The Muppets Debuts Strongly for ABC, Scream Queens Premiere Scares Small Numbers

“Scream Queens” was considered to be one of the hot properties coming into the new season. Glee and American Horror Story have been huge hits with viewers, critics and awards judges.

“Scream Queens” starts out at such a high level of insane it’s hard to imagine that it can maintain it for long.

On Ryan Murphy’s new horror/comedy show, Lea plays neck-brace wearing sorority hopeful Hester Ulrich, which is quite a departure from type-A diva Rachel on Glee.

To be sure, there’s a limit to the distinctiveness of Fox’s Scream Queens (Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET/PT, ** 1/2 stars out of four).

I have to wonder if the dialogue in Scream Queens might have been pulled off better with a more competent actress at the helm than Emma Roberts, who delivers every line in the same flat, disinterestedly bitchy tone.

In an all-too hilarious way, Ariana’s Chanel Number 2 faced her untimely death by first texting with the red devil killer before he stabbed her, then she crawled to her laptop to tweet about it. Classic social media move. At a Kappa house party, one of the sorority members gives birth in a tub, and she claims she didn’t even know she was pregnant.

And finally, another character that you think is dead is actually a pretty compelling twist, because it’s Nick Jonas – another actor/singer you wouldn’t think would stick around a TV show.

In contrast to these materialistic teens is Grace Gardner (Skyler Samuels).

Falchuk shared to THR that the team behind “Scream Queens” is very careful in having someone to go through the episode script and try to understand who the Red Devil attacked, when and why they were attacked.

The frat finds his body at the end of the episode, leading everyone to believe he met his end – but he turns out to be faking it and working with the devil! “Okay, now play it like you want to kill her, ‘” Boneta told TheWrap. “(I) said in the meeting, ‘If you don’t do it, we’re not going to do the show”. Roberts and her minions, along with Curtis, seem to genuinely enjoy their roles, wearing their characters expressions, emotions, and even movements like a second skin.