American Horror Story's heyday may have ended with Jessica Lange, but there's still no denying how important Ryan Murphy's flagship show has been to TV in general. Back in 2011, neither horror nor anthologies were seen as particularly viable on the small screen, yet Murder House quickly changed all that with a masterclass in camp yet creepy entertainment.
Over a decade later, stars like Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters have gone on to take seats at Hollywood's high table beyond the Murphy-verse – and American Horror Story itself is still going strong with a Halloween spin-off plus regular, annual instalments.
What's most remarkable about American Horror Story, though, is how fiercely original it remains, even after all these years. From what we've seen so far, it looks like the two-part 12th season, Delicate, will be no different. It certainly has the potential to rank highly - especially as the book on which it's based was inspired by Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Rosemary's Baby, and – especially – Alien.
The new season follows rising A-list actress Anna Alcott (Emma Roberts), who is convinced that someone, or rather something, is trying to prevent her pregnancy.
Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian stars as Anna's ruthless publicist Siobhan Corbyn, who many fans seem to believe is inspired by her very own momager Kris Jenner. Siobhan has already delivered some outrageous lines we'll be quoting for the foreseeable future, and truth be told, we can't wait for more.
Part one ended on a shock cliffhanger (don't worry, we won't spoil it for you here), while part two is set to answer all our burning questions when it returns on April 3.
But where will Delicate rank among the 11 seasons we already have? We'll have to wait and see when the season concludes, but when it comes to American Horror Story, expect the unexpected – because the individuality of each instalment means every fan has their special favourite.
We already know which episode is Murphy's favourite. "The [pilot episode is the] first, and always number one in my heart, for several reasons," he said (via EW). "Brad [Falchuk] and I spent so long on it… years on the pitch, years on the script, until [FX CEO] John Landgraf and [co-head of 20th Century Fox TV] Dana Walden and Brad and I got it to where we wanted.
"Dana Walden has said to me several times it was one of the most out-of-the-box ideas in the history of modern television, and I think she's right."
And even Jessica Lange got into the ranking action (in 2019, via Twitter): "Asylum first, Freak Show second, Murder House third, and Coven in fourth place. I never saw Apocalypse, so I don’t know [where it would rank]."
And why was Coven in last place for Lange? "I was stunned that year to get the Emmy for that part," she said. "The part was very well-written. I didn't particularly like the whole set-up and season and story we were telling. It was not my favourite. My very favourite, just from the experience of doing it, was Freak Show, although I think Asylum was the better season."
How you rank all the seasons says a lot about you as a person, so join us here at Digital Spy as we risk eternal damnation to bring you our own supreme ranking that even the Antichrist himself would approve of.
American Horror Story: Double Feature — Season 10 (2021)
Ten years in, American Horror Story made its boldest move yet with Double Feature, a mammoth season split into two separate stories that intersect thematically.
Red Tide started off strong with a Stephen King-style tale of writer's block and vampires in a small beach town, but then Death Valley went off the rails with a conspiracy story that brought aliens back into the mix with mixed results.
What binds every season of American Horror Story more than the actors or shared universe is the same old pacing problems that hit each story in the final act. Double Feature had the potential to finally push through this with two smaller sub-stories, so its failure to do so made this season more disappointing than most.
American Horror Story: Cult — Season 7 (2017)
Fans may baulk at Cult's low placing here, and yes, we'll happily agree that Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters give two of their best performances yet in season 7.
It's also one of the most horrifying seasons yet, with genuinely creepy set pieces that all revolve around a cult empowered by Donald Trump.
But story-wise, Cult leaned a little too hard into politics, reminding us that American Horror Story works best when it's freaking us out on its own terms free of real-life constraints.
American Horror Story: NYC — Season 11 (2022)
American Horror Story is gaaay with a capital Padam and it always has been, but never before has it centred LGBTQ+ storytelling quite like it did with NYC.
Season 11 takes place in the Big Apple during the 1980s when a freaky serial killer and a mysterious new illness combine to plague the gay community. With all that going on, NYC is easily one of the show's most ambitious seasons yet, but the allegories at work fall apart when you look too closely.
Come for the gay stuff. Stay for the gay stuff that features Charlie Carver sweaty and shirtless.
American Horror Story: 1984 — Season 9 (2019)
American Horror Story usually defies horror conventions with its unique approach to stories we've heard a thousand times before, but 1984 went 180 with a homage to '80s slasher movies.
