When it was announced that Kim Kardashian would star alongside Emma Roberts in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story: Delicate, the world was a bit confused. That Kim K? Reality TV star turned influencer and fashion mogul, who became famous not for her talent but for her incessant drama…on a RYAN MURPHY SHOW?
But I kept my worries to myself, unlike the entire internet that was ripping her apart before we saw her acting debut. Anyways. I tuned in week after week to watch Murphy’s Rosemary’s Baby-inspired show…and you know what? Kim is not the worst part about it.
Because the main thing you must remember is you can only enjoy this kind of production is to keep front and center of your mind that Kim is not an actress. She didn’t come into the public eye hoping to be the next Marilyn Monroe in terms of blockbuster movie deals. She’s a hustler — meaning she won’t turn down an opportunity to level-up financially.
If you weren’t already aware , Kim’s own reality show has been running for over 20 seasons between E!’s Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Hulu’s The Kardashians. And every week on the show, we catch a glamorous glimpse into the life of Kim Kardashian and her famous family.
This past week, Ryan Murphy sat down with Kim and asked how she felt about a scripted show where she was the main stellar event. Yes, you read that right. Ryan Murphy approached Kim Kardashian to continue her acting career.
And if you’re in shock…you must remember her iconic quote:
I told you earlier that Kim is a hustler…but maybe you don’t believe me. Let’s look at the facts: whether you’re a Taylor Swift-supporter who vehemently despises the Kardashians or not, Kim has a similar work ethic to Taylor Swift — they do not stop, darlin.
Kim currently has two brands: SKKN, her skincare and beauty line, and Skims, the leading shapewear and loungewear brand in the industry. As previously mentioned, she stars on The Kardashians alongside her mother and sisters: Kris, Kylie, Kendall, Kourtney, and Khloe.
Then there’s her stint in the fashion industry — an ambassador for controversial brand Balenciaga, constantly seen front row at Fashion Week sitting next to Vogue Editor-in-Chief, the highly-regarded and highly-feared Anna Wintour.
And there’s no doubt that we’re dealing with one of the most criticized families in America. They’re the closest thing we’ve got to our own Royal Family, and thousands flock to social media to denounce their promotion of tatty products and unrealistic body expectations.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone when Kim Kardashian dips her toe into a new profession. She’s already checked reality TV star, lawyer, entrepreneur, mother, and model off her list…why is acting so shocking?
So here we are, in the “acceptance” phase of grief. Kim Kardashian will be starring in Ryan Murphy’s show (again) so you may as well get to know the plot. The show, which is currently untitled, will follow Kim as Los Angeles’ most successful divorce lawyer leading an all-female team.
While the role seems perfect for Kardashian — her father was a famous superpower litigant and she’s in law school herself…Murphy has been drawing together something of a dream-team cast to support her. That includes a glam bevy of A-list actresses who will be Kim’s team of lawyers. And….there’s even a love interest.
And I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing: but she can’t really act, can she? No. But neither can most nepo babies out there…and yet, we let them.
We’re living in a culture where the contrarian point of view is all that claims our attention. Being a hater is cool. And yet, I find myself empathizing with the Kar-Jenner clan. Wouldn’t you also grasp at straws to continue your legacy of influence and riches?
If you truly look deep inside, you may realize that we’d do it too if it meant a big fat paycheck…we simple folk simply don’t get those opportunities.
Nepotism – noun – the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by gifting them jobs.
Before Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce was a superstar in the NFL world. The go-to tight end on the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs, the most recent dominating football franchise since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
And sure, Travis Kelce is a nine time Pro Bowler and seven time All-Pro selection with four of those being first team nods. He may hold the record for most consecutive and overall seasons with 1000 receiving yards (seven seasons strong)…but what the heck does Travis Kelce know about acting?
Reports indicate that Travis Kelce will be acting in none other than a Ryan Murphy original. Yes, that Ryan Murphy – the creator of shows like American Horror Story, Dahmer, and Glee…The Ryan Murphy who has 38 Primetime Emmy noms (and six wins), two Grammy’s and a Tony – just cast football professional and boyfriend of Taylor Swift in a scripted television series.
Which TV Show Is Travis Kelce Starring In?
The show is called Grotesquerie, and will also star Niecy Nash-Betts(who previously worked with Murphy on Dahmer) and Courtney B. Vance (who you may recognize from Murphy’s American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson).
Nash-Betts confirmed the news in an Instagram shortly after People reported Travis Kelce’s premier acting endeavor. She says,
“Guys, guess who I am working with on Grotesquerie?” the actress teased before showing Kelce, who said, “Jumping into new territory with Niecy!”
Judging by the teaser Ryan Murphy shared, a phone call from Niecey Nash warns of something bad happening that only her character can see.
And while Ryan Murphy has a habit of including unlikely stars in his shows (think Kim Kardashian in AHS), Travis Kelce’s inclusion begs a bigger question:
Is Trav the world’s first nepo boyfriend?
