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The Shards cast: Who stars in season 1?

Your essential guide to the cast of The Shards.

(L-R) Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer, Igby Rigney as Bret in The Shards – they are walking arm in arm at a disco

Ray Mickshaw / FX

Published: Wednesday, 5 August 2026 at 8:00 am

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The Shards brings Bret Easton Ellis's semi-fictionalised autobiographical thriller to the screen under the stewardship of prolific TV producer Ryan Murphy.

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Set at an elite Los Angeles prep school in the early 1980s, the series follows a version of teenage Bret, whose privileged social circle is upended when a mysterious new student arrives – and a serial killer known as the Trawler begins stalking the city.

The 10-episode drama pairs rising talent with recognisable names, led by Igby Rigney as the young Bret and Homer Gere in his first major series role, alongside Kaia Gerber, Wes Bentley and Evan Rachel Wood.

Below, you can find a full guide to the actors and characters appearing in The Shards cast, as the new series heads to Hulu and Disney Plus.

The Shards season 1 cast list

Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer in The Shards; he is sat in a jacuzzi, looking up at someone standing outside of it

Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer in The Shards. Ray Mickshaw / FX

Here's a concise overview of the key players in The Shards – read on for more detailed profiles on each character and the actor playing them, including where you might have seen them before.

Igby Rigney as Bret Easton Ellis

Igby Rigney as Bret in a dimly lit swimming pool looking at the camera

Igby Rigney as Bret in The Shards. Pari Dukovic / FX

About the character: Rigney plays a 17-year-old aspiring writer and senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school, who narrates the series as its protagonist. His seemingly charmed final year of high school begins to unravel with the arrival of an unsettling new classmate and a string of murders.

Where you've seen Igby Rigney before: Rigney is closely associated with Mike Flanagan's Netflix horror world, having played Warren Flynn in Midnight Mass, Kevin in The Midnight Club and Toby in The Fall of the House of Usher.

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His other credits include the film F9: The Fast Saga and a recent recurring turn as Dr Scott Marcus in Grey's Anatomy.

Homer Gere as Robert Mallory

Homer Gere as Robert Mallory in The Shards

Homer Gere as Robert Mallory in The Shards Ray Mickshaw / FX

About the character: Robert Mallory is the enigmatic new student at Buckley whose arrival coincides with the campaign of terror gripping the city, positioning him as the story's central figure of suspicion.

Where you've seen Homer Gere before: Gere, the son of actor Richard Gere, is an emerging performer who made his acting debut as Dylan Reid in the HBO drama Euphoria, with The Shards marking one of his first major roles.

Graham Campbell as Thom Wright

Graham Campbell as Thom Wright in The Shards; he is looking ahead angrily at someone

Graham Campbell as Thom Wright in The Shards. FX

About the character: Thom Wright is Bret's charismatic friend and the group's so-called golden boy, a fixture of the Buckley in-crowd.

Where you've seen Graham Campbell before: Campbell's credits include a role in the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls and the Broadway production of Appropriate.

Kaia Gerber as Susan Reynolds

(L-R) Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer and Kaia Gerber as Susan Reynolds in The Shards; they are stood next to each other outside a building, listening to someone out of shot talking

(L-R) Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer and Kaia Gerber as Susan Reynolds in The Shards. Ray Mickshaw / FX

About the character: Susan Reynolds is Bret's popular classmate and a central figure in the friend-group drama, described as a popular cheerleader "destined to be homecoming queen" (via FX).

Where you've seen Kaia Gerber before: The model and actress, daughter of Cindy Crawford, broke through in Ryan Murphy's horror universe as Ruby McDaniel in American Horror Stories and Kendall Carr in American Horror Story: Double Feature. She has since appeared in the film Bottoms and had a recurring role as Mitzi in the Apple TV period comedy Palm Royale.

Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer

Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer in The Shards; she is lying on the side of a swimming pool, lit up by neon blue and red lights

Hayes Warner as Debbie Schaffer in The Shards. Pari Dukovic / FX

About the character: Debbie Schaffer is a member of Bret's inner circle, a series regular navigating the pressures of high-school expectation.

Where you've seen Hayes Warner before: Warner is a New York-born pop singer, known for singles including Oh! and Predator, making her scripted television debut with The Shards.

Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer

Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer seated in a large oversized suit for The Shards.

Wes Bentley as Terry Schaffer in The Shards. Pari Dukovic/FX

About the character: Terry Schaffer is Debbie's wealthy and sinister father, a movie producer whose world sits at the darker edges of the story.

Where you've seen Wes Bentley before: Bentley earned a BAFTA nomination for his breakout as Ricky Fitts in the Oscar-winning American Beauty, and has since appeared in The Hunger Games, Interstellar and American Horror Story. He is best known to recent audiences as Jamie Dutton across the run of Yellowstone.

Evan Rachel Wood as Liz Schaffer

Evan Rachel Wood as Liz Schaffer in The Shards. in this close-up shot, she is gazing into the distance with intrigue.

Evan Rachel Wood as Liz Schaffer in The Shards. Pari Dukovic/FX

About the character: Liz Schaffer is Debbie's mother and Terry's wife, a former model whose comfortable life has become quietly lonely.

Where you've seen Evan Rachel Wood before: The Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee is best known as Dolores Abernathy in HBO's Westworld, with earlier credits including Thirteen, Across the Universe, The Wrestler and the miniseries Mildred Pierce. She also voiced Queen Iduna in Frozen II.

Jordan Roth as Steven Reinhardt

Jordan Roth as Steven Reinhardt in The Shards; he is hugging someone in distress, with a serious expression on his face

Jordan Roth as Steven Reinhardt in The Shards Ray Mickshaw / FX

About the character: Steven Reinhardt is Terry's enigmatic assistant, a figure who trades in secrets and quiet manipulation.

Where you've seen Jordan Roth before: Roth is best known as a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and the former president of Jujamcyn Theaters, making The Shards a notable acting turn for a figure previously known behind the scenes.

Supporting and guest The Shards cast

The Shards is coming soon to Disney+. You can sign up to Disney+ from £4.99 a month.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of David Craig, smiling against a lime green background.

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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