American Horror Story (AHS) has become one of the most popular anthology TV shows, with each season providing a completely new set of characters, settings, and storylines. With 10 seasons so far, AHS offers a lot of content for fans to dive into. But with the anthology format, many viewers wonder if they need to watch AHS in order from the beginning or if they can jump around between seasons.
Quick Answers
Here are some quick answers to common questions about watching AHS in order:
- It is not absolutely necessary to watch every AHS season in order. Each season is completely self-contained.
- Watching in order can provide a fuller experience and appreciation of callbacks, connections between seasons, and returning actors in new roles.
- The first three seasons (Murder House, Asylum, Coven) are often considered the strongest and most connected.
- Freak Show is seen as the start of a decline in quality, though still entertains.
- The most recent seasons Apocalypse and Double Feature directly connect back to earlier seasons.
- The best advice is to watch from the beginning if you want the complete experience – but skipping around is fine too.
Does each AHS season connect to the others?
American Horror Story was created as an anthology series, meaning each new season introduces a completely new set of characters, settings, and storylines unrelated to previous seasons. This anthology format was directly inspired by shows like The Twilight Zone and horror film anthologies.
So in most cases, each season of AHS stands completely on its own and can be watched independently. You could jump right into a later season like 1984 or Roanoke without having seen any earlier seasons and have no issues following the story and characters.
However, that doesn’t mean there are no connections at all across seasons. While major crossover between the core plots and characters of each season is minimal, there are some recurring elements:
- Some actors return in new roles each season, so you may recognize familiar faces.
- Subtle references are made linking some seasons.
- A character introduced in a past season may cameo in a new season, but not necessarily impact the overall plot.
- Rotating repertory of actors and crew members creates a similar style and feel across seasons.
The most direct connections come in the more recent Apocalypse and Double Feature seasons, which brought back multiple characters from previous seasons in significant roles and tied the plots together more directly. But again, you could still follow and enjoy these seasons without having seen every prior season.
Should I watch AHS seasons in order of release?
So while it may not be absolutely necessary to watch every single AHS season in order, viewing the show from the very start can provide the most complete and rich experience for fans.
Each season is written assuming viewers are familiar with the general style and approach of AHS, with references and connections back to previous installments. And storylines unfold with the benefit of hindsight and the development of the show over time.
Watching in release order allows you to see how AHS has evolved over its 10 season run. You can pick up on callbacks, recurring characters and actors, and evolving style and themes when viewed sequentially from the start.
The first three seasons in order – Murder House, Asylum, and Coven – are often considered to form an informal trilogy. These early seasons featured a heavier amount of interconnected storytelling, recurring cast members, and callbacks between seasons.
So for the optimal viewing experience that allows you to fully appreciate American Horror Story as it has developed, watching from the very beginning with season 1, Murder House is recommended.
American Horror Story Seasons in Order of Release:
- Season 1 – Murder House (2011)
- Season 2 – Asylum (2012-13)
- Season 3 – Coven (2013-14)
- Season 4 – Freak Show (2014-15)
- Season 5 – Hotel (2015-16)
- Season 6 – Roanoke (2016)
- Season 7 – Cult (2017)
- Season 8 – Apocalypse (2018)
- Season 9 – 1984 (2019)
- Season 10 – Double Feature (2021)
Are some AHS seasons better than others?
While American Horror Story has maintained a dedicated fanbase throughout its run, critical and audience reception has been mixed across different seasons.
The first three seasons – Murder House, Asylum, and Coven – are often considered to be the strongest, most cohesive, and best received. Murder House gained attention as the new anthology concept paid off, and Asylum and Coven built momentum with compelling stories centered around memorable new characters.
The fourth season, Freak Show, is seen by many as the start of a decline in quality and cohesive storytelling within each season. Critics cited a lack of direction and recycled ideas that failed to come together. But Freak Show still delivered the over-the-top shock entertainment the show was known for.
The next installment, Hotel, continued to push boundaries with visceral violence and sex. But plot holes and undefined characters received criticism. Subsequent seasons Roanoke and Cult had creative concepts but failed to fully deliver for some viewers.
The most recent 9th and 10th seasons, 1984 and Double Feature, have won some fans back over with cleaner storytelling and loving homages to classic horror genres.
So while you may see debate between fans on which AHS seasons are the “best”, the general consensus is that Murder House, Asylum, and Coven represent the strongest, most cohesive early years of the show. Quality became less consistent in later seasons, but still offered entertainment for hardcore fans.
Do I need to rewatch earlier seasons before new ones?
As discussed above, each season of American Horror Story stands on its own and can be watched independently as a separate mini-series. So if you haven’t seen every prior season, you can go right into recent seasons like Double Feature without missing anything crucial.
However, the most recent seasons Apocalypse and Double Feature did feature more direct ties back to earlier seasons. So for fuller context, you may want to refresh yourself on specific past seasons if you haven’t watched them recently:
- Before Apocalypse: Catch up on Murder House and Coven, which are directly revisited.
- Before Double Feature: A quick refresher on Freak Show and Asylum would be helpful to pick up on key connections.
But again, you can still fully enjoy Apocalypse and Double Feature even if you haven’t watched every single prior AHS season in detail. The stories are structured to remind and reintroduce relevant characters for new viewers when direct connections are made.
Should I skip any AHS seasons?
Since storylines are completely reset each season, it’s fine to skip any installments of American Horror Story that don’t appeal to you.
As noted above, general consensus is that the quality declined after the initial Murder House, Asylum, Coven run. So you could opt to just watch those first three standout seasons.
Some other seasons tend to be most commonly skipped or seen as weaker by fans:
- Freak Show – Where many felt a drop in storytelling quality began
- Hotel – Seen as overly graphic and lacking characters to invest in
- Roanoke – Experimental format was hit or miss with viewers
- Cult – Too timely and on-the-nose political commentary for some
But all the seasons have their fans too. So feel free to skip around based on which concepts and styles appeal to you most. The great thing about an anthology like AHS is you don’t need to slog through every season if some don’t grab you.
Summary: How Should You Watch AHS?
So in summary, here are some recommendations on how to approach watching American Horror Story:
- Watching seasons in order from the start provides the most complete experience, especially for the first three seasons.
- But skipping around to different seasons is fine too, since each one is standalone.
- Murder House, Asylum, and Coven are seen as the strongest and most binge-worthy.
- Quality became less consistent after Freak Show, but later seasons still entertain.
- Feel free to skip any seasons that don’t appeal – anthology makes it easy.
- Quickly rewatch connected past seasons before Apocalypse and Double Feature.
- Ultimately watch in whatever order interests you most!
Conclusion
American Horror Story’s anthology format means viewers have a lot of flexibility in how they approach watching the show. While viewing from the beginning provides the most context and allows you to fully trace connections, feel free to bounce around seasons based on which intrigue you most.
The uniqueness of each season means AHS fans are sure to have heated debates on which are must-see and which you can skip. But one of the joys for horror fans is comparing the different concepts, aesthetics, and characters across AHS seasons – so there’s no one right way to watch!