After the nepotism baby exposure that led countless celebrities to unnecessarily defend their names, we learned a ton about the state of the industry. Publications like Rolling Stone are riddled with nepo babies whose famed parents landed them the internship. Your favorite actor, singer, model, etc. is most likely a descendant of your mom’s favorite actor, singer, or model.
But the thing is, we already know that Kate Hudson is Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn’s kid. We know Lily Rose Depp’s parents…and the Jenners…and Angelina Jolie…and Miley Cyrus…I could go on. The point is, we didn’t care.
In today’s entertainment industry, it’s hard not to find a nepo baby. But as long as they’re good at what they choose to do, no one cares. Which is why I worry for Travis Kelce.
Travis is the face of brand deals galore. Especially since his New Heights podcast (alongside his brother and fellow NFL icon, Jason Kelce) is the hottest sports podcast on socials right now. Dating Taylor Swift may have been the best thing to happen to the Travis Kelce brand in general, because now he gets to go beyond sports and into bigger realms.
The 34-year-old KC Chiefs’ tight end’s previous TV endeavors include a cringe-worthy dating show called Catching Kelce and hosting Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?
So, yes, the question must be raised: can Travis even act? If we’re being completely honest, I can’t guarantee that answer. Murphy has a way of making any non-actor (see: Kardashian) into a passable star with camp lines and witty delivery…but I’m worried about Kelce.
Let’s all admit that when he began dating Swift, Travis Kelce got catapulted into superstardom as the First Boyfriend of The Era’s Tour… But have we taken it too far by launching an acting career? Is there a time when we should stay in our respective lanes?
I’m all for Travis getting the recognition he deserves..and I think the Kelces are our Royal Family…but I’d rather see a Keeping Up With The Kelces moment than watch Travis potentially fail at acting.
What would make sense? Travis Kelce in couture runway settings, or collaborating with high fashion brands to create exclusive lines. Travis and his family having their own reality show. Expanding their football empire in a number of ways.
What doesn’t really make sense? Casting Travis in Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie…but you bet I’ll be tuning in anyway.
Almost as though American Horror Story is actively trying to get worse with each new season, AHS: Delicate proves to be no exception to the rule. Which is really saying something considering how atrocious AHS: NYC (which should have been called AHS: AIDS) was. And the season before that, AHS: Double Feature. In fact, the last time American Horror Story showed much promise was with AHS: 1984, before it fizzled out by the finale. Indeed, that’s been AHS’ biggest issue for a while now: losing the plot about halfway in. Not, as some would think, casting Kim Kardashian in a lead role. Because, almost as though to hit the nail over the head with the Faustian pact motif, Kardashian’s involvement in the project has actually been the most praised thing about it. But then, it’s not as though Kim playing a soulless gay man trapped inside a woman’s body is out of her “range.” Nor is it to deliver such lines as, “This is where Harvey Weinstein ejaculated into a plant. Iconic.” Because if Kim is known for one thing more than being “famous for being famous,” it’s being a fame-mongering hanger-on who will cling to any form of celebrity like stink on shit. In truth, she’ll cling to literal shit, too (never forget her appearance at the opening of the Charmin Restrooms to “ceremoniously” unlock the doors to these public toilets in Times Square).
As such, playing a publicist is right on-brand for all the name dropping required of such an ass-licking profession. And oh, how Kim knows all about licking ass (especially Paris Hilton’s). As does her “character,” Siobhan Corbyn, a woman who, behind the pretense of being an obsequious ballbuster, is actually, well, practically the devil herself. Or at least one of the devil’s key minions/fangirls. For that is, at her core, what Kardashian truly is: a fangirl. That much has been emphasized with her oft-repeated story about being the Queen of Pop’s neighbor when she was a kid. For, yes, she grew up in a house in Beverly Hills that was supposedly “next door” to Madonna’s…even though Madonna would have either 1) been gone most of the time during that period or 2) been living in Malibu with then-husband Sean Penn, but whatever (as Kim said on a more detailed occasion, Madonna “at a time period in her life, moved in with her manager who happened to be our next door neighbor growing up.” Though one doesn’t hear too much about a “period” when M lived with Freddy DeMann, unless it was to hide out during fights with Sean).
Kardashian also repeated this anecdote (the one that goes with talking about how M gave her and Kourtney all her “old” jewelry) while promoting the finale of AHS on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, adding in the proclamation that she was Madonna’s “dog walker,” even though there’s also little to be found about Madonna ever owning a dog in the 80s, save for a scoured-for mention of her giving Sean Penn a puppy (though there seems to be no photographic evidence anywhere of said puppy). Lawd knows whatever happened to that poor creature. Particularly if Kardashian really was tasked with walking it.