These films are pretty campy anyway, which made them a perfect fit for their very own American Horror Story-style spin. As usual, the second half falters a bit though, and promises of a huge twist inevitably disappointed the diehard fans who expected something a lot more radical.
Your enjoyment of this season will also depend on your tolerance for sexy serial killers who kill people with a sexy smile on their faces. Problematic? Perhaps. Sexy? Perhaps.
American Horror Story: Hotel — Season 5 (2015)
Hotel is one of those seasons that try to cram in way too much, but when "way too much" includes a bloody orgy, a serial killer dinner party and Lady Gaga's Golden Globe-winning performance, sometimes that can still be a good thing.
Fans were disappointed when Hotel first arrived though, perhaps because it came after such a strong four-season run. In hindsight though, season 5 has aged surprisingly well, unlike the deranged ghosts who still haunt the Hotel Cortez today.
American Horror Story: Freak Show — Season 4 (2014)
For better or worse, Freak Show is the most American Horror Story that American Horror Story has ever been. At its best, this truly was peak AHS.
We're talking Twisty the Clown, we're talking Jessica Lange's musical numbers and we're talking shirtless Dandy Mott in a breakout role for Finn Wittrock...
But with these highs also came some lows, most notably with the sprawling narrative that just had too many things to say and too little time to say them. This was the first time that the cracks of this show really became apparent, and with Jessica Lange's departure, casual fans started to give up on it too.
American Horror Story: Roanoke — Season 6 (2016)
After a lacklustre response to Hotel, American Horror Story could have doubled down on what did work, playing it safe with a basic repeat of earlier seasons. Instead, season 6 went even weirder with a documentary-style approach that then shifted into a found footage story halfway through.
The result was a ballsy, often terrifying season that dove harder into the horror of American Horror Story than ever before. If only there had been more Gaga and one or two fewer episodes.
American Horror Story: Apocalypse — Season 8 (2018)
Five years after Myrtle Snow screamed "Balenciagaaa!" at the stake, American Horror Story finally gave us the sequel season we had been pining after for so long. And of course, it had to be a sequel to Coven.
Those nasty witches never left our hearts after season 3, and seeing them return here again felt like Gay Christmas a thousand times over.
Unfortunately, the first few episodes overlooked those Coven connections in favour of an apocalyptic sequel to Murder House, but it still worked brilliantly thanks in large part to Cody Fern's debut as the Antichrist, all grown up now from season 1. Has Satanic spawn ever been so sexy? No. Did we cry when the show returned us to the actual Murder House? Quite possibly. And has any mother ever mothered as hard as when Cordelia Goode declared herself to be "the f**king Supreme"? Absolutely not.
American Horror Story: Murder House — Season 1 (2011)
Remember when American Horror Story felt fresh and new? Murder House set the horrifically brilliant standard that all subsequent seasons would be held against. Not only did it reinvigorate Jessica Lange's career for a whole new generation, it also introduced us to the talents of Evan Peters and Taissa Farmiga, not to mention the phrase "cranking". Google it. Or don't.
But yes, Murder House perfectly established the franchise's weird, unsettling vibes that would go on to spawn an entire universe, and for that, we will always be grateful.
American Horror Story: Coven — Season 3 (2013)
Coven is one of those rare seasons of television that is endlessly quotable in the best way possible, and it also includes what might be the best cast this franchise has ever seen.
Everyone from Jessica Lange and Frances Conroy to Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett is giving it their all, and they're having the time of their lives as they do it.
Perhaps more than any other season, Coven represents the perfect balance of camp and horror that this franchise navigates so well. If only they could have landed the proper ending we so badly deserved. To that, all we can say is "Balenciagaaaa!"
American Horror Story: Asylum — Season 2 (2012)
Asylum is batshit crazy, as you might expect from a season that's set inside the confines of a mental institute. But no, really, this season is truly (Lana) bananas, throwing everything it possibly can into the mix all at once.
Yet aside from the dodgy alien stuff, it actually works brilliantly. Sarah Paulson will never play a better character than Lana Winters, Jessica Lange will never play a better "villain" than Sister Jude, and we will never hear a name again without singing the entirety of the Name Game at whichever poor unsuspecting person we're with.
There's a depth to the writing here that no other season managed to reach, and that messy narrative made the entire thing unpredictable in a gloriously chaotic way. Most importantly of all though, Asylum is the only season that truly stuck the landing, setting an impossibly high standard for every chapter that followed.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
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