American Horror Story: Every Season Ranked Worst To Best (So Far)

Whilst the first three seasons of AHS set a clear shift in tone with each story, but still remained true to the theme of horror and the supernatural, Freak Show proved to be a shift too far in a completely different direction.

Lessening the horror elements of the story and instead focusing on the melodramatic exploits of Elsa Mars' Cabinet of Curiosities, the show's fourth outing was mostly a mess with few endearing characters and a lacklustre plot.

With the usual suspects returning, Freak Show also added Michael Chiklis, Neil Patrick Harris and John Carroll Lynch to the cast. It is Lynch's decidedly creepy Twisty the Clown who proves to be the scene-stealer, especially in the first (and strongest) episode, but he is gone soon after his intriguing introduction to make way for Finn Wittrock's sometimes-compelling but overused villain, Dandy Mott.

As a whole, Freak Show is lacking the elements of horror and violence perfected in the show's opening seasons, and never really seems to take off and challenge itself.

It's strongest aspect is the addition of Pepper, last seen in Asylum, whose background is explored in Freak Show and gives fans some of the show's most heart-wrenching and powerful moments. Aside from that, Season Four is a mostly forgettable tale of prejudice and murder which doesn't have much to give.