American Horror Storyhas undoubtedly influenced television in the past decade, especially regarding horror-related shows. With the spin-off,American Horror Stories,having a third season this year, set to be released on October 26, and the originalAHSgetting renewed through Season 13, the show is nothing short of a major success.Creators Ryan Murphyand Brad Falchuk are truly impressive in how many things they could produce one year after the other,constantly surprising the viewer with innovative and very different ways of being scary and extremely disturbing. However, looking up close, it becomes clear that AHS is more than merely different frightening stories every year:they are all connected.
American Horror Storyis a horror anthology show. Every year, there is a different story and horror style in a separate location, and sometimes, at different times. The show has the same cast, which plays new characters almost every season, although the original cast is slowly being phased out. However, these variations disguise the fact that there are many connections and consequences withinAHS.Because all seasons are connected, it can lead to confusion about the order in which someone who is a new fan should watch the show. Here is how deep the connections are and what seasons should be watched in a specific order.
All Seasons of American Horror Story
Every season has a title that helps identify what the story is about. Seasons are usually called by the title and not by the season number. These titles are heavily used in the series' marketing and promos and become part of the show’s new identity every year. They also help create the story’s tone and mood.
Here is a list of everyAHSseason available and what they are called:
Everything Is Connected: AHS in Chronological Order
The show has an anthology format, allowing the writers and producers to reinvent the series yearly without being attached to the previous season. However, connections began as the years passed, and the series became extremely popular. An example would be a character who was a part of a previous season and is mentioned or appears in a later season. This became somewhat common in the show over time and developed into seasons being completely connected, going as far as various characters making comebacks. Because of that,there are some seasons that, if the viewer watches in a particular order, they’ll have a better understanding and overall enjoyment of the characters and story. Overall, it is not essential to comprehend the stories, but they are fun Easter eggs available for long-time fans.
What Is American Horror Story: Delicate Based On?
American Horror Story: Delicate is based on a novel, which itself is based on another story. What are the connections between them all?
The primary consideration when watching is to attempt to avoid any kind of spoilers that will ruin future episodes. That can mostly be done by watching the show in the order it was released. However, some seasons happen before the events of a previous season, and the timeline can become a bit confusing. By following the show’s timeline, the viewer won’t get any spoilers from something that happens years later. For example, the fifth season,Hotel, has spoilers for a few characters that die inCovenand1984.
Here are theAmerican Horror Storyseasons in order of when they take place:
Small Appearances in American Horror Story
There are some appearances of characters or mentions of places that do not hinder the comprehension of the season if you don’t watch it in order. For example, the realtor who sold the house to the Harmon family inMurder Housealso appears in the show’s fifth season and transfers Hotel Cortez’s ownership. Briarcliff Manor, the hospice inAsylum, made a quick appearance in1984.The scary clownTwisty, a terrifying villain in Season 4, appears as a comic book character inCult.The writers even have the same coffee brand appear in different seasons. These small but pleasant connections make the series feel like a complete universe, even if the stories couldn’t be more different.
AHS Seasons That Need to Be Watched in a Specific Order
Even though all seasons are connected, some can benefit from being watched in a particular order.AsylumandFreak Showare great examples and should be watched back to back;Freak Showfirst, even if it is the fourth season, andAsylumis the second.
10 Famous Guest Stars You Forgot Were in American Horror Story
Throughout American Horror Story’s 12 seasons, there have been celebrity guest appearances that even the biggest fans have probably forgotten.
Other ones areMurder House, Coven, andApocalypse.The first, third, and eighth seasons are deeply connected and should be watched in the order they were released. To avoid missing any details, watching them one after the other may help you remember all the characters and their story arcs. Following that,Roanokeshould be watched (or at least afterCoven) because there is an explanation regardingthe witches' charactersthat can help you understand the story.American Horror Storybecame a shared universe that, once you are inside, is hard to get out.The connections between the seasons are an added bonus and one of the reasons why the show has been so loved for over a decade.
Best to Worst Seasons of American Horror Story
For some viewers, the way to watch an anthology series is not by which seasons are connected or in what order they were released but by which ones are the best. Admittedly,not all seasons have been received the same by audiences, with some fans saying certain seasons aren’t worth watching, likeDouble FeatureandNYC. For those who want to start by first seeing the most popular seasons to get an idea of what the show can be at its peak, the list is as follows.
These are the most recommended seasons ofAmerican Horror Story.
Ratched and American Horror Stories
Many believeRatchedis associated withAmerican Horror Story. This is due to multiple factors, including having Sarah Paulson in the lead role, the show’s similarities toAmerican Horror Story: Asylum(Season 2), sharing the samecreator in Ryan Murphy, and having the same tone and horror fans expect ofAHS. However,Ratchedis not related toAmerican Horror Storyand is a stand-alone series; though many fans see it as a spiritual successor to Season 2 ofAmerican Horror Story, it can be beneficial to watch afterCoven.
How American Horror Stories Compares to the Original AHS
With the released of the second season trailer for AHS spin-off American Horror Stories, let’s see how the two TV series compare with each other.
American Horror Storiesexists in the same universe asAmerican Horror Story. WhileAmerican Horror Storiesoffers single-shot episodes that can be enjoyed independently, fans will find many connections between the series. For example, the iconic Murder House from the first season ofAmerican Horror Storyis the backdrop for the first episode ofAmerican Horror Stories,Rubber(wo)Man Part One. Season 2 ofAmerican Horror Storiesuses some characters from Season 3 (Coven) ofAmerican Horror Story.American Horror Storiesis fine to watch on its own, but with plenty of Easter eggs and cross-overs, viewers will likely benefit by being caught up with the main series first.You can stream allAmerican Horror Storyepisodes onHulu.
