A complete guide to every "American Horror Story" season in order (and how they overlap) Declan GallagherOctober 5, 2025 at 7:00 AM 0 Byron Cohen/FX Networks/courtesy Everett Collection; Suzanne Tenner/FX; Michele K.
- - A complete guide to every "American Horror Story" season in order (and how they overlap)
Declan GallagherOctober 5, 2025 at 7:00 AM
0
Byron Cohen/FX Networks/courtesy Everett Collection; Suzanne Tenner/FX; Michele K. Short/FX/courtesy Everett Collection
Sister Jude, The Countess, and Twisty the Clown
Ever since American Horror Story debuted on FX in 2011, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's anthology series has captivated audiences with its chilling tales, twisted characters, and unique format. Each season tells a self-contained story with (mostly) new characters and settings, though it's always eager to bring back actors and connect seasons with subtle narrative threads.
Considering AHS's increasingly intricate callbacks and easter eggs, knowing where to begin the series can be tricky for newcomers. (Heck, even completists struggle to keep track of the timelines.)
Because of the show's format, you can technically begin or end with any season, but watching them in the order assembled below will help ease you into the lore. From murder houses and witch covens to freak shows and haunted hotels, AHS has horror fans covered.
Here's a definitive guide to beginning (or rewatching) every American Horror Story season in order.
01 of 12
Murder House (2011)
Robert Zuckerman/FX Network/Everett Collection
Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, and Taissa Farmiga in the 'AHS' OG
Therapist Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott) moves with his wife, Vivien (Connie Britton), and daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga) from Boston to Los Angeles, settling in a restored mansion across the street from the mysterious Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange). As Violet develops an ill-advised relationship with another neighbor, the eerie, disturbed Tate (Evan Peters), she begins to uncover horrific secrets about the home's past. Namely, anyone who lives there ends up dead.
Murder House kicked the series off with a bang, netting largely favorable reviews and impressing fans with its admirably bonkers mixture of soap opera and viscera.
Where to watch Murder House: Amazon Prime and Hulu
02 of 12
Asylum (2012–13)
Byron Cohen/FX Networks/courtesy Everett Collection
'AHS' regulars Jessica Lange, Lily Rabe, and Even Peters
Set largely in 1964, Asylum moves the action to Briarcliff Manor, a psychiatric hospital run by the Catholic Church and overseen by zealous nun Sister Jude (Lange). When journalist Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) ventures to Briarcliff to write a story about the facility's malfeasance, Jude has her committed against her will. As she faces a series of gruesome "treatments," Lana joins forces with suspected murderer Kit Walker (Peters) and attempts to free wrongfully committed patients from the hospital.
Even all these years later, season 2 is considered among the best AHS installments fans and critics alike. Asylum admittedly gets outlandish by its end (if you know, you know). Still, the season hits several hallmarks that have come to define the series, including warped timelines and unexpected musical interludes.
Where to watch Asylum: Amazon Prime and Hulu
03 of 12
Coven (2013–14)
Michele K. Short/FX Networks/courtesy Everett Collection
Every witch gets her own style of black hat, apparently
In modern-day New Orleans, witches-in-training learn to harness their powers at Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, overseen by Cordelia Goode (Paulson). Newcomer Zoe (Farmiga) is welcomed by fellow students Madison (Emma Roberts), Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe), and Nan (Jamie Brewer). But when "Supreme" witch Fiona Goode (Lange) returns to fortify her power, they must harness their abilities to defeat her.
By popular consensus, Coven was considered a step up from season 2, as it harked back to the debut campaign with its assured combination of gory thrills and smart plotting. It may be slightly less over-the-top than earlier seasons, but it's no less entertaining.
Where to watch Coven: Amazon Prime and Hulu
04 of 12
Freak Show (2014–15)
Sam Lothridge/FX/courtesy Evrett Collection
The 1950s carnival life, 'AHS'-style
In the early '50s, Elsa Mars (Lange) oversees one of America's last remaining "freak shows," which includes conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler (Paulson) and bearded lady Ethel (Kathy Bates). While docked in Florida, the troupe encounters trouble in the form of psychotic Twisty the Clown (John Carroll Lynch), a deranged murderer with a taste for sideshow carnage.
