The new series takes us inside the rift behind Truman Capote and his high society friends.
Ryan Murphy continues to bring us captivating anthology series, and now we’re getting a second instalment of his Feud drama, this time focusing on the writer Truman Capote and his group of female friends, known as ‘the swans’.
It’s been a long time coming for fans of the first season of Feud, which was released in 2017 and focused on the rivalry between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, played by Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon respectively.
This new season similarly features a star-studded cast of women as well as Tom Hollander as Capote, the revered Breakfast at Tiffany’s novelist.
The series will chronicle Capote’s friendships with the women, who he referred to as his ‘swans’, ultimately stabbing them in the back to write about their innermost secrets for a never-finished novel and short story, which was subsequently published in Esquire magazine and led to him being cast out of New York’s elite inner circle.
With a decidedly dramatic trailer having just been released, excitement for the series is naturally building, especially as the cast includes Calista Flockhart, Diane Lane, Naomi Watts, Chloë Sevigny and Demi Moore.
Keen to find out more about this scandalous new drama? Read on for everything you need to know about Feud: Capote vs the Swans.
When is the Feud: Capote vs the Swans release date?
The new series will premiere on Wednesday 31st January at 10pm ET/PT on FX in the US, simulcast with a special Director’s Cut of the first episode on FXX. All episodes (including the Director’s Cut) will then be available to stream the following day on Hulu.
As for UK and international viewers, Feud: Capote vs the Swans will launch on Star Plus in Latin America and on Disney Plus in the UK. A UK release date has not yet been confirmed but we’ll be sure to update this page once it is.
[squirrel-affiliate-playlist squirrel_playlist_id=”608″ /]
What is Feud: Capote vs the Swans about?
The new series is set to chronicle the ‘original housewives’ as FX teases, following this group of elite women who are at the top of New York society and share their secrets and gossip with friend and writer Capote.
But Capote was really working on an act of betrayal, a tell-all novel, that would completely undo his friendships and his standing in society which would ultimately send him into a major downward spiral.
The series is a fictionalised account of events but Capote’s feud with the swans was well-known and the new series is based on Laurence Leamer’s bestselling book Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era.
Although Capote never published his novel, Answered Prayers, he did permit Esquire to publish chapters of the unfinished work in 1975 and 1976 with the second chapter, La Côte Basque 1965, generating much controversy.
The official synopsis for the series reads: “Feud: Capote vs The Swans tells the story of acclaimed writer Truman Capote, once a confidante to society’s most elite women, whom he nicknamed ‘the swans’.
“However, his act of betrayal effectively destroyed those relationships, banished him from high society and sent him into a spiral of self-destruction from which he would ultimately never recover.”
Feud: Capote vs the Swans cast
The full cast list for Feud: Capote vs the Swans is as follows:
- Tom Hollander as Truman Capote
- Naomi Watts as Babe Paley
- Diane Lane as Slim Keith
- Chloë Sevigny as C.Z. Guest
- Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill
- Demi Moore as Ann “Bang-Bang” Woodward
- Molly Ringwald as Joanne Carson
- Treat Williams as Bill Paley
- Joe Mantello as Jack Dunphy
- Russell Tovey as John O’Shea
- Chris Chalk as James Baldwin
- Jessica Lange as Katharine Graham
- Peter Scanavino
- Pawel Szajda as Albert Maysles
- Yuval David as David Maysles
- Jamie Askwe as Jennifer Jones
- Charlotte Cronin as Cornelia Guest
- Scott Zimmerman as David O. Selznick
- Jessica DiGiovani as Kate Paley
- Ella Beatty as Kerry O’Shea
- Dennis Staroselsky as Stanley Siegel
- Roya Shanks as Louisa Firth
- Dan Cordle as Joe Capote
- Daniel Adaro as Chris O’Shea
- Jeffrey Grover as Richard Avedon
- Tom Stratford as Bill Blass
It’s safe to say that Murphy has assembled the very best when it comes to depicting this tale of betrayal and scandal, with a star-studded cast of women at the helm of it.
As well as serving as executive producer on the series, Naomi Watts stars as Babe Paley. Tom Hollander stars as Truman Capote, while Diane Lane is Slim Keith, Chloë Sevigny is C.Z. Guest, Calista Flockhart is Lee Radziwill, Demi Moore is Ann “Bang-Bang” Woodward and Molly Ringwald is Joanne Carson.
The series also marks the final role for Treat Williams, who died in June 2023 in a motorcycle accident, aged 71. Williams plays former CBS head and Babe’s husband Bill Paley in the new series.
Eagle-eyed viewers will also be able to spot Jessica Lange in the trailer, who will be starring as publisher of The Washington Post, Katharine Graham. The role marks another reunion for her and Murphy, with Lange having starred in the first season of Feud and of course, American Horror Story.
Is there a trailer for Feud: Capote vs the Swans?
There most certainly is and it’s packed full of drama. The two-minute long trailer is full of decadent gowns, glamour and back-stabbing as the women become all too aware of Capote’s betrayal, which has devastating consequences for all.
Watch the trailer for yourself below.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Want to visit Death in Paradise locations in Guadeloupe at a discount? Radio Times is offering savings of up to 7% for registered users booking their next holiday with travel website Expedia. Claim your exclusive Radio Times Expedia holiday discount now.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.