the title.”
Scream Queens focuses on a sorority racked by murder.
Other highlights from the panel included:
—Series stars come into each script blind. “You have a group of actresses and actors who don’t know anything about the show,” said Curtis. Cocreator Brad Falchuk added later during the panel that it helps in the horror genre that the actors have a fear and sense of uncertainty about the series.
—Many of the actors and actresses hadn’t worked in the horror or comedy genre. “For me this is a completely different world,” said Lea Michele, who shot to fame in Fox’s musical drama Glee, which was also from Murphy.
—On the age gap between the cocreators and the young stars, Murphy said “I will say when I direct them I do feel really fu**ing ancient.”
—Niecy Nash said that she signed on to the project before knowing the part she was playing - security guard. “Ryan Murphy had me at hello,” she said.
