Featured characters are dancers and models, who compete for trophies and recognition in this underground culture and who support one another in a network of chosen families known as Houses.

It stars an ensemble cast including Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Billy Porter, Indya Moore, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Charlayne Woodard, Hailie Sahar, Angelica Ross, Angel Bismark Curiel, Dyllón Burnside, Sandra Bernhard, Jason A. Rodriguez, Evan Peters, Kate Mara, and James Van Der Beek.

[1][2][3] Pose is set in 1987–98 and looks at "the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York City at that time": the African-American and Latino ball culture world, the downtown social and literary scene, the rise of the yuppie milieu, and HIV.

Newly-elected New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has cracked down on sex work in the city, forcing Elektra to leave the Hellfire Club.

[34] In October 2018, it was reported that Leiomy Maldonado and Danielle Polanco would be choreographing the series' ball scenes[35] and that Janet Mock and Our Lady J had joined the show's writing and producing staff.

[37] On May 9, 2018, ahead of the series premiere, Murphy announced that he would be donating all of his profits from Pose to non-profit charitable organizations that work with LGBTQ+ people, including the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, and the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.

[4] On October 26, 2017, it was announced that Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek, and Tatiana Maslany had also joined the main cast.

[57][58] On July 23, 2018, Dyllón Burnside emceed a benefit concert, duetting with co-stars Billy Porter and Ryan Jamaal Swain to celebrate the season one finale, and raise money for GLSEN.

[61] In March 2019, the series was part of the Paley Center for Media's annual Paleyfest LA at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

[65] Creators and producers of the series, Murphy, Canals, and writer/producer Janet Mock all considered Paris Is Burning "a text that helped inform not only the show, but also their identities when they first saw it.

Pose elaborates on those subtle distinctions with a subplot involving Stan (Evan Peters), a rising star in the Trump organization with an obnoxious boss (James Van Der Beek), a pretty wife (Kate Mara), and a secret relationship with Angel (Indya Moore), a trans woman.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Charged with energy, poise, and confidence, Pose pirouettes between artistic opulence and deliciously soapy drama to create a fresh new addition to Ryan Murphy's lexicon.

[68] In a positive review, Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson was effusive, describing the series as "an engaging portrait of dark days met with merriment.

"[73] In a similarly favorable critique, Vulture's Matt Zoller Seitz praised the series' ambition, aesthetic, and spotlight on minorities saying, "it shows American audiences a world that has never been visualized on television at this length and at such an obviously grand budget level.

"[75] In a negative evaluation, Slate's Willa Paskin was outright dismissive saying, "It's a TV show from one of the most canny creators working today, yet as a viewing experience it can feel like an object lesson."

The website's critical consensus reads, "A delightful, delicate dance of light and dark, Pose's second season achieves a striking balance between the grittiness of reality and the glamour of the runway and shines even brighter.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Though it's entirely too short, Pose's final season is a joyously entertaining celebration of life that is not to be missed.