Oh baby, the claws are out in the first official trailer for Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans, and we can’t wait to watch this catfight play out.
Ages ago, in the long-forgotten time known as “2017,” TV mastermind Ryan Murphy delivered Feud, the first edition of what promised to be a juicy new anthology series, a la American Horror Story or American Crime Story—but cattier and gayer.
As the title suggests, the series set out to dramatize the shadiest feuds in herstory, and the first season delivered with the wild true story of the rivalry between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, with modern legends Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon playing the dueling divas, respectively.
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And it was a total blast; we were hooked! On top of that, Bette And Joan went on to earn a whopping 19 Emmy nominations. So, why then, has it taken years and years for season two?
Well, the minute we saw the first look at Capote Vs. The Swans, we decided to throw our cares away and just be thankful we got a second season at all because THIS. LOOKS. INCREDIBLE. Feud is back!
As the promos tease, this season is all about the quote-unquote “original Housewives” of New York City, the titular “Swans”—so dubbed by infamous author Truman Capote—a socialite social circle of frenemies, whose gossip became tabloid fodder thanks to the writer’s thinly veiled accounts of their lives.
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Stepping into the iconic role of Capote is none other than British actor Tom Hollander, last seen as “Uncle” Quentin on The White Lotus, a.k.a. the main “gay” trying to murder Jennifer Coolidge’s ill-fated Tanya. Inspired casting!
As for the Swans, well, let’s break down who’s playing who:
- Naomi Watts as Babe Paley: Last seen in Murphy’s Netflix thriller The Watcher, the Oscar-nominated Aussie will play Paley, the former Vogue editor and wife to CBS founder William S. Paley. It’s Babe’s friendship with Capote that brings him into the Swans’ inner circle.
- Diane Lane as Slim Keith: Another Oscar nominee (Unfaithful), Lane is a longtime Hollywood leading lady, here playing Keith, a jet-setting fashion icon once married to legendary director Howard Hawks.
- Chloë Sevigny as C.Z. Guest: Herself a New York “It Girl” and arthouse darling, Sevigny reunites with Murphy (after two Horror Story seasons) to play Guest, a multi-hyphenate who married into nobility, known for her style and love of horses.
- Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwell: The once and former Ally McBeal makes a grand return to television as Radziwell, younger sister to Jackie O (and, yes, was the mother-in-law of modern-day Housewives star Carole Radziwell).
- Demi Moore as Ann Woodward: Soap star turned A-lister Moore (Ghost, Striptease) plays the juicy role of Woodward, a showgirl, model, and radio actress who married banking heir William Woodward Jr. and then was suspected of murdering him.
- Molly Ringwald as Joanne Carson: Fresh off a recurring role on Riverdale and Murphy’s eerie Jeffrey Dahmer Monster series, Ringwald plays Carson, television host and second wife to The Tonight Show‘s Johnny Carson.
If that’s not enough excitement, Capote Vs. The Swans also boasts the late, great Treat Williams (Hair), theater legend Joe Mantello (Angels In America), and British hunk Russell Tovey (Looking) among its supporting cast. The season was written by playwright Jon Robin Baitz, and the great Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho, Milk) directs a number of the episodes.
We could not possibly be more on board!
Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans is set to premiere January 31 on FX, with new episodes dropping weekly and streaming exclusively on Hulu the next day. You can watch the first full-length trailer below:
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G R
I hope this is as good as the trailer!
Diplomat
Murphy always puts out great material. I look forward to this!
Ronbo
I truly loved Pose and AHS. I like most of his stuff. I guess lesbians need content too.
Housewives just aren’t my cup o’ tea. I’ll give it a shot; but, it can’t be as vapid as Bravo’s Housewives. Money does NOT make a diva. Give me talent and these actors are certainly talented.
Kangol2
Pure deliciousness. Capote had a way with words and eventually had words with a number of these leading grande dames, especially after excerpts, particularly “La Côte Basque,” of his revelatory exposé-as-novel Unanswered Prayers appeared in the 1970s. He also was once very close to Washington doyenne Katharine Graham, owner of the Washington Post, and hosted his legendary 1966 Black-and-White Ball in her honor in New York. Is anyone playing Graham?
Who’s playing his non-exclusive, long-suffering partner Jack Dunphy? Or the closeted married John O’Shea, whom he met in a bathhouse and who tried to take control of his finances and estate in the 1970s? I guess I’ll have to wait and see!
mildredspierce
Watched a documentary about Babe, and her coterie including Capote. He was such a a shit disturbing little fag. Casting sounds great!