'Scream Queens' pushes boundaries with unorthodox humor

Ryan Murphy, creator of "Glee" (2009-2015) and "American Horror Story" (2011-present), throws political correctness to the wind in his new Fox horror-comedy series, "Scream Queens." Indeed, the two-part season premiere -- which aired last week -- left viewers in shock from the very first scene. The series opens in 1995 with a party at the Kappa Kappa Tau (KKT) sorority house at fictional Wallace University, where a member is giving birth in the bathtub. Her friends refuse to help her until after the party is over, but by that point it's too late for their sorority sister, who bleeds out and dies from lack of medical attention. It becomes quickly apparent that "Scream Queens" does not hold back -- the series, it seems, shows blood and gore in typical "American Horror Story" style.

The premiere then fast forwards to 20 years later; the ruthless Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts) is now the sorority president, and she's on the lookout for new recruits. Things for Chanel are not going so well, however. After a gruesome tanning incident that leaves the previous president of KKT severely burned, Chanel and the rest of her posse, Chanel  No. 2 (Ariana Grande), Chanel  No. 3 (Billie Lourd) and Chanel  No. 5 (Abigail Breslin), are forced by Dean Cathy Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) to accept any and all pledges, regardless of their appearance. The four Chanels are horrified when they receive a group of girls, among them Grace (Skyler Samuels), Hester (Lea Michele) and Zayday (Keke Palmer), who do not fit the typical sorority girl mold. To make matters worse, a masked figure dressed as the school mascot, the Red Devil, begins killing off members of KKT for no apparent reason.

The Chanels make the Plastics of "Mean Girls" (2004) seem like a nice group of young women. Roberts embodies the malice of Chanel's character so convincingly that it's a little disconcerting. After Chanel's meeting with Dean Munsch, she relays her worries about a non-discrimination policy to the KKT housekeeper, Ms. Bean (Jan Hoag): "If Dean Munsch gets her way, Kappa's gonna be filled with fatties and ethnics. The fatties will bring their big, old appetites, and you know what those ethnics will bring with them? Weird spices from their home countries." Earlier in this episode, Chanel makes a joke about the housekeeper not cleaning up "bulimia puke" from the carpet well enough. Robert's character is unlikeable but compelling; it's hard not to keep watching.

The show also does not shy away from offensive humor. During a hazing scene, each of the pledges stands on a table wearing just her underwear while the Chanels write embarrassing things (e.g. "poo belly," "lipo") on their bare stomachs in marker in between forced shots of mayonnaise. When Chanel reaches Zayday, she proceeds to say, "Hello, hood rat ... I don't even know what to do with you ... I'm gonna go to my room for a second to fetch some white eyeliner so I can write legibly here on Zayday," making a reference to the character's skin color. At one point, a gay student on campus, Boone (Nick Jonas), wants to join KKT now that there are rules in place prohibiting discrimination, and he is met with a long, brutal, homophobic speech by Chanel No. 5. It is a bit overdone, but then again, so is everything else in the show.

Casual, humorous references are made about sensitive topics (e.g. bulimia, death), and though these are shocking and offensive, especially at first, they fit well with the show's satirical nature: They're there to make a point and to deliver a certain social commentary as well as to entertain. But some viewers may feel some guilt after nervously laughing at certain crude references, so this show is not for the sensitive. During (spoiler alert!) Chanel No. 2's death scene, the Red Devil enters her room and texts her saying that he is going to kill her. She proceeds to text the Red Devil back asking him not to do so. As he stabs her, instead of trying to escape like a sane human being, she manages to find the strength to begin tweeting about her attack. Unfortunately, she reaches the 140 character limit before she can reveal who the killer is. In a Sept. 22 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, co-creator Brad Falchuk spoke about what the writers were trying to accomplish with the scene. "It's the idea that [a life event] just doesn't exist if it's not put onto social media in some way," he said. "It becomes irrelevant."

Furthermore, it doesn't hurt that the show is decorated with a talented, well-know cast in Curtis, Grande, Jonas, Roberts, Michele and Breslin, all of whom shine in their roles. The show is funny and disturbing at the same time, but be warned -- it's not for the faint of heart (or stomach).