Plot Synopsis

Opening in 1987 New York, POSE is a one-hour scripted series that explores the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York: the ball culture world, the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe and the downtown social and literary scene. Blanca Rodriguez pursues her dream of becoming a house mother after receiving a devastating medical diagnosis; Damon Richards moves to the city with aspirations of joining a dance company. Stan Bowes is a typical family man who has always worked hard to provide for his loving wife, Patti, and their two small children. When a new job opportunity presents itself, Stan quickly finds himself thrust into a world of superficiality. Searching for a reprieve from the artifice of his life, Stan begins an authentic relationship with Angel. Patty is a loving wife and mother who is devoted to her family and friends. Selfless and trustworthy she works hard to ensure that her family will be protected. When her husband, Stan, begins a new job she soon observes his distance and becomes concerned that he may be having an affair -- a concern that is soon substantiated. Matt Bromley is Stan's lascivious coworker who often overindulges in the finer things in life. After learning about Stan's affair with Angel, Matt pursues Patty to unpredicted consequences. Angel is a Puerto Rican streetwalker. With faux fur on her shoulders and her heart on her sleeve, Angel wants nothing more than to find true love. Her fantasy of being swept away by the man of her dreams is complicated when she falls for a new client -- Stan -- and discovers true love comes at a cost. Bianca decides to take fate into her own hands and form a house -- a self-selected family that provides safety and support to youth rejected by their birth family. She soon finds herself balancing the demands of motherhood and a battle on the ballroom floor with her former house mother, Elektra. Elektra Abundance is Blanca's shrewd former house mother and current rival. Elektra is the reigning queen of the ballroom community. Despite her outward confidence, she is hypersensitive about her look. Elektra's desire to have sexual reassignment surgery threatens to end several of her longtime relationships. An ambitious aspiring dancer from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Damon Richards moves to NYC after being kicked out of his home for being gay. Damon, played by Ryan Jamaal Swain, quickly discovers that the road to success is paved with failure. Once recruited by Blanca, he begins to pursue his modern dance dreams.

The 10-episode second season of POSE premiered on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT on FX. Season 2 flashes forward in time to 1990. On the heels of the ballroom community establishing itself in pop culture and going mainstream, the House of Evangelista is forced to reevaluate their goals. Meanwhile, the AIDS crisis worsens and the reaction from a group of activists reaches a fever pitch. In the season opener, "Acting Up," Blanca, convinced Madonna's "Vogue" will lead to mainstream acceptance, encourages the House of Evangelista to follow their dreams despite putting her own on the backburner. Meanwhile, Pray Tell joins an activist organization fighting for the rights of HIV positive people.

The third and final season of POSE premiered on Sunday, May 2, 2021 from 10pm-12:30am ET/PT, with back-to-back episodes. The seven-episode new season opens in 1994, where the ballroom feels like a distant memory for Blanca who struggles to balance being a mother with being a present partner to her new love, and her latest role as a nurse's aide. Meanwhile, as AIDS becomes the leading cause of death for Americans ages 25 to 44, Pray Tell contends with unexpected health burdens. Elsewhere, the emergence of a vicious new upstart house forces the House of Evangelista members to contend with their legacy.

Ryan Murphy, writer, director, co-creator, executive producer, said: "POSE has been one of the creative highlights of my entire career. From the very beginning when Steven Canals and I sat down to hear his vision and ideas for the show, it has been a passion project. To go from the beginning of my career in the late 90s when it was nearly impossible to get an LGBTQ character on television to POSE -- which will go down in history for having the largest LGBTQ cast of all time -- is a truly full circle moment for me. This show made history behind and in front of the camera, and its legacy runs deep. I'm so proud of my fellow creators Steven Canals and Brad Falchuk, and also to exec producer/writer/director Janet Mock who made such an indelible mark with her personal and heartfelt work. Thanks also to Our Lady J for her incredible work as a producer, writer and actress on the show. John Landgraf and Dana Walden supported Pose from the very beginning. We got to tell the exact story we wanted, as we wanted to tell it, and I'm incredibly honored and grateful. Pose's story may end in 1996, but its impact will go on forever."
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On Sunday, June 6, 2021 from 10pm-12:05am ET/PT, FX premiered "Series Finale," the two-hour series finale of POSE. When Blanca discovers an HIV clinical trial is denying access to people of color, she joins ACTUP in an effort to get Pray Tell medication.