All ’80s flash. Very meandering substance.

FX’s pulpy mystery thriller The Shards once again delivers another chapter that squanders its great potential. As our fellow TV Fanatic Denis Kimathi writes, this story continues to “sink into the ridiculous.”

The Shards Season 1 pains more because it could become our next guilty pleasure thriller watch.

(FX/Screenshot)

On paper, the show has everything you’d love in a typical 1980’s B-horror movie.

We’ve got a group of hopeless teens. Some we’re rooting for to survive (Susan); others who will undoubtedly be on the killer’s list (Debbie, Robert).

A horror backdrop set in an aesthetically pleasing space. In this case, it’s the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.

Of course, there’s plenty of ’80s references to keep us satiated.

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And then, there’s the mysterious serial killer, “The Trawler.”

A faceless masked slasher who’s kidnapping and torturing unsuspecting victims in gruesome ways. No one knows who it is, but the killer could be anyone.

So, with all of this, what’s going wrong?

(Ray Mickshaw/FX) Style Vs. Scares

The biggest issue is that The Shards is more focused on being an ’80s drama instead of a thriller or horror story.

If you were to take away the gruesome scenes or The Trawler’s mystery, The Shards would continue moving forward.

The show has fleshed out its core cast, making them feel like well-developed and love-to-hate characters. But in turn, their lives in the ’80s don’t just take center stage.

It’s the entire spotlight.

(Ray Mickshaw/FX)

Don’t get me wrong, we must focus on the characters and their stories. We need to root for them, know them, and mourn for them if they die.

However, there’s still a horror mystery to solve.

Unfortunately, The Shards doesn’t care about its killer, the victims, or building out that mystery into a hard-hitting case.

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And what makes it worse is that the show tells us repeatedly that it doesn’t.

The characters openly say that the killing spree isn’t important. Most of the episode focuses on a random ’80s moment, like Homecoming or a house party.

By the time The Shards remembers it’s a horror show, a slasher trope, or death is shoved in.

(FX/Screenshot)

Let’s take a look at The Shards Season 1 Episode 5, for instance. The backdrop of a cheesy teen dance show is the perfect setting for B-horror slasher chaos.

Instead, the show dragged out the pacing, focusing on Terry’s devotion to his daughter Debbie, who would win “Groover of the Week,” or the love triangle of Susan/Thom/Robert.

And all the extra filler about Cha Cha’s affair with the dance host.

The Shards loves building out side or minor characters, giving them depth and history when they’re only around for 1-2 episodes.

We didn’t need to know about Cha Cha’s pregnancy. She’s the mean girl’s enemy in the slasher film — she was always going to be fodder.

(Ray Mickshaw/FX)

The Shards has a point-of-view: it’s about the ’80s.

The colors, the aesthetic, the lifestyle, the loss of innocence in L.A., and so on. It’s an interesting metaphor about the past.

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However, after seven episodes into The Shards Season 1, that point is more than hammered in.

We’re spending so much time dragging things out, building to these one-off moments. Exuding the flashiness of the 1980s and rounding out the atmosphere of the setting.

The Trawler, on the other hand, has no where to go but up. That’s only because the plotline is already at the bottom, an afterthought in its own horror show.

(FX/Screenshot) Bring On The Slasher Fun!

What can help save The Shards? Let’s have some horror movie stakes.

We’re seven episodes in and only three named minor teens have been murdered. Sure, The Trawler (and the random religious cult) have picked off other victims off-screen, but they’re non-entities in our story.

Besides Cha Cha and Matt, there hasn’t been anyone of significance that The Trawler has killed. Or no one that has come close to an attack.

There hasn’t been any chase scenes, close calls, or encounters with The Trawler.

Just a few heavy-breathing calls and finding of body parts.

(FX/Screenshot)

So, how about if someone from the direct friend group dies next?

Ryan, the secret porn star, mostly stays in the background. His connection to Debbie, her mother Liz, and Bret have been minimal at best.

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After his secret is out, he could easily be The Trawler’s next victim.

An empty porn studio. A deadly chase on set. His death caught on camera.

The iconic scene writes itself.

(FX/Screenshot)

Or how about a close call chase scene with Debbie?

We can’t lose our mean girl just yet. She’s got plenty of potential with the growing tensions in her family, her relationship with Bret, and her jealousy of Susan.

We could have a scene of her alone in her home. Maybe a fight after another cutting remark from Liz?

The Trawler arrives, kills Liz, and then a harrowing chase scene around the spacious mansion ensues. Debbie could survive, or she gets kidnapped by The Trawler.

The possibilities are endless for what could be done. The only difference is that it has to start somewhere.

(Ray Mickshaw/FX)

The Shards has the potential to be a hard-hitting story.

Simply, the show needs to refocus itself with what story it wants to tell. But more importantly, it has to start having fun.

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The tone can’t always be depressing and cutting. There’s a serial killer on the loose, and these teens are unsuspecting victims trapped in this case.

Let’s inject a bit more slasher energy. The thriller and horror elements will be thankful for it.

(Ray Mickshaw/FX)

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

Are you loving The Shards Season 1? Do you think it needs more slasher and horror elements?

What could help make the show even better?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, and invite other fans to join the conversation.

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