American Horror Story: Ranking Every Season Premiere From Worst To Best

Hotel had an awful lot to prove considering it was the first season of the hit series to not feature stalwart Jessica Lange. For the most part, its premiere episode - entitled Checking In - delivered, proving that this once-great series still had a lot to give.

The extra-long instalment was artistic, stylistic and visually fabulous. It was phenomenally directed and boasted arguably the greatest cinematography we'd seen on the show to that point. In spite of the pleasing aesthetic, however, there wasn't a lot of substance to go along with the style, as the genius concept was let down by a problematic script.

The narrative structure was all over the pace, with protagonists not being introduced until over halfway through the episode. Lady Gaga proves herself as more than just a singer with an enchanting performance as vampire The Countess - something that would continue throughout the 12-episode season - but the bloodbath introduction is a bit indulgent, and felt like nothing more than an attempt to shock viewers.

Unlike Cult, however, Hotel went from strength-to-strength after the disappointing opener, as the writers soon realised that, in this case, less is more.