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It’s always exciting when a new season of your favorite show premieres. But when a new installment of American Horror Story drops, it’s a full-on event. From Episode 1, it’s been impossible to predict anything about Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s thrilling anthology series.
Who will live and die? What characters will emerge as unexpected heroes, and which villains will haunt our nightmares? Will the season stick to its original theme or go for a midseason twist that changes everything? Will there be a surprise crossover? It’s impossible to answer any of those questions, but thinking about them is half the fun.
That being said, all of these uncertainties have led to some inconsistent seasons. American Horror Story has been responsible for some of the best, most innovative installments of television and some of the clumsiest. Sometimes those two extremes have premiered back-to-back.
That’s why we’re breaking down the best of the best. Here’s our list of the best — and worst — seasons of American Horror Story to date, ranked from bottom to top.
'Roanoke'
Out of all the premises that American Horror Story has played with, Roanoke was by far one of the coolest. Diving into the “lost colony” of Roanoke during the 1500s? Very creepy. Using a cheesy and intentionally low-budget docuseries as a framing device? Wonderful. Everyone knows and loves the Ancient Aliens guy from the History Channel. But despite those two strong ideas, Roanoke never felt like a cohesive season. The transition between documentary footage and real life horror was jarring rather than charming, and the season could never find a satisfying conclusion. Perhaps if AHS was upfront with this season’s theme, Roanoke would have felt less infuriating. But since 2016 was the first and only season to date that withheld its theme until premiere night, Roanoke‘s confusing twists and weaker moments compounded, leading to a jumbled mess.
'Double Feature'
Much like Roanoke, Double Feature is another American Horror Story experiment that missed the mark. This time around, it showcased two completely different stories in one season. Subtitled “Red Tide”, the first half of the season was a dark and twisting saga that combined the possessive demon of creativity with a vampire-adjacent saga. Those six-episodes were exactly what fans have come to expect from this series: sharp writing, addicting over-the-top characters, and a chilling twist that leaves you disturbed. No, that part of Season 10 was great. What followed wasn’t.
The four-episode “Death Valley” cut between two timelines, one following a group of friends in modern day and one following President Eisenhower in the 1950s. With respect to Neal McDonough’s soulful portrayal of Eisenhower, it was an installment that just never lined up. The present day students were too annoying to be sympathetic, and Mamie Eisenhower (Sarah Paulson) was too evil to feel believable. If Double Feature had just stuck to “Red Tide”, we would have a completely different list. But the way it stands, we can’t talk about “Red Tide” without “Death Valley”, and we can’t talk about “Death Valley” without being disappointed.
'Cult'
On its own, Cult was a refreshing departure from American Horror Story‘s twisted universe. Instead of witches, demons, and aliens, the season was completely devoid of the supernatural, a choice that made the cult-induced horrors feel all the more plausible. It was also one of AHS‘ few seasons that was truly about, well, horror. The theatrical characters and scandalous twists of other seasons were replaced with graphic murders, meat hooks, rubber suits, and nightmare-inducing clown masks. It also showed Evan Peters at his absolute best, challenging him to play everyone from Andy Warhol to Charles Manson and even Jesus in one of the actor’s most inspired TV performances. Based on scares alone, Cult is one of AHS‘ strongest.
Where Cult faltered was in its portrayal of American politics. Released in 2017, the season was directly a response to the 2016 presidential election. It even portrayed Peters’ cult leader Kai Anderson as a Trump supporter before revealing that he was using his political views to gain more followers. Because of this focus on politics, the season felt both too close to home and overly dismissive of some of the most disturbing elements of the 2016 election. If you can stomach the election motifs, Cult is absolutely one of those seasons that’s worth a rewatch.
'Hotel'
All hail The Countess. Lady Gaga’s introduction into this twisted world was one for the ages, exemplifying everything that makes this series oh-so-addicting. Whether you were following Denis O’Hare’s Liz Taylor or Matt Bomer’s Donovan, this season was all about larger-than-life figures as it explored the toxic pull of addiction in all its forms. Hotel stands as one of the most stylish installments of this series. Even when you’re watching Gaga viciously murder someone in the middle of a blood orgy, Hotel is simply a treat to watch. But for all of its highs, there were some inconsistent lows. The season’s ending felt both rushed and convoluted, and the season as a whole jumped around more than other installments. We’ll always be happy to return to Hotel Cortez and its captivating spell. But we’re OK with waiting a while between stays.
'NYC'
NYC, the eleventh season of American Horror Story, transports viewers to New York City in the 1980s and ditches the show’s typical supernatural elements to dive into something even scarier: reality. The season follows a local reporter and his secret boyfriend, who is a detective, as they uncover a string of murders targeting gay men. At the same time, a new virus has been discovered and is causing strange happenings in Fire Island, an island in close proximity to the major city, known for its gay population.