Freak Show proved that American Horror Story could be many things at once, while never being content to repeat the same idea. With a roster of guests including Angela Bassett, Celia Weston, Grace Gummer, Danny Huston, and Neil Patrick Harris, this is when the series cemented its transition from cable oddity to a genuine drawing card in the entertainment industry.
Where to watch Freak Show: Amazon Prime and Hulu
05 of 12
Hotel (2015–16)
Prashant Gupta/FX
Sarah Paulson and Wes Bentley in 'AHS: Hotel'
In the heart of Los Angeles at the Hotel Cortez — a once-elegant, now-dilapidated Art Deco hotel built by a serial killer to entrap his victims — ageless vampire The Countess (Lady Gaga) feasts upon the blood of young children to maintain her youth. Meanwhile, disgraced detective John Lowe (Wes Bentley) investigates a bizarre Ten Commandments-inspired murder spree, finding clues that take him to the Cortez.
Hotel returned cast regulars Bates, Paulson, Peters, and Denis O'Hare in addition to Bassett, Sidibe, season 2's Lily Rabe and Chloë Sevigny, and season 4's Finn Wittrock. It was critically hit-or-miss, but fans have found much to love (and several meme-able moments) from this particularly bats--- installment.
Where to watch Hotel: Amazon Prime and Hulu
06 of 12
Roanoke (2016)
Prashant Gupta/FX
Lady Gaga as Scathach in 'AHS: Roanoke'
Matt (André Holland) and Shelby Miller (Rabe) relocate to a farmhouse in North Carolina following an assault in their former home in California. In their new locale, they find themselves the unwitting victims in a series of supernatural events involving the land's indigenous people, cannibalistic hillbillies, vengeful spirits, and, yes, the Lost Colony of Roanoke itself.
Roanoke earned praise for its revitalization of the franchise, taking a fresh approach that essentially divides the season into two halves. (If you haven't seen it, we won't spoil it.) Paulson, O'Hare, Bates, Bassett, and Bentley return for this season, which features cameos from past stars Lady Gaga, Wittrock, and Conroy.
Where to watch Roanoke: Amazon Prime and Hulu
07 of 12
Cult (2017)
Frank Ockenfels/FX
Even Peters as Kai Anderson in 'AHS: Cult'
In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, anxiety-prone liberal Ally Mayfair-Richards (Paulson) crosses paths with a sinister, violent cult presided over by charismatic Kai (Peters). This season's narrative spans from the Manson Family to Andy Warhol's Factory and even brings back season 4 antagonist Twisty the Clown in a cameo appearance.
Cult boasts the smallest cast of any of the seasons to date, including many returning stars. In addition to Paulsen, Peters is back alongside Billie Lourd, Frances Conroy, Roberts, Alison Pill, and Cheyenne Jackson. While not everyone took to Cult's broad political satire, it's still considered a fine mid-era installment.
Where to watch Cult: Amazon Prime and Hulu
08 of 12
Apocalypse (2018)
Kurt Iswarienko/FX
Kathy Bates as Ms. Miriam Mead in 'AHS: Apocalypse'
In the near future, Michael Langdon (Cody Fern), the demonic baby born at the end of Murder House, arrives at safe zone Outpost 3 — overseen by Wilhemina Venable (Paulson) and her assistant Miriam Mead (Bates) — where he brings evil and threatens to destabilize the community. Coven's Cordelia (Paulson), Madison (Roberts), and Myrtle (Conroy) enter the fray to defeat Langdon, fighting their darkest battle yet.
Apocalypse was hailed as a refreshing multi-season crossover for the franchise, harnessing its penchant for grisly mayhem and subversive fun in exhilarating fashion while bringing back beloved characters from previous seasons in a truly wild AHS mash-up.
