Jamie Lee Curtis Says ‘Scream Queens’ ‘Felt Like It Was Going to Break Television’
Jamie Lee Curtis is one of the biggest names in horror. Her starring role in the Halloween franchise made her a star. So it’s no surprise Ryan Murphy called on the actor when casting his Scream Queens series.
Jamie Lee Curtis starred in ‘Scream Queens’
Scream Queens premiered in 2015. The Fox series told the story of a college campus rocked by multiple murders that reignite a 20-year mystery. As members of the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority get picked off, one by one, the remaining members have to work together to find out the killer’s identity.
The show starred Emma Roberts, Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, Lea Michele, Glen Powell, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer, and Billie Lourd, as well as Curtis.
Murphy and his creative partner, Brad Falchuk, have created plenty of hits, including Glee, American Horror Story, and Pose. Murphy has also gone on to create content for Netflix, including The Politician, Hollywood, Ratched, and Halston.
The second season, which took place in a hospital, added stars like John Stamos, Kirstie Alley, Taylor Lautner, Brooke Shields, and Cecily Strong to the cast.
Jamie Lee Curtis thought ‘Scream Queens’ was ‘going to break television’
Curtis played the fictional Wallace University’s dean (and later, the head of a hospital). And fans of the show loved her hilarious role on the show. Curtis was equally enthusiastic about the show, telling Entertainment Weekly how “fantastic” she thought Scream Queens was.
“I’ve never been part of something that had that much lift off before anybody had ever seen it,” Curtis explained. “It was so inventive, so dark, so well written, so well directed.” The actor also shouted out her co-stars, calling them “fantastic” and “great.”
“It actually felt like it was going to break television,” she continued. “I mean, every single news magazine had picked it as its No. 1 show of the year.”
Critical response to ‘Scream Queens’
Rolling Stone said of the show, “Let’s call it right now: Scream Queens is already looking like the smartest move Ryan Murphy’s ever made – it has all the best elements of Glee and American Horror Story, but it tops them both.”
However, the Boston Globe wasn’t as complimentary. “The humor is lively for a while, with lots of pop cultural wit, clever insults, and showy guest stars,” the publication wrote. “Before it all becomes pretty tiresome.”
Scream Queens was canceled after two seasons, but the show remains something of a cult classic. It won a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series in 2015, and received nominations for People’s Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and Teen Choice Awards.
Some fans have held out hope for a third season, especially as the show’s popularity has grown since its cancellation.
Murphy has made hints about a possible revival, telling Deadline in 2019 that it was possible, and making a 2020 Instagram comment about “working on” a third Scream Queens season.
The stars of the show have also spoken about their wish for another season. Roberts told ComicBook.com she would be “so down,” while Curtis, Breslin, and Lourd have also expressed interest in returning to Scream Queens.
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