Episodes
1. "The Man Who Would Be Vogue" Ryan Murphy Tom Rob Smith January 17, 2018a 3WAX01 2.227
On the morning of July 15, 1997, fashion designer Gianni Versace is shot and killed outside his Miami Beach mansion by Andrew Cunanan. Seven years earlier, Cunanan meets Versace at a gay nightclub in San Francisco and tells his roommates about the encounter the following day, albeit with most of the details either embellished or fabricated. Cunanan later attends a performance of Capriccio as Versace's guest and exchanges origin stories with him after the performance. In the present, Cunanan flees the scene, evading one of Versace's associates. Versace, meanwhile, is rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead. As police collaborate with federal authorities, Versace's sister, Donatella, and brother, Santo, plan the future of their brother's business empire while Cunanan purchases newspapers covering Versace's murder with a remorseless expression.
2 "Manhunt"
In March 1994, Versace is diagnosed with ear cancer. Three years later, Cunanan arrives in Miami after fleeing from South Carolina and moves into a motel under an assumed identity. He juggles working as a prostitute, giving his earnings to his gay neighbor Ronnie, and feeding his obsession with Versace. Versace, meanwhile, juggles dealing with creative block and reeling from Antonio's proposal of a wedding. While at a nightclub one evening, Cunanan surprises Versace and Antonio and attempts to follow them only to lose them in the crowd.
3 "A Random Killing"
In May 1997, Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin is found dead in his garage. One week earlier, Miglin invites Cunanan, whom he knows as a gay escort, over to his house after Marilyn leaves Chicago to promote her perfume brand. Cunanan proceeds to brutally torture and kill Miglin before stealing his Lexus. In the present, detectives assigned to the case discover gay pornographic magazines surrounding Miglin's dead body. Marilyn insists that the killer owns the magazines and that her husband's murder was nothing more than a random killing. The authorities later use the car's phone in an attempt to track Cunanan, who learns about their plan after it is leaked to the media. He then abandons Miglin's Lexus in Pennsville, New Jersey before gunning down caretaker William Reese and stealing his red pick-up truck. Marilyn, meanwhile, deals with her grief as she continues to promote her perfume.
4 "House by the Lake"
Cunanan lures former acquaintance Jeff Trail to the Minneapolis loft-apartment of his former lover, David Madson, and bludgeons him to death with a claw hammer. After forcing Madson to remain complicit, Cunanan decides to flee to Mexico when one of Madson's co-workers visits him. The Minneapolis Police Department, meanwhile, discovers Trail's corpse and suspect Madson to be the killer. They question Madson's parents, who firmly believe that their son is innocent. When Madson confronts Cunanan about his lies, Cunanan realizes that he has lost his hold on his lover and shoots Madson near a lake outside Rush City.
5 "Don't Ask Don't Tell"
In June 1995, Versace ignores Donatella's disapproval and makes his sexuality public in an interview. In November 1995, U.S. Navy lieutenant Jeff Trail is suspected to be gay after saving a fellow veteran from being assaulted in San Diego. Following a suicide attempt, Trail goes to a gay bar and meets Cunanan. Trail later agrees to do an interview about homophobia in the military, during which he "makes the decision" to leave the Navy. Two years later, Cunanan runs into Trail and David Madson in Minneapolis. Both men, however, try to avoid him, with Trail staying at his sister's house and Madson stating he has moved on. Abandoned and angry, Cunanan resolves to murder Trail.
6 "Descent"
In 1996, Cunanan lives in La Jolla, California with middle-aged businessman Norman Blachford, who handles his finances as part of their arranged relationship. During his twenty-seventh birthday party, Cunanan tries to impress David Madson by fabricating details about his life and boasting that everyone loves him. After making more extravagant demands results in Blachford asking him to leave, Cunanan spends thousands of dollars in an attempt to win Madson over, only for Madson to cut all ties with him. Cunanan then outs Jeff Trail to his father in a postcard, causing Trail to threaten him before moving to Minneapolis. Following a severe, drug-fueled bout of depression, Cunanan reunites with his mother Mary Ann and tells her he is going to Minneapolis.
7 "Ascent"
In 1992, Versace pressures Donatella into taking over the company after his death. Following a failed attempt to collaborate on a dress for the Vogue anniversary gala, Versace is diagnosed with ear cancer and travels to Miami to recover, forcing Donatella to take the reins. That same year, Cunanan, who is living with Mary Ann, starts working as a gay escort for older men. He develops a relationship with architect Lincoln Aston, a close friend of Norman Blachford, only for Aston to break up with him after discovering he and David Madson spent the night together. Cunanan's attempt to reconcile with Aston ends with him witnessing Aston's brutal murder. Cunanan then moves out of his mother's apartment following an argument and uses Aston's death to develop a relationship with Blachford, who lets him move into his house.
8 "Creator / Destroyer"
In 1957 Italy, a young Versace starts designing clothes under tutelage from his dressmaker mother. In 1980, a young Cunanan receives preferential treatment from his stockbroker father Modesto as a result of having to care more for him following his wife's postpartum depression, resulting in him abusing Cunanan's mother and neglecting his siblings. Seven years later, Cunanan juggles attending private school and secretly dating older men. Modesto, meanwhile, flees to Manila after being fired for embezzling from elderly clients and learning that he is wanted by the FBI, leaving his family penniless. Cunanan tracks him down and confronts him over the charges only to be rejected. Upon returning to the United States, Cunanan applies for a job at a pharmacy, where he tells the manager that Modesto owns pineapple plantations.
9 "Alone"
On the evening of July 15, 1997, Cunanan hides in a Miami Beach houseboat in an attempt to evade both local and federal authorities. Over the course of the next two days, Cunanan attempts to leave the island city only to continue hiding due to the strong police presence. As the authorities interrogate Mary Ann and Ronnie, Marilyn grapples with the fact that he has gone unpunished. At the same time, Cunanan's friend Elizabeth Cote appeals to him in a television interview, David Madson's father insists his son is a victim, and Modesto uses Cunanan's story in an attempt to get attention after Cunanan calls him in a plea for help. On July 22, 1997, as Versace is buried in his family vault near Lake Como, Italy, Donatella tells Antonio he cannot stay in the house. The next morning, the authorities corner Cunanan, and he shoots himself in the mouth. Cunanan is later buried in a public mausoleum while Donatella prepares to meet with Versace's lawyers and Antonio attempts suicide.
