Every American Horror Story Season Ranked From Worst To Best

Each completely different to the last, but which stands at the top of the pile?

American Horror Story
FX

Since debuting in 2011 with its first season, Murder House, American Horror Story has gained a loyal following, and is still going strong after finishing its ninth season in 2019. The show is something of a unique entity in that, while keeping the same cast for the most part throughout its history, every season brings a new story, a new setting, and new characters for the same actors to portray.

Not only has this helped keep American Horror Story from stagnating and becoming boring, it has allowed for numerous crossover moments in the later years. While much of this is fan service, these little touches have proved to be some of the best moments in the series, with some instances meaning a lot more than others.

Most of the show’s nine seasons have been met with general positivity, but of course, some are bound to be better than others. Some stories feel better written, and some characters stand out more so than those around them, and one or two seasons are relatively forgettable.

9. Roanoke

American Horror Story
FX

The seventh season of American Horror Story took on a completely different concept to any other story that the show had told before. Based around the disappearance of a Roanoke colony from the 1580s, the ten episodes are split into two distinct halves.

The first half of the season is depicted as a documentary surrounding the tragic story of Matt and Shelby Miller, with interviews and re-enactments. The second half completely splits off from this format, as the actual people and their re-enactment counterparts are put in the house together.

It is certainly an interesting concept, and unlike anything the show had tackled before. While it is not necessarily a bad season, it felt like something was lacking, and as the season was winding to a close it became tougher to watch.

Lady Gaga returned after a triumphant debut in Hotel in an appearance that couldn’t have been further from her brilliant performance as the Countess. There were very few, if any, really memorable performances at all, particularly when compared to what American Horror Story has given us in the past. Sarah Paulson’s appearance as Lana Winters in the final episode was a nice touch, but not enough to save an underwhelming season.

Contributor
Contributor

This standard nerd combines the looks of Shaggy with the brains of Scooby, has an unhealthy obsession with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is a firm believer that Alter Bridge are the greatest band in the world.