In any case, she’s sure to lead with her “Madonna tales” in lieu of talking to Kimmel about the show (perhaps because it’s so shameful and it’s better to keep the focus on “stories of celebrity”). At the same time, Madonna is actually a key aspect of the show—a “running thread,” if you will. Starting in the second episode, “Rockabye.” By this point, it’s already been established that one of Siobhan’s major clients (and her “best friend”), actress Anna Alcott (Emma Roberts), is supposedly “all in” for awards season, willing to work whatever red carpet she has to in order to secure the nomination for an Oscar. All at the vehement urging of Siobhan. Her enthusiasm for “the road to Oscar” prompts her to show up at Anna’s apartment and announce, “I have a connection at The Paper Bag Princess in West Hollywood” (a very specific mention, by the way). She then proceeds to open the box she brought with her and say, “Obviously, you’re welcome.” What she then takes out is a white gown that looks absolutely nothing like the one Madonna wore at the 1991 Oscars (apart, of course, from sharing the same color).
And yet, Anna is quick to jump on what would be an obscure reference to any non-gay viewer by gasping, “It looks just like the dress Madonna wore at the 1991 Oscars.” Siobhan replies, “That’s weird. Except it isn’t—because this is that exact dress.” Anna screams in delight as Siobhan insists, “Literally put it on.” “Do I have to, like, pray or something before?” “No, just do not rip it.” This, clearly, is an allusion to Kim Kardashian’s own back(side)lash after donning Marilyn Monroe’s iconic Jean Louis gown from the night she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” at a fundraiser/birthday celebration for JFK in 1962.
Upon seeing Anna don the frock, Siobhan insists that they go into her room so she can see herself in the full-length mirror. She then miraculously produces a matching white stole (to further insist that this is Madonna’s exact Oscars ensemble) and proceeds to sing the most cringeworthy rendition of “Sooner or Later” possible. Of course, this isn’t the first time Kardashian has “paid homage” to this particular night in Madonna’s storied history of momentous appearances/performances at awards ceremonies. She previously dressed as M from the 1991 Oscars for one of her Halloween costumes back in 2017, with Kourtney dressed in the same garb as Madonna’s date for that evening, Michael Jackson. So yes, it would seem Kim has a stronger affinity for this pop culture moment than most. And maybe showrunner/writer of all nine episodes, Halley Feiffer, was inspired to incorporate Madonna at the 1991 Oscars precisely because Kim once dressed as her (and wore a dress that looked far more similar than the incredibly plain bullshit Anna tries on).
As if referencing the dress in such a sacrilegious way wasn’t enough, Anna and Siobhan then manage to sing the first verse (“Sooner or later you’re gonna be mine/Sooner or later you’re gonna be fine/Baby, it’s time that you face it I alway get my man”) before the mirror rightfully cracks and shatters in response. A mirror that already advises, “Don’t Do It Anna.” Counsel that wasn’t taken in any way, shape or form—least of all with further denigrating Madonna’s 1991 Oscar night legacy by singing the Dick Tracy anthem (which did, by the way, win the Oscar for Best Original Song that night).
While one might think this would be enough to sate the apparent tarnishing quota on “Sooner or Later,” Feiffer doesn’t stop there, opting to bring back the song once more in the finale (which is perhaps supposed to come off as creepy and sinister in both contexts, but only reads as utterly embarrassing—both for those singing it and those with the misfortune of watching it). Titled “The Auteur” (in honor of the “indie” movie of the same name that has earned Anna her lusted-after Oscar), the shoddily slapped together conclusion consists of Anna magically being able to combat the true villain behind everything—surprise!—Siobhan. And it’s not even really magical, so much as a witchy chant that the ghost of Adeline (Annabelle Dexter-Jones) suddenly decides to inform Anna of by reciting it with her (“Salve, o puer, Ave Hestia/Vivant liberi domini nostri,” in case you ever need it for effortlessly vanquishing the literal mother of all demons). Not really sure why no one chanted it before in front of Siobhan if it was so effective for destroying her.
But before that little “incantation,” Siobhan takes Anna to a full-length mirror again, just as she did in “Rockabye,” and sings the same opening verse from before. Now, of course, the meaning has taken on a darker tone, and when Siobhan goes to fetch their “libations,” a resigned Anna decides to sing the second verse to herself in surrender: “Sooner or later you’re gonna have to decide/Sooner or later there’s nowhere to hide/Baby, it’s time so why waste it with [the correct word to the lyric is actually “in” not “with”] chatter?/Let’s settle the matter/Baby, you’re mine on a platter I always—” It’s at this moment that Adeline (to reiterate, her ghost) conveniently appears to rework the “Sooner or Later” “chant” into a more powerful (for this purpose) “spell.” One that translates to: Hail, o child/Hail Hestia/Long live the children of our Lord.”
For Siobhan’s “coven” (let’s call them the [In]Delicates), that lord is Satan. For Adeline, it’s the “beneficent” goddess of the hearth and home (because this season does whatever it can to be heavy-handed with the mother angles and “metaphors”). A “white light” to fight against the dark, evidently. To that end, despite referencing the white light that is Madonna’s Bob Mackie Oscar dress from 1991, it was turned dark by AHS’ most ill-conceived (pregnancy pun intended) season yet. Which seems odd when taking into account that surely the source material, Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine, provided a far better blueprint. One that promises to be “the feminist update to Rosemary’s Baby we all needed.” That AHS: Delicate is not. But it does succeed quite well in nearly ruining “Sooner or Later.”