Where to watch Apocalypse: Amazon Prime and Hulu
09 of 12
1984 (2019)
Kurt Iswarienko/FX John Carroll Lynch in 'AHS: 1984'
Years after the closure of Camp Redwood due to a brutal massacre, fun-loving counselors arrive to reopen the place for a new generation. Shortly after they arrive, the counselors come under the unwanted attention of serial killer Mr. Jingles (Lynch), while Richard Ramirez, a.k.a. the Night Stalker, terrorizes the streets of Los Angeles.
In this throwback to '80s slasher movies, AHS veterans Roberts, Lourd, Fern, Rabe, McDermott, and Leslie Grossman join a cast of newcomers, including Matthew Morrison and scene-stealer Angelica Ross. A slight departure for the franchise, with its breezy, somewhat parodic tone, 1984 is a soft spot for many AHS aficionados.
Where to watch 1984: Amazon Prime and Hulu
10 of 12
Double Feature (2021)
Frank Ockenfels/FX
Finn Wittrock in 'AHS: Double Feature'
This season is divided into two separate narratives. Part one, "Red Tide," finds desperate screenwriter Harry Gardner (Wittrock) traveling with his wife, Doris (Rabe), to Provincetown in the winter. Hoping the isolation will work wonders for his TV script, Harry (who's clearly never heard of The Shining) becomes addicted to Limitless-style pills that enhance his creative output but have devastating personal effects.
Part two, "Death Valley," illustrates an alternate history in which President Eisenhower (Neal McDonough) strikes a deal with aliens who promise to bequeath humans with advanced technology. This dovetails with a modern-day strand about college kids getting abducted in the desert and subjected to horrific experiments.
A who's-who of AHS history, Double Feature returns nearly every actor from previous seasons and introduces several more. But many critics and fans wrinkled their noses at the bifurcated narrative, which settled for two lackluster stories instead of one stronger, fully fleshed-out tale.
Where to watch Double Feature: Amazon Prime and Hulu
11 of 12
NYC (2022)
Pari Dukovic/FX
Joe Mantello in 'AHS: NYC'
As a masked serial killer dubbed "Big Daddy" begins picking off gay men in New York's S&M scene circa the early 1980s (shades of William Friedkin's Cruising). Meanwhile, enterprising journalist Adam Carpenter (Charlie Carver) begins investigating the city's curious lack of action.
A more serious installment than previous seasons, NYC finds a disturbingly oblique way to address the early AIDS crisis, making a political statement on top of the show's usual carnage. It earned passable reviews, though many derided its lack of focus and noted a diminished interest in the last episodes.
Lourd, O'Hare, and Grossman return for this season, which also features newcomers Russell Tovey, Sandra Bernhard, and Patti LuPone.
Where to watch NYC: Amazon Prime and Hulu
12 of 12
Delicate (2023–24)
Eric Liebowitz/FX
Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian in 'AHS: Delicate'
Delicate, based on Danielle Valentine's novel, Delicate Condition, follows film star Anna Victoria Alcott (Roberts) as she embarks on the role of a lifetime while dealing with the pregnancy from hell. As her husband (Matt Czuchry) and foul-mouthed PR manager (Kim Kardashian) attempt to convince her nothing is awry, Anna grows increasingly suspicious of those around her, including the enigmatic Ivy (Cara Delevingne).
The first AHS season based on pre-existing material, Delicate takes inspiration from its title, delivering a comparatively restrained story that slowly reveals its hand before a shocking finale. For some, the rollout was too slow: fans criticized the lack of action and the decision to split the season into two parts.
Where to watch Delicate: Amazon Prime and Hulu
How to watch the American Horror Story seasons in order: -
Murder House (2011)
Asylum (2012–13)
Coven (2013–14)
Freak Show (2014–15)
Hotel (2015–16)
Roanoke (2016)
Cult (2017)
Apocalypse (2018)
1984 (2019)
Double Feature (2021)
NYC (2022)
Delicate (2023–24)
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: "AOL AOL Entertainment"
Source: ALPHA MAG
Full Article on Source: ALPHA MAG
October 05, 2025 at 04:00PM