NYC is visually stunning and has a familiar ensemble cast with Russell Tovey, Joe Mantello, Billie Lourd, Zachary Quinto, and Patti LuPone playing key parts, but its subject matter threw viewers and critics for a loop, and was, ultimately, quickly forgotten. It’s the first season in the show’s history to not be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
The season has yet to prove its existence in the overall American Horror Story universe — and given its recentness, there’s still time for a callback — but as of now, it seems NYC would’ve been better as a standalone, much like Ryan Murphy’s Halston or Hollywood.
'Freak Show'
You can’t think of American Horror Story without thinking of John Carroll Lynch’s Twisty the Clown. That’s largely because Freak Show nailed the unexpected pathos of this series when it’s at its best. Despite the twists and the terror, AHS has always been a collection of stories about misunderstood people who want the same simple things as everyone else: love, respect, safety, and family. For a short amount of time, that’s exactly what Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) gave to her inner circle of misfits. Freak Show was never the scariest or the coolest season; those honors belong to Asylum and Coven, respectively. But it was always the kindest. No wonder this one broke viewership records for FX.
'1984'
Set in Camp Redwood, 1984 wasn’t particularly insightful, daring, or scary. It was just plain fun. Season 9 started as an homage to classic slashers like Friday the 13th and Halloween. By its end, it transformed into a chainsaw-filled battle royale between multiple prolific killers as well as a ghostly battle of wits. If you love ’80s horror, it’s nearly impossible to watch 1984 without grinning like one of the season’s maniacal murderers. Sure, this installment didn’t have as much to say as other seasons, but sometimes you just need to relax and have a bloody good time. When you have a cast comprised of Emma Roberts, Leslie Grossman, John Carroll Lynch, Matthew Morrison, Lily Rabe, and Angelica Ross, simply having fun turns into a full-blown event.
'Apocalypse'
If Freak Show was about kindness and 1984 was about fun, Apocalypse thrived on spectacle. Centered around newcomer Cody Fern as the antichrist himself, Season 8 was American Horror Story’s first official crossover season to date. And boy, did it push the limits of that descriptor. Not only was antichrist Michael none other than Michael Langdon — the unholy baby born at the end of Murder House — but the witches from Coven had to rescue their sisters from Hotel Cortez before facing this demonic foe. Apocalypse gleefully rewarded American Horror Story diehards, dropping in cameos and Easter eggs left and right. As a standalone season, there’s a high chance it doesn’t make any sense. But as an unapologetic treat to fans, it’s one of the best brought to TV.
'Delicate'
Though the season is incomplete, Delicate is an eye-catcher. The twelfth and latest season of the anthology horror series is fully committed to camp and horror and is the first in the show’s history to not have Ryan Murphy as the showrunner — and to be based on source material; in this case, Danielle Valentine’s novel Delicate Condition.
Starring Emma Roberts as rising actor Anna Victoria Alcott, Kim Kardashian as her publicist Siobhan Corbyn, and Matt Czuchry as her sketchy husband Dexter Harding, the season follows Anna as she navigates fertility issues while her new movie grows in popularity. Quickly, Anna begins to doubt if she can trust those around her, as her home is broken into, odd people begin following her around, and rampant fans grow in aggression.
Delicate is a seamless return to the show’s love of mainstream horror with gory visuals, jump scares, and predictable antagonists, all of which are balanced with high-level camp from Kardashian, who seems to be playing an alternate universe version of herself, and endless popular culture references. Delicate, we’re simply obsessed with you.
'Murder House'
This was the installment that started it all. As part of a desperate attempt to save their failing marriage, Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott) and Vivien (Connie Britton) moved to a new house in a new city. Little did they know that house was haunted beyond all reason. The first season of American Horror Story had it all. There was the absolute shock of Tate’s (Peters) school shooting storyline, the eerie confusion of France Conroy’s maid, the electricity of Lange’s endlessly cruel and quotable Constance, and real heart of Taissa Farmiga’s performance. This first season was an equal balance of the extreme emotions and fears that define what it means to be human. But the true highs of this series were yet to come.
'Coven'
Is there a season of American Horror Story more quotable than Coven? If Fiona (Lange) and Madison (Roberts) weren’t dragging someone, then Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates) was being force-fed tolerance and Angela Bassett was slaying as Marie Laveau. Ryan Murphy has always had a unique talent for taking fabulous actresses and writing them meaty, spotlight-stealing roles. Coven was basically a season of all queens and no pawns, like a prestige version of The Real Housewives. Every witch on this season was fabulous, fashionable, and fiercely cruel, firing off devastating zingers as effortlessly as they performed magic. It’s not a particularly scary installment, and when it comes to conversations about racism, things get dicey. Yet it remains as one of the most wonderfully addictive seasons of any network show.
'Asylum'
It was always going to be Asylum; you simply cannot beat Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson). The second season of this FX drama is American Horror Story at its absolutely best. If the season wasn’t criticizing homophobia, medical malpractice, and organized religion, it was making an innocuous tune like “The Name Game” into nightmare fuel. It did all of those things while still remaining genuinely terrifying and injecting an alien subplot everyone likes to ignore. Featuring the triple threat of Paulson, Lange, and Rabe, this installment remains the series’ most focused season to date. Asylum capitalized on the promise of this show’s title, delivering a distinctly American tale of terror.