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AHS is back! If you’ve been following the series for the last decade, you may be wondering how to watch American Horror Story: Delicate to see Kim Kardashian’s debut in the AHS universe and how it lives up to the past 11 spooky seasons.
“When Ryan called me and said, ‘Kim Kardashian is playing your publicist,’ I was like, ‘You just surpassed genius status,’” Roberts told Grazia in 2023. “I just thought it was so brilliant.” She went on to say that Murphy’s “gift” is to “[see] things in people that they don’t necessarily see in themselves and putting them in roles that no one else would put them in,” adding, “He did that for me, and he did that for Kim this season in such a smart way.”
American Horror Story: Delicate premiered in September 2023 and aired five episodes before its hiatus a month later. It returned with its final five episodes in April 2024. So where can fans stream American Horror Story: Delicate? Read on for how to watch American Horror Story: Delicate live to see who dies and who lives in AHS Season 12.
Sling is a StyleCaster sponsor, however, this article was independently written by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
When does American Horror Story: Delicate air?
American Horror Story: Delicate airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.
How to watch American Horror Story: Delicate
American Horror Story: Delicate airs on FX, which is available to stream on services like SlingTV. SlingTV offers two plans with FX: Sling Blue and Sling Orange + Blue. Sling Blue starts $22.50 for your first month and $45 per month after your first month ends. Sling Orange + Blue costs $30 for your first month and $60 per month after your first month ends.
As for differences between the plans, Sling Blue offers 42 total channels and the ability to stream on three devices at the same time. Sling Orange + Blue offers 46 total channels an the ability to stream on three devices at the same time. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch American Horror Story: Delicate with SlingTV.
Choose your plan between Sling Blue and Sling Orange + Blue for FX
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Search for FX and start watching American Horror Story: Delicate!
Who’s in the American Horror Story: Delicate cast?
The American Horror Story: Delicate cast includes several actors from past seasons of American Horror Story including Emma Roberts (Coven and Freak Show) and Denis O’Hare (Coven and Freak Show). The American Horror Story: Delicate cast also includes Kim Kardashian, who made her debut in the series. See the full American Horror Story: Delicate cast below.
Emma Roberts as Anna Victoria Alcott
Matt Czuchry as Dexter “Dex” Harding Jr.
Kim Kardashian as Siobhan Corbyn
Annabelle Dexter-Jones as Sonia Shawcross and Adeline Harding
Michaela Jae Rodriguez as Nicolette
Denis O’Hare as Dr. Andrew Hill
Cara Delevingne as Ivy Ehrenreich
Julie White as Ms. Preecher
Maaz Ali as Kamal
Juliana Canfield as Talia Baldwin
Tavi Gevinson as Cora
Dominic Burgess as Hamish Moss
Taylor Richardson as Babette Eno
Ashlie Atkinson as Anna’s Superfan
Billie Lourd as Ashley
Leslie Grossman as Ashleigh
Debra Monk as Virginia Harding
Reed Birney as Dexter Harding Dr.
Is American Horror Story: Delicate based on a true story?
Is American Horror Story: Delicate based on a true story? The answer is no. American Horror Story: Delicate is based on Danielle Valentine’s book, Delicate Condition, which also follows an actress named Anna Alcott, who is desperate to have a family and is convinced she’s still pregnant after her doctor informs her that she had a miscarriage.
“There’s a very specific discomfort, symptoms and horror of what a typical pregnancy can be,” Valentine told Variety in 2023. “I’d been a body horror novelist for 10 years. I got my start writing teen exorcism books, so I have history with that. I thought, if I can do one thing, I can describe this very visceral, painful, oftentimes gruesome experience in a way that other people who’ve tackled this subject couldn’t.”
She also told the magazine about how the story Delicate Condition represents a greater issue in the healthcare system. “One of the most frustrating and poignant parts of the book is watching people tell this woman about her own body, and completely tune her out. In some of these situations, especially with doctors, she’s just bearing it because she feels like she’s somehow broken or not enough,” she said. “That in and of itself is truly terrifying and frustrating.”
She continued, “I didn’t know at first that I was writing about medical gaslighting, I was just putting down my experience with my own doctors. I grew up in the Midwest, and I’m very much a people pleaser. I don’t want people to think I’m a bitch, or to talk too loud or be too aggressive. All of these things that we tell women that they are.”
American Horror Story: Delicate airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX. Watch it with SlingTV.
Grey’s Anatomy: Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson
The TV Academy also teased tributes to All In The Family, Cheers, I Love Lucy.
Additionally, Charlie Puth and will perform with duo The War and Treaty for this year’s “In Memoriam.” Blink-182’s Travis Barker is set to open the show with a performance alongside host Anthony Anderson.
They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve
What I was wearing, if I was rude
Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves
Taylor Swift, “The Man”
When Barbie premiered in July, women felt seen in the cinema — perhaps for the first time in a long time. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was more than a beginner’s feminist manifesto, but also a meditation on what it means to be both a woman and mother in today’s world. It was a gentle reminder that maybe we’re all just trying our best — and that our best is enough.
