‘American Horror Story’: Every Season Ranked

Every new TV show tries desperately to release something no one has seen before, but many fail to so.

Fortunately, this was not the case for American Horror Story. The Ryan Murphy anthology series broke the modern TV mold, and it is still captivating fans.

The idea to bring a sexy-style of horror to television, and to tell a different story with every season, was completely revolutionary. This has led to Ryan Murphy becoming one of the most recognizable names in television, and it’s earned him many successful shows at FX.

Each of the AHS seasons is very different, and some are definitely better than others. Follow along with the slideshow, as we rank each of the seven American Horror Story seasons.

‘Hotel’

Hotel was definitely the season that stands out the most, as it became the biggest departure from traditional horror storytelling.

While each of the other seasons of the show have focused a bit more on the scary side of the genre, Hotel spent a lot of time diving into the new-wave glam idea. This was unique, but it did not continue to excite over the course of 13 episodes.

By the finale, fans were ready to get past the Lady Gaga sex-romp, and get back to the horror show they were used to.

‘Cult’

Cult is one of the most controversial seasons of AHS due to its political references.

The season was Murphy’s response to the 2016 election of Donald Trump, but by the time it aired, many of the references were worn out or felt forced.

While Evan Peters’ character, an insane cult leader, was interesting to watch, the story just ran out of gas towards the end of the season.

‘Roanoke’

Roanoke should get credit for trying something brand new. Sure, AHS as a whole is a unique take on the genre, but Roanoke went a step further.

The inventive season blended reality and fiction, as Murphy made great use of the “dramatic retelling” angle featured on many true crime shows.

The newest season of AHS was definitely inventive, and utilized a ton of great talent, but it didn’t quite hold up to the other seasons of the show.

‘Asylum’

Asylum is an interesting topic because fans were polarized by the enormous twist surrounding the storyline.

The season contained an incredible premise, a star-studded cast, and more than enough scares to satisfy horror fans. There were even some crime-thriller twists to keep everyone engaged.

The twist however, had some scratching their heads. An alien-abduction story was not what anyone was ready for at the end of Asylum. It felt odd, but it makes a lot more sense when watching it the second or third time.

‘Coven’

People felt disappointed in Coven over the first couple of episodes of the show, as it felt more like a drama than a horror series.

However, as the season unfolded, Murphy rolled out one of his most engaging group of characters yet. The women in this season were incredibly interesting, and each one was so well-written.

Coven brought witches back, and horror fans everywhere are better for it.

‘Freak Show’

Going into Freak Show, fans were expecting the scariest season of American Horror Story yet, and they were not disappointed.

What they were not expecting was the incredibly human story Murphy brought to life in the series. Each character in the travelling carnival connected with audiences on an emotional level, and we all found ourselves intertwined with the group’s story.

Freak Show also boasted some of the best makeup and visual effects in all of AHS.

‘Murder House’

It’s always hard to beat the original, and that’s just as true when it comes to American Horror Story. 

Murder House was inventive, twisted, sexy, and just a hell of a good time all-around. There’s no way to deny the great storytelling effort that existed within the walls of that house.

What makes it even better, is that many fans didn’t even realize the show was set to be an anthology series. When the finale came around, and almost everyone died, fans had no clue how a second season was going to happen. It was a brilliant move that kept everyone guessing, and kicked off one of the most successful TV runs in recent memory.