‘American Horror Story: 1984′ Will Be Series’ Shortest Season Yet

American Horror Story: 1984 will end its run as the shortest season yet of the popular FX anthology horror series. According to TV Guide, the Ryan Murphy-created series will end Season 9 with a total of nine episodes on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. ET, one episode shy of its usual 10-episodes or more seasons.

Prior to its mid-September debut, an official episode count had not been announced, though it had been widely assumed that the season would tick in with 10 episodes, equal in length to Season 6’s Roanoke and Season 8’s Apocalypse. Meanwhile, all other seasons had closed with more than 10 episodes total, with Seasons 1-5 (Murder House, Asylum, Coven, Freak Show, and Hotel) airing 12 or 13 episodes and Season 7, Cult, airing 11 episodes.

At this time, a reasoning for the shortened season has not been given. The upcoming sixth episode of the season is set to mark the series’ 100th episode overall, meaning Season 9 will bring the total episode count to 103, with the already inked 10th season bringing that count even higher.

Set in the ’80s and bringing in the campy feel of slasher films from that era, including Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984 only has four episodes to tie up any loose ends, including the fates of Emma Robert’s Brooke, Leslie Grossman’s Margaret, and John Carroll Lynch’s Mr. Jingles, as well as answer the lingering question of what exactly is going on at Camp Redwood.

Unfortunately for fans, the lowered episode count isn’t the only sad news to come out of the anthology series as of late. Along with absence of series stars Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters, Jessica Lange confirmed in late September that she does not have any plans to return to the series, on which she starred for four seasons.

“I don’t think so,” she told Entertainment Weekly when asked of the possibility of her return. “I feel like I got the best of it in those first four seasons. Great characters. It was exciting to do. I worked with some of my favorite actors but I can’t see that we could ever get back to that.”

Prior to her departure at the end of Season 4, Lange had taken on the roles of steel magnolia Constance Langdon in Murder House, stern nun Sister Jude in Asylum, Supreme witch Fiona Goode in Coven, and Freak Show matriarch Elsa Mars. She briefly reprised her Murder House role for a single-episode cameo in Season 8’s Apocalypse, a crossover season of Murder House and Coven.

New episodes of American Horror Story: 1984 air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FX.