It also encouraged women celebrate each other more. The Barbie effect had us all wearing pink, emulating Margot Robbie’s cowboy-chic style, and referring to men as our “Kens.” And with help from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, her friendship bracelets, and sense of community, women were winning. It’s the first year in history that women dominated the Billboard Hot 100 twice (thanks to Swift and her Midnights and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album). Like I said, it’s a good year to be a woman.
This celebration of women and our successes is long overdue, but the promising news is that it isn’t slowing down. Barbie’s feminist wave has shifted how we are accepting ourselves (and others) as women.
So it’s no surprise that women are raking in awards this year too, dominating the Grammy nominations and more. We hail celebrities for all sorts of achievements: Patrick Dempsey is People’s Sexiest Man Alive (deserved), Taylor Swift is the world leader (they literally projected her welcome onto Christ the Redeemer), and Austin Butler is Best Elvis (because somehow we have multiple).
And one of the buzziest celeb awards is run by GQ (short for Gentlemen’s Quarterly), whose “Men Of The Year” award is a highlight of every fall/winter. Similar to TIME’s 100 list, GQ likes to celebrate those who have taken the world by storm annually.
This year, the recipient of the Man of the Year award is none other than Kim Kardashian…and they’re not wrong.
Kim has been taking her empire to new heights in 2023: building on the 2022 launch of her SKKN-care line, breaking ground with Skims’ Men’s campaign, the Nipple Bra, and becoming the official partner of the NBA/WNBA, working on prison reform, filming The Kardashians on Hulu, starring alongside Emma Roberts in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story as Siobhan Corbyn, I could go on.
Calling someone “the man” has now become synonymous with “a winner.” Saying “you’re the man” is a sign of their success. And though this might have problematic roots, women are reclaiming the term — like the Taylor Swift song. And in the grand scheme of things: Kim Kardashian is the man.
Some hard working men get the title alongside Kim in the GQ issue. The other MOTY honorees include Jacob Elordi (AKA Elvis #2, who’s starring in blockbusters like Sofia Coppolla’s Priscilla and Saltburn alongside Barry Keoghan), Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin, designer-turned-filmmaker Tom Ford, and Travis Scott. But you have to admit that Kim hasn’t come up for air this year.
It’s right there for us to see in episodes of The Kardashians: Kim flying from country to country for another event on her booked and busy schedule. She’s literally everywhere at once, officiating recently divorced Chris Appleton and Lukas Gage’s wedding, shooting countless magazine covers and promo shoots for her growing enterprise, opening a Skims popup here, and shooting an episode of AHS there.
Is there anything she can’t do?
Meet The Previous Recipients Of GQ’s Men of the Year
Kim Kardashian is one of the few women to grace the cover of GQ’s Man of the Year edition. Technically dubbed “Tycoon of the Year”, acknowledging her business successes over the past few years (and for the gender neutrality of it all)- Kardashian joins a host of some of the most famous men in the world. Let’s take a look at the past five years:
2022: Brendan Fraser, Andrew Garfield
2021: Lil Nas X, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tom Holland
2020: Megan Thee Stallion, George Clooney, Trevor Noah
2019: Jennifer Lopez, Tyler, The Creator, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino
2018: Michael B. Jordan, Henry Golding, Jonah Hill
Women are normally recognized during the Men of the Year ceremonies, as it is a celebration of all people who emulated pop culture that year…however, no year has celebrated women quite like 2023.
The Men of the Year Awards 2023 were held on November 15 at London’s Royal Opera House where cover stars like Jeremy Allen White, boygenius, and Kardashian were in attendance.
Other female recipients included Megan Thee Stallion and Rihanna, who have paved their own paths in both the music and fashion industry. Rihanna with her Savage x Fenty inclusive lingerie line and Fenty Beauty has been changing the makeup and underwear game for a while now. Megan Thee Stallion is coming off a high-profile trial that she won against Tory Lanez, under immense public scrutiny, has become a figure for mental health and domestic violence while still creating hit records.
It’s one of the most female-dominated GQ events we’ve seen, which is a pattern. The GRAMMY Award nominations just rolled out with so many female artists nominated, you’d think it’s a record. In the top three categories, female acts make up seven out of eight nominees.
This year, women are the man. It’s an exciting, uplifting time where we get to celebrate with each other instead of tearing one another down. Kim K is just another example of the Barbie effect.
If you haven’t been watching, in the 12th season of “AHS,” Emma Roberts plays Anna Victoria Alcott, who very much wants to get pregnant and win an Oscar. The two desires often come into conflict in ways that don’t really make sense, though that’s the fault of a weak script more than anyone’s performance (though Roberts, who plays Anna as meek and dull, is unconvincing as a starlet with big ambitions). Anna is surrounded by a hapless husband (“Gilmore Girls“‘s Matt Czuchry), an obviously nefarious doctor (Denis O’Hare), and many other characters played by staples of the Ryan Murphy-verse. And then there’s Kardashian, who plays PR maven Siobhan Corbyn, who’s going to get Anna that Oscar no matter what (that’s the spooky part).
