Every Season Of American Horror Story, Ranked

There’s nothing wrong with getting a little melodramatic. It’s why soap operas have existed for almost a century now, and that urge for drama is what keeps fueling reality show after reality show. Lately, the dissolution of the melodramatic has been mastered by Ryan Murphy, the mind behind Glee, Feud, and Monster, but who is perhaps best known for creating American Horror Story, the anthology series that has painted a new vision of the macabre for decades now.

But now that its self-referential thirteenth season, simply titled AHS: 13, is over and done with, where do each of these season-long storylines stand in TV history? Thanks to the anthology format, there was a new chance to reinvent the story every week, but not every one was created equal. Here’s where every season stands now, in case you want to dive in for a long-term rewatch.

13. Delicate (Season 12)

It’s still unclear which way history will judge the partnership of Kim Kardashian and Ryan Murphy. She represents everything that his work explores: vanity and facade and pop culture and opulence. She’s not a great actor, but this season doesn’t demand good actors. In fact, this is the only season that’s based on an outside work, but that’s actually a downside. After so many seasons, this is just a goofy one, and that’s the least Ryan Murphy deserves.

12. NYC (Season 11)

Ryan Murphy shouldn’t be the first stop for nuanced takes on important topics, and unfortunately there’s no better proof of that than this season, which was supposed to tackle all the joys and tragedies of New York-based subculture. This is a sad example where the real world was a lot more horrific than what was shown on screen. There are plenty of places where you can see those stories done far more accurately; it just feels like a mismatch of content and tone.

11. AHS: 13 (Season 13)

The latest season of American Horror Story was supposed to be the Avengers: Endgame of the series, bringing back its all-stars (including Jessica Lange) and having them reprise their characters, even if that means a lot of explanations as to how they can all co-exist. Unfortunately, this season leaned a little too hard into the explanations, and we had to listen to convoluted monologues about how two of Jessica Lange’s characters are the twin daughters of a third character. It could have been fun, but it got in its own way.

10. Double Feature (Season 10)

An anthology series means you only have one season to tell a whole idea, but in Double Feature, this was changed to two different halves of the season. It seems like there were two good half-baked ideas for what to do next, but because there isn’t time for each to really mature, these are often forgettable. One was focused more on vampires and addiction while the other tackled aliens, and while they have their fans, there just wasn’t space for either to breathe.

9. Apocalypse (Season 8)

Apocalypse was the first attempt made by AHS to try some explicit crossover, and while it was interesting in a Leonardo DiCaprio-pointing-at-the-screen way, there were some issues with prioritizing having characters on screen versus telling a story. This was the season that finally made all of these seasons into one, interconnected universe, but all the explaining that took meant the story was bare-bones at best. Turns out, there’s a reason these worlds start over from scratch at the beginning of each season.

8. Cult (Season 7)

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about this season. Released in the wake of the 2016 election, this series is about as subtle as a Trump rally as it tells its story of an anxious neighbor plagued by her neighbors who are in some sort of high-control group. It’s definitely the season that has aged the worst, but the cult side of the story is able to play with some ridiculous concerns — like those clowns people thought were terrorizing children back then — that do deliver some fun campiness.

7. Freak Show (Season 4)

Freak Show is another example of a classic horror setting working in a season’s favor. With the circus-focused story, we got Twisty the Clown, but we also got two Sarah Paulsons for the price of one, as she plays conjoined twins Dot and Bette. This is AHS at its most well-intentioned, as it took classic point-and-laugh horror movies like Freaks and subverted them to show a surprising amount of empathy. It’s bogged down in a lot of Murphy silliness, but this story is surprisingly nuanced.

6. 1984 (Season 9)

We’re in a bit of a summer camp sleeper renaissance between Camp Miasma and Crystal Lake, so perhaps that’s why the camp-based season 1984 looks so good on the rewatch. Some of the show’s best ideas came from preying on horror concepts and settings, and this was just a perfect fit from the get-go. Unfortunately, this season is a bit of a hat-on-a-hat, introducing a weird sci-fi twist right when the show needed it the least.

5. Hotel (Season 5)

Ah, Hotel, otherwise known as “The Lady Gaga season.” This series tried to tackle Hollywood by focusing on the last remnants of Old Hollywood, and the result is one of the best ensemble casts the show is able to assemble. Unfortunately, the story these characters have to deal with isn’t the most interesting, but with these seasons, half the job’s done just by finding the right people.

4. Roanoke (Season 6)

Roanoke is one of the most misunderstood seasons, but it really is a work of genius. Unlike other seasons, this one didn’t reveal its actual theme until it premiered, so the colonial setting took some fans aback. But that’s not the only risk this season took. It also used a show-within-the-show structure, so one storyline of the season was basically a mockumentary. Ryan Murphy shows are never afraid to experiment, but the mockumentary/docudrama aspect was a rare variation in form for the series.

3. Murder House (Season 1)

Murder House is where everything began, with the simple story of a haunting. The whispers of what to come are still there (“there’s not going to be a swimming pool, you stupid slut!”), but it’s also clear that things are being played a little safer just because of pop culture sensibilities at the time. Still, this is a pretty great story even just by itself, and became the prototype for what is essentially a TV subgenre now.

2. Coven (Season 3)

This series may be a horror anthology, but at the end of the day, all of its conflicts are social. Coven is a great example of this, turning petty drama behind New Orleans-based magic practitioners and turning it into the focus for a lavish feud with gorgeous costume design. It’s no coincidence that most of Jessica Lange’s seasons are near the top in these rankings, but the performances from Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates deserve a highlight too.

1. Asylum (Season 2)

So many of AHS’ most memorable moments come from the Asylum season. It’s the one with the “Name Game,” with Jessica Lange as Sister Jude, and with so many quotable lines. This is probably the first season where the true depths of what fans are willing to rationalize for the sake of a complete story became clear, and the truly silly moments shine through. An appearance from Adam Levine and then some electroshock therapy? Don’t mind if I do!

American Horror Story is now streaming on Hulu.