Ashton Kutcher has teamed up with Ryan Murphy for a highly awaited TV return, a project that a source exclusively tells In Touch involves a ton of sexy scenes that require him to be in tip-top shape and hitting the gym hard in preparation for the role. 

“Because of how little Ashton Kutcher has acted over the last few years, the stakes are pretty high here and Ashton knows his work on this show is going to be highly scrutinized,” says an insider familiar with the project. “But he trusts Ryan Murphy, who is overseeing the series and was very hands-on in convincing Ashton to join the show.”

Ryan, 59, who touts American Horror Story, Nip/Tuck and Glee among his television triumphs, successfully pitched The Beauty to FX, which, in addition to Ashton, 47, will star Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos and Jeremy Pope.

Signing on to the Ryan Murphy project couldn’t come at a better time for the That ‘70s Show star. Along with wife Mila Kunis, Ashton stepped in it big time when he released a letter of support for friend and former costar Danny Masterson, trying to get the judge to go easy on him after being found guilty of two counts of rape.

If that weren’t enough, another one of Ashton’s friends, Sean “Diddy” Combs, was arrested in September last year and charged with running a “criminal enterprise” that included sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Though Combs denied the allegations, anyone associated with his many lavish industry parties, at which the events that led to his arrest allegedly took place, is running for the hills – in a PR sense.

Despite the string of bad headlines, with any luck, the source says, “The Beauty is going to be a big turning point for Ashton,” but not just due to the need for a win after a few years of PR embattlement. The idea behind The Guardian star’s decision to seize the opportunity has more to do with rediscovering his original heartthrob roots and trying to recapture a fan base who may have been put off recently. 

“It’s been such a long time since he’s embraced the ‘sex symbol’ side of his persona and on this show, he’s being asked to go pretty deep into that territory, complete with shirtless scenes and a lot of dark, sexy moments.” 

The actor is no slouch when it comes to prepping for shirtless scenes, either. “Ashton’s had to hit the gym and the tanning booth, and he wants the work he’s putting in to show up on-screen. He’s taking this job seriously and he’s embracing being a TV star again. This show is also the first time Ryan has adapted a comic book for television, and that fact alone is helping to build buzz.” 

“It’s a full circle moment for Ashton, not just being back on TV in a high profile way but because he’s also digging deep into his early-career experiences in the modeling world.” 

“The show is going to satirize society’s beauty standards and Ashton looking the hottest he can is essential to the story – just like it was in Demi Moore‘s recent hit The Substance, coincidentally enough.”