It’s not that Kardashian is bad in the role, per se. It’s that she’s asked to do absolutely nothing but be herself (though a little more stilted in scripted form). “Delicate” does not want you to forget for a second that this is Kim Kardashian acting, and isn’t that such a fun little meta joke? But it gets old fast.
There are, of course, times when you’ll watch something starring someone very famous and need a bit to settle into them as their character and not their celebrity. But good enough actors, no matter how famous, can do it. But that’s not the goal here. “AHS” doesn’t want you to separate the real Kardashian from Siobhan. It’s just as much of a stunt as Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner playing a couple in 2010’s “Valentine’s Day” (an underrated film, but not the point).
Take episode five, for example, when Siobhan berates someone for taking her phone because it has “millions” of dollars worth of deals inside it – you’re not supposed to be thinking about what a powerful businessperson Siobhan is, or what those deals could possibly be. You’re supposed to be thinking about the deals Kardashian does all the time. You’re supposed to think about her recent Fortune Magazine cover, which she was so excited about, she made it her birthday cake this weekend.
Many have framed Kardashian’s entry into acting in “Delicate” as a turn away from the business deals (and lawyerly aspirations) that have defined her public image in recent years, but her role as Siobhan actually only emphasizes those aspects of her life more. Kardashian is such a boss, she can only play a boss on TV. In a better show, Kardashian’s role here would have her poke fun at herself and her public image. But “Delicate” never goes far enough to be funny or weird or memorable with the character. It feels like another stage of branding in Kardashian’s overly branded life.
Ultimately, I’m not particularly enjoying this season of television. Pregnancy and motherhood are plum topics to mine for horror. I think of the bloody birth scenes in “House of the Dragon” or 2022’s tragically under-watched horror comedy series “The Baby.” In July, The New York Times and Serial Productions released a nonfiction podcast miniseries called “The Retrievals” about women who had horrific experiences while receiving fertility treatment at Yale, and one episode of that podcast is much scarier than any episode of “Delicate” could be. Instead of dealing with the actual horrors pregnancy brings up, “Delicate” invents absurd ones. Compared against the real world, where doctors do ignore pregnant people’s pain (with dire and deadly consequences), “Delicates”‘s machinations feel unserious.
But again, that’s not Kardashian’s fault. Instead, her appearance provides cover for the ways the series fails, a hot-button topic that has people talking. And ultimately, that’s probably the only way Kardashian is measuring her acting success.
The first five episodes of “American Horror Story: Delicate” are streaming now on Hulu. Part two of the series will premiere in 2024.
Angelica Ross says she’s leaving Hollywood—but before that, she’s spilling the tea.
This week, Ross made waves on social media after claiming that Ryan Murphy pitched a Black-woman-led season of American Horror Story to her, then ghosted her after she suggested ways to get the project moving. She has also accusedEmma Roberts of transphobia on the set of American Horror Story: 1984. Ross later said in a series of tweets that Roberts called her to apologize.
In an interview, Ross says that she had “no problems whatsoever” with Murphy during her time working with him. However, she did recall an incident where the two exchanged a heated phone call after Ross took issue with a crew member on AHS wearing inappropriate and racist T-shirts to set. Ross says that after she flagged the issue to Ryan Murphy Productions, cryptically tweeted about it, and refused to leave her trailer until it was handled, Murphy called her on the phone and began “cussing me out.” Eventually, Ross says, Murphy apologized. “Angelica, I want to be your number one champion,” she recalls him saying. “I see the work that you’re doing out there and I want to be a support and I want to know and learn.”
As for her issues with Roberts, Ross says of the incident, “I was calling out the fact that she looked rested. She was supposed to have been aged 20 years or whatever, and I was heavily aged…but she wanted to look better,” Ross recalls. “So she walks into the room and I’m like, ‘Oh, you look rested.’ And she goes, ‘John, Angelica’s being mean.’ And he goes, ‘Okay, ladies, we’re going to get back to work.’ And she’s like, ‘Don’t you mean lady?’ Dead ass at me, and then turns around.… She was trying to spar with me and couldn’t cover her mouth fast enough…she kind of almost tried to stop herself from saying it.”
Ross says that she sought support from her castmates, to no avail. “The tone was that she’s the almighty powerful one and you can’t really say nothing when it comes to Emma, so just keep it to yourself,” Ross says. And while Ross appreciated Roberts’s phone call apology, she also had to intervene at points in the conversation, like when Roberts tried to explain her intent behind the jokes. “I cut her off,” Ross tells me. “She tried to spin the narrative and I was like, No, no, no. I said, ‘Emma, if we’re going to talk on this phone, I’m going to be real with you, you’re going to be real with me. Let’s not do that.’”
Ross shares her unfiltered thoughts on Murphy and Roberts, her plans to “leave Hollywood,” and her experience as a Black trans woman working on American Horror Story. “What I know about whiteness is, it’s fragile as fuck,” she says. “There are books on it; White Fragility.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Angelica Ross has had quite an eventful week. After sharing a couple stories on social media that alleged that her American Horror Story: 1984 costar Emma Roberts once made transphobic remarks at her expense, Ross thanked Roberts on social media for calling and apologizing.
