American Horror Story has only aired one episode of season 4, but FX is already going ahead to renew the anthology series for a fifth season, which will premiere in fall 2015 with 13 episodes.
American Horror Story: Freak Show Premiere Recap: Can the Conjoined Twins Save the Freak Show? >>>
“The American Horror Story anthology has had the highest growth trajectory of any show in FX history, not to mention an unprecedented track record of success in awards recognition,” John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions, said in a statement. “With Ryan Murphy and his partners, Brad Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto and Tim Minear at the helm, the show’s success is not surprising. AHS continues to deliver amazing stories, a brilliant troupe of actors led by Jessica Lange, and a visual style unlike any other on TV.”
Landgraf went on to say, “With Nip/Tuck, Glee, The Normal Heart and American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy has established himself as one of the most successful and prolific producers of this generation. We expect AHS: Freak Show and the next incarnation of AHS to further his legacy.”
This announcement doesn’t come as surprise, especially since the premiere of season 4, Freak Show, broke records as the highest-viewed TV show episode in the history of FX. The premiere drew in 10 million total viewers, which is an increase of 38% over last year’s Coven premiere (7.27 million), and 6.5 million in the 18-49 demographic.
When adding in encore airings, the total viewership goes up to 13.36 million, and 8.6 million in the demo.
The previous record was held by the final season premiere of Sons of Anarchy, at 9.3 million viewers.
The current season, which takes place in Jupiter, Florida in 1952 and centers on one of the last freak shows in the country, is expected to be Jessica Lange’s final year on American Horror Story. But showrunner Ryan Murphy is trying to lure her back for another season. When asking how he will attempt to bring her back on board, he told TVLine, “It always starts with a character for Jessica, so I think I’d have to present her with something she was very interested in. Before, I was met with a really quick ‘No.’ Now I’m hearing, ‘Well, let’s keep talking.’ So I thought that was a very good sign.”
Speaking of season 5, Murphy is doing what he’s done in the past and including teasers to the next season in the current one. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said, “There are clues in the first two episodes because I figured out season 5 very early on and I know that the fans love that.”
Are you excited that AHS has been renewed? Are you hoping that Jessica Lange sticks around? And what do you want the season 5 story to be?
American Horror Story: Freak Show airs Wednesdays at 10pm on FX.
(Image courtesy of FX)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
