American Horror Story

***American Horror Story*** is an American horror anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the *American Story* media franchise, seasons of *AHS* are mostly conceived as self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters in a new setting within the same fictional universe (which the show occasionally utilizes for crossovers between seasons, and shares with episodic spin-off *American Horror Stories*), and a storyline with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season are loosely inspired by true events. Many actors appear in more than one season, usually playing a new character though sometimes as a returning character, and often playing multiple characters in a season. Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, and Lily Rabe have returned most frequently, with each having appeared in nine seasons, followed by Frances Conroy and Denis O'Hare who both appear in eight; Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Leslie Grossman appear in six, while other notable actors including Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Adina Porter, Finn Wittrock, and Jamie Brewer appear in five of the seasons.

The first season, *Murder House*, takes place in Los Angeles, California, in 2011, and centers on a family in a haunted house. The second season, *Asylum*, takes place in Massachusetts in 1964 and follows the patients and staff of a criminally insane institution. The third season, *Coven*, takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2013, and follows a coven of witches and their enemies. The fourth season, *Freak Show*, takes place in Jupiter, Florida, in 1952 and centers on an American freak show. The fifth season, *Hotel*, takes place in Los Angeles, California, during 2015 and focuses on the staff and guests of a supernatural hotel. The sixth season, *Roanoke*, takes place in North Carolina during 2014–2016 and focuses on an isolated farmhouse haunted by the deceased Roanoke colony. The seventh season, *Cult*, takes place in Michigan, and centers on a cult after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The eighth season, *Apocalypse*, features the *Coven* witches and the *Murder House* Antichrist. The ninth season, *1984*, takes place outside Los Angeles in the 1980s and focuses on the staff of a summer camp reopening after a massacre. The tenth season, *Double Feature*, focuses on a family in 2021 in Provincetown, Massachusetts and the town's true inhabitants, and a group of camping students in a conspiracy involving the extraterrestrials of *Asylum*. The eleventh season, *NYC*, takes place in 1980s New York City, and focuses on the killings of gay men and the emergence of a virus. The twelfth season, *Delicate*, takes place in New York City and follows an actress who comes to believe that someone is going to great lengths to stop her from fulfilling her dream of getting pregnant. In January 2020, FX renewed the series through to season 13.

Although reception to individual seasons has varied, *American Horror Story* has largely been well received by television critics, with the majority of the praise going towards the cast, particularly Jessica Lange, who won two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performances. James Cromwell and Kathy Bates each won an Emmy Award for their performances, while Lady Gaga won a Golden Globe Award. The series draws consistently high ratings for the FX network, with its first season being the most-viewed new cable series of 2011.