Story by Chloe Palka
Paleyfest is always an exciting occasion, but never have we seen a panel more passionate – or more fashionable – than that for Scream Queens.
The show – Fox’s serialized horror-comedy from Glee masterminds Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan – took social media by storm during its debut season. With its iconic villain (hello, Red Devil), sharp dialogue, and outrageous/outrageously well-dressed characters (from Emma Roberts’ fur-clad, extra extra hot pumpkin spice latte-toting Chanel to Nick Jonas’ maybe gay, maybe evil, definitely hot Boone), what’s not to love?
Roberts, Falchuk, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billie Lourd, Abigail Breslin, Emma Roberts, Keke Palmer, Lea Michele and Niecy Nash took part in a Q&A at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre to talk all things Season 1 and drop some hints about the upcoming Season 2. From the fabulous cosplayers (so many Chanels!) to the interesting teases about what comes next, here are a few of our favorite moments from the Scream Queens Paleyfest panel:
- Chanel #3 gets her muffs back.
Each Chanel has their own distinctive qualities (if not name), and Billie Lourd’s Chanel #3 is never seen without her iconic earmuffs. After several of her castmates shared that some wardrobe pieces made their way into their own closets after filming, Billie revealed that she did not in fact bring home a pair of the muffs – something she deeply regretted, as she grew very attached to them. No sooner had she finished speaking than a Chanel #3 cosplayer in the audience volunteered to give Billie her own bedazzled, pink muffs. She graciously accepted, snapped a selfie with the lucky lady, and settled the muffs on her own head for the rest of the night.
- Jamie Lee Curtis reveals her strategy for filming funny scenes without laughing.
And it’s not as fun as you might think. Niecy Nash, who plays the hilarious Mama Denise, revealed that Curtis held a straight pin between her fingers during their scenes together, which she would squeeze to keep from laughing. “I can take pain,” Curtis said, proving to be just as intense as her character. Unfortunately, the whole pin situation made Nash laugh during filming – so much for that strategy.
- The stars fan cast Season 2.
We’ve all dreamt of beautiful men or women joining the casts of our favorite shows – whether it would make sense or not – and the Scream Queens cast is no different. The stars addressed (or started?) a rumor that Harry Styles would be appearing in Season 2 – which unfortunately the Scream Queens Twitter has since debunked. Nick Jonas played one of our favorite characters in Season 1, so we think a member of One Direction is the natural next step. Emma Roberts, at least, was fully on-board. Jamie Lee Curtis had another suggestion – The Weeknd, in bed with Dean Munsch during her season introduction with no context.
- Emma Roberts tells a shameful secret.
When it comes to a show like Scream Queens, which deals with twists, turns, and a whole lot of mystery, secrecy is everything. Which is why Emma Roberts panicked when she accidentally left her script for the penultimate episode of Season 1 at a coffee shop. This was news to Falchuk, who was just happy to learn that none of the secrets of the Red Devil & Co. leaked prematurely.
- We get the scoop on Season 2 – hello, hospital.
Saving the best for last! Of course we were thrilled to learn some of the first details about the upcoming second season of Scream Queens. It was actually quite funny to hear about it during the panel – with a show this delightfully outrageous, the plot details seemed like they might be a joke at first… until you realize that they are real and really likely to be awesome.
Here’s what we found out: the season will be set at a hospital, with most of the (surviving) cast returning. After traveling the world in search of a new mission, Dean Munsch purchases the hospital and resolves to take on the conditions no one else will take. Zayday (Keke Palmer) comes to train as a doctor, after graduating from Wallace University in two years. Denise is now a member of the FBI whose services will be called upon when the bodies start dropping. And the Chanels, who have been committed to a mental institution following the finale, will be studying under their former nemesis Dean Munsch. Falchuk also teased that someone may want to take on the Chanels’ case for a Making a Murderer-esque documentary, which would be oh-so-perfect and oh-so-Scream Queens.
As for Hester (Lea Michele) “In this hospital, theres some funny business going as well. Theres an aspect to this show that involves murder and a killer and in those ways Hester is going to be intimately involved,” Falchuk revealed. Looks like she’s not done with the Chanels just yet.
We look forward to finding out more about Scream Queens Season 2 – which is still in the early stages of development – and seeing the fabulous fashion, on-point social commentary, and outrageous murders make a return to our screens.
Read more from this writer at Fangirlish