‘Scream Queens’ preview: Why you should watch Ryan Murphy’s horror-comedy

So far this season, there has clearly been a mixed bag of new programming … even though we are only one night into the proceedings. While “Blindspot” proved to be a big hit for NBC in its first airing, “Minority Report” on Fox was an almost-instant dud that helps to prove that if you want to be a hit show, going after franchises is not necessarily the way to do it. You need an interesting concept or an interesting cast to get people on board.

With “Scream Queens” premiering with a two-hour episode on Fox tonight, you get a rare opportunity to see both. You have executive producer Ryan Murphy coming back to the network mere months after the end of “Glee,” and bringing a show that is really everything that he does best rolled into a ball.

The primary reason you should want to check this out is simple: There is really not anything like this on TV. The “Scream” movies we suppose have a few moments of humor here and there, but this show takes it to another level. This is a show that is meant to freak you out, but also to make you laugh. It’s never going to be the goriest or most-terrifying thing that you ever see, but ultimately we don’t really think that it is meant to. Murphy knows that this is Fox; it’s not premium cable, and there is only so much that he can do.

Now, you’ve also got the cast. While relative newcomer Skyler Samuels is technically the show’s primary vantage point in the role of new freshman Grace, surrounding her you have the likes of Lea Michele, Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Nasim Pedrad, Niecy Nash, Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, Keke Palmer, and a variety of other people you know really well. You should enjoy seeing some of these people take on new roles, and then also seeing whether or not they survive the season.

There is ultimately a strong mystery component to this show that proves you one more compelling reason to check this out; over the course of the season, you’ll have to piece together who could be responsible for the killings and why.

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