Claim: Evan Peters is featured in American Horror Story.

American Horror Story : Freak Show is the fourth season of the FX horror anthology television series American Horror Story . It premiered on October 8 , 2014 and concluded on January 21 , 2015 . The season is mainly set in 1952 Jupiter , Florida , telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States , and their struggle for survival .   This is the first season of the series that is not strictly anthological , with Lily Rabe , Naomi Grossman , and John Cromwell -LRB- as a younger Dr. Arthur Arden -RRB- reprising their roles from the series ' second cycle , Asylum . Other returning cast members from the previous season of the series include : Angela Bassett , Kathy Bates , Jamie Brewer , Frances Conroy , Grace Gummer , Danny Huston , Jessica Lange , Denis O'Hare , Sarah Paulson , Evan Peters , Emma Roberts , Gabourey Sidibe , and Mare Winningham . Ben Woolf also makes a return to the series .   Like its predecessors , Freak Show was met with mostly positive reviews , and consistently strong ratings , with the premiere episode attracting a then series high of 6.13 million viewers . It ultimately became FX 's most-watched program ever , surpassing its previous installment , Coven . The season garnered a total of twenty Emmy Award nominations , the most for any season of American Horror Story to date , including nominations for Outstanding Limited Series , and six acting nominations for Lange , O'Hare , Finn Wittrock , Paulson , Bassett , and Bates . In addition , Paulson won for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Limited Series at the 5th Critics ' Choice Television Awards .