“All over the place” is probably the right term to describe this show. It feels like Ryan Murphy (the creator) is trying to combine Glee’s humor with American Horror Story horror with a little bit of Pretty Little Liars-esque mystery.
The horror-comedy “Scream Queens”, which plays on Tuesdays on Fox at 9 p.m., began with a flashback to 1995 and a crime that was never solved. Twenty years later, the deed is back to haunt Wallace University’s Kappa sorority chapter, run by the ruthless Chanel Oberlin and her minions.
One would assume that with an all-star cast— including Emma Roberts, Lea Michelle, Nick Jonas, Ariana Grande, Abigail Breslin, Jamie Lee Curtis —the acting would be great. However, it ended up being a little bit over the top. Fox hyped this show up a tremendous amount before the premier, but it did not live up to the expectations. To me, Scream Queens is pretty clueless about what’s actually scary, and its comedy is petty and mean-spirited, full of hateful stereotypes and casual misogyny. This show lacks plot and character complexity and leaves me with the impression just trying too hard. Ultimately, Scream Queens is more exhausting than exhilarating.