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“Thank you @RobertsEmma for calling and apologizing, recognizing your behavior was not that of an ally,” tweeted Ross. “I will leave the line open to follow up on your desire to do better and support social justice causes with your platform.”
On Tuesday, Ross unleashed a series of tweets criticizing their AHS showrunner, creator, and boss, Ryan Murphy, claiming that the mega-producer “left [her] on read” regarding a potential AHS season starring four Black actresses, including Ross. At the end of her Twitter screed, Ross teased that she would also detail “the transphobic remarks my co-star said to my face, and the racism I complained about on set that they said was ‘free speech.’”
Eventually, Ross went live on Instagram to share her experience of transphobia from Roberts on the set of American Horror Story: 1984. In the anecdote, Ross claims that while they were filming a scene together, Roberts made a transphobic remark directed at her, allegedly implying that there was only one woman present on set at that time. “My blood is boiling. Boiling,” said Ross. “I’m like, ‘If I say something, it’s going to be me that’s the problem. And I know this because there was someone who spoke up about what she was doing, and they got repercussions from it. Not her. They did.”
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Danielle Valentine, the author behind Delicate Condition —the book that’s being adapted for the upcoming season of “American Horror Story” — is giving fans a taste of the 12th season by detailing what her book is about, out August 1.
With all the buzz surrounding the title, Delicate Condition publisher, Sourcebooks, and “AHS” creator, Ryan Murphy, have kept information surrounding both the book and show’s storylines under wraps; however, Valentine is spilling the beans on what fans can expect.
The upcoming psychological horror-thriller centres on Valentine’s lead character Anna Alcott — whom Emma Roberts has been cast as — a New York City-based actress. After Anna’s breakthrough performance in a surprise hit indie film, she’s suddenly left navigating newfound fame “while also desperately trying to conceive a child after multiple failed rounds of IVF treatments,” as per Entertainment Weekly.
In the novel, Anna suspects someone is trying to stop her from getting pregnant, EW reports after speaking to Valentine via a Zoom interview.
“Could it be the anonymous online Tumblr user @Number1Fan, who’s been dragging her on the internet? Could it be the strange lady that snuck a photo of her as she entered her doctor’s office? Could it be the stranger who broke into her house one night and crept into her bed while she was sleeping? She can’t be certain of anything these days,” the outlet offers a synopsis. “Anna finds support in her close friend Siobhan, another actress who’s much more well known than she is, but her own husband doesn’t even believe her half the time. Then Anna’s worst fear becomes a reality: her doctor informs her that she has miscarried… except she can still feel the baby inside her. She can still see the physical effects it’s having on her body.
As someone begins stalking Anna through the Hamptons, her pregnancy symptoms grow “more severe and horrifying.” Making matters worse, no one takes her seriously when she insists something isn’t right.
“It is essentially a horror novel about pregnancy,” Valentine teased. “It’s a novel exploring not just the actual physical gruesomeness of what pregnancy is, but also the medical gaslighting that even modern, very privileged women experience as they’re going through their pregnancies and the symptoms that I feel we as a culture still don’t talk about for strange reasons.”
Delicate Condition has already garnered early praise, some of which liken the book to a modern, feminist version of Rosemary’s Baby. While Valentine is honoured over the comparison, she revealed she was “much more inspired by [the 1979 sci-fi/horror] “Alien”, which I think will also give readers an idea of where I’m taking this.”
When the topic of “Alien” resurfaced, Valentine was six months pregnant with a baby girl, prompting her to begin working on a thriller concept, which she ultimately scrapped as it began to feel cliché and the characters fell flat. Then, Valentine and her husband began having conversations about another story, keeping “Alien” as the reference.
“It’s really a movie about pregnancy, but it’s been written by a man who doesn’t understand that that’s what he’s writing about,” Valentine shared. “It’s what happens when a guy thinks, What’s the scariest possible thing I can come up with? And it’s this idea of, what if you’re growing this creature inside of you and it’s using your resources to get bigger and you can’t control it? It has a mind of its own, and then one day it just bursts out of you in this gruesome, bloody mess. When I first saw it when I was a kid, it didn’t occur to me that that’s basically what pregnancy is, but at six months pregnant, I’m like, ‘Oh, wow! That’s just a pregnancy story without the pregnancy.’ That was the seed right there.”
In just one hour, the author came up with the ideas for the story, then made sure they hadn’t been explored before by checking Rosemary’s Baby.
In addition to “Alien”, Stephen King, and books like The Handmaid’s Tale, several other works inspired Delicate Condition.
Valentine credits “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, led by Sarah Michelle Gellar, “and that idea of using horror as a metaphor for some of these bigger moments in your life.” In the book, Anna’s career as a teen actress kicked off after landing a role on a fictional show called “Spellbound” — inspired by “Buffy”.
“Silence of the Lambs” is another project that influenced the book.
