FX recently announced the eleventh installment of award-winning anthology series American Horror Story, AHS: NYC. This season is set to star AHS regulars such as Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, and Denis O’Hare. Minimal details are known about this season’s plot, but from its title and poster art, we know it will take place in the Big Apple.
Here is a ranking of all ten seasons of my all-time favorite series:
10. Apocalypse (Season 8)
It pains me to put what could have been the most iconic season in AHS history at the bottom of this list. Apocalypse was hyped up to be the epic crossover where the worlds of early seasons Murder House and Coven would collide. As exciting as it was to see some of our favorite characters sharing a screen, the jumping around between locations and time was too convoluted for even the most experienced AHS viewer to follow.
9. Double Feature (Season 10)
If Double Feature consisted only of Red Tide, the first half of this two-part special season, it would be much higher on this list. The Cape Cod-set half of this season was a disturbing concept that kept audiences engaged at the beginning, but left us dry when abruptly transitioning to the second half. Even when taking away the painfully dull acting, Death Valley flops miserably. Hollywood, please stop casting nepotism babies if they cannot act!
8. Freak Show (Season 4)
I will never understand the critical success this season garnered. The subject matter of human beings as circus entertainment has always been problematic, which the show is aware of, but falls flat of providing social commentary on. The narrative is not horrible, but this is probably the most forgettable season of the ten.
7. Cult (Season 7)
From killer clowns to Trump wannabes, this is the most 2016 piece of media in existence. Cult is a frightening concept as a too-close-for-comfort parallel to modern day terrors, but a lot of it just comes across as cringe. Billie Lourd’s AHS debut and Evan Peter’s blue hair are the only redeemable parts of this season, boosting it to a mediocre seventh place.
6. Roanoke (Season 6)
Roanoke may rank sixth on this ranking, but it is at the top for scariest AHS seasons. If the writers had stuck with the original plot from the first part, it would have been more popular with fans. The meta choice to switch to a reality show about the initial story did not sit well with most, though, and marked the downfall of what could have been an unforgettable season.
5. 1984 (Season 9)
1984 has my favorite title credits sequence; it perfectly encapsulates the campy 80’s niche of horror. This is probably the most fun season in the whole series, but the subplots go in too many absurd directions to take seriously as a frightening narrative. The scariest part of this season was Matthew Morrison playing a douchebag with a giant penis.
4. Hotel (Season 5)
Lady Gaga as a Vogue-clad vampire. That is all that needs to be said.
3. Asylum (Season 2)
Set in fictional mental institution Briarcliff Manor, this season features some of the best acting performances in the entire series. Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, and Lily Rabe absolutely kill it here. “The Name Game” is a show-stopper as the only two minutes of peace in the entire season. My only qualm with this season is the plot’s random dip into extraterrestrial forces, but besides that, Asylum is a solid watch from to start to finish.
2. Murder House (Season 1)
AHS started off its run impressively with Murder House. Its detailed yet cohesive narrative set the tone from the very beginning that AHS would be unlike any television horror in existence. With the most memorable batch of characters and a problematic love story we can’t help but root for, season one captivates audiences each year as they rewatch the classic AHS season. It is timeless, excellently depicting marital problems and high school crushes against the backdrop of a home destined to bring death to all who step inside.
1. Coven (Season 3)
This one is for the Lana del Rey vinyl girlies. Glamorous costumes, iconic characters, and just overall vibes are what make Coven take home the title of #1 AHS season. Coven does no wrong, except for maybe not giving Evan Peters enough screentime. It has the most stacked girlboss lineup in AHS history: Taissa Farmiga, Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy, Kathy Bates, Lily Rabe, Angela Bassett, Emma Roberts, and even Stevie Nicks herself all entrance us in this New Orleans-set story of style, the supernatural, and seduction. Nothing says fall like Fleetwood Mac and an homage to the Salem Witch Trials, so if you are looking to get in the spooky season mood with a touch of class, watch Coven immediately. Do I have any last words? Only one: “BALENCIAGA!”
AHS: NYC premiered on October 19 on FX and can be streamed on Hulu.