“Much of the horror comes from this atmospheric creeping, this dread that keeps building,” Valentine told EW, referencing that Jodie Foster vehicle in the 1991 flick.
Like her book, “Alien” involves “a woman surrounded by men who don’t believe her,” Valentine added.
Aside from drawing inspiration from entertainment, the writer said there’s also the horror of reality, in which she recounted the “horrifying” 2022 Roe v. Wade landmark decision that legally guaranteed abortion access in the U.S.
“About a year before I came up with the idea for this book, I miscarried,” Valentine recalled. “That experience was very surreal and horrible and I think made me a little bit more aware as a woman of what it means to carry a child, how huge it is that we’re asking women to do that. We’re not being honest with them about the side effects and how it’s going to feel and how it’s going to change their bodies and their minds.
“My brain is different,” she stressed. “I know women say that, and I didn’t understand what they meant. I have anxiety that I didn’t have before. I feel like a different person, physically and mentally, just from having gone through this experience. It really bothers me when I hear particularly male lawmakers and male politicians talking about how women can go through pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption or what have you, and really not giving enough weight to what it is to experience pregnancy and how life-altering that experience is.”
Valentine noted that her later pregnancy “was about as typical as it possibly could have been,” but she still wanted to draw attention to not-so ideal experiences and feelings surrounding pregnancy, and “make it a metaphor, make it bigger, make it hyperbolic in the hopes that people who never are going to experience pregnancy, who have no desire to experience pregnancy, who haven’t experienced pregnancy yet will just feel it a little bit.”
While “American Horror Story” season 12 is currently filming in New York City, using Delicate Condition as its inspiration — marking the first time the popular FX horror has adapted a novel — Valentine is eager to see how the show will adapt her material.
Nonetheless, she couldn’t be more excited.
“I am such a fan of Ryan Murphy and that whole team that I just have utter faith that it’s going to be glorious,” Valentine gushed. “So it’s been really easy for me to feel entirely excited for that.
“It has been purely thrilling to watch it happen,” she added.
This is the first time one of Valentine’s books are being adapted for a screenplay. Two of her previous works, The Merciless and Survive the Night, were considered for Hollywood projects, however neither were seen through.
“American Horror Story” season 12’s cast includes Roberts, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Cara Delevingne, Kim Kardashian, and “AHS” veteran Zachary Quinto.
The Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since early May, is apparently in damage-control mode. According to a new report in The Hollywood Reporter, one of the most powerful showrunners in Hollywood, Ryan Murphy, recently threatened litigation against a union strike captain.
In order to understand what prompted the dust-up, it’s important to know that one of the WGA’s most powerful tools has been its ability to shut down TV shows by picketing productions. If even one person is picketing the entrance to a studio, Teamsters will almost always likely turn away instead of delivering important production equipment. At a time when there are virtually no scripted shows in production, Murphy has three in motion—American Horror Story, American Sports Story, and anthology American Horror Stories—which has made his projects have been a target. (Remember when AHS star Kim Kardashian caught flack for tweeting from the set during a writers strike?)
Warren Leight, an executive producer on Law & Order: SVU and strike captain for the guild’s East Coast branch, is one of the people leading the rapid response team that’s been targeting productions around the greater New York area. In late June, he tweeted that crewmembers on American Horror Story, which has been filming at Silvercup Studios, told him that they’d be “blackballed in Murphy-land” if they refused to cross the picket lines. A spokesperson for Murphy called the claims “categorically false,” and a lawyer representing him sent a letter to WGA East leadership threatening litigation against Leight, THR reports. Murphy’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Leight subsequently deleted the tweet, issued an apology, and reportedly forfeited his leadership roles within the WGA East. Vanity Fair reached out to Leight and a WGA East spokesperson for comment. Now, WGA East has apparently had to remind its leadership that they shouldn’t be going after fellow writers, but rather focusing on fighting the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers, with whom they’ve yet to agree on a new contract. “If we turn on each other, the AMPTP wins,” reads the WGA East memo, which THR obtained and published.
In the same memo, WGA East said it would continue to picket his shows and investigate any leads about members violating strike rules. Murphy’s shows are allowed to remain in production as long as they’re using scripts written before the strike, and Murphy can continue working in his capacity as a producer, but a source close to the Dahmer cocreator says he’s been staying away from set in an effort to adhere to strike protocols.
While some of her fans chimed in to ask about the upcoming season (“It’s gonna be gooooooodddd!!!! And scary!” she tweeted to one fan), her tweet did not go over well with everyone.
That was particularly true of those who realized that Kardashian had crossed a WGA picket line in order to film her scenes in the show, and she was immediately hit with backlash.
Answering her question of what he was doing while she’s on the set, Jesse McLaren — who’s written for the Oscars and the Emmys — was among the strikers to respond, writing, “Striking in support of my union.”
Kim, if you are going to cross a picket line. You might not want to broadcast it to the world. Your tweet is beyond cringe. If you didn’t get the memo, SAG-AFTA stands in solidarity with the WGA. pic.twitter.com/PCpZQ9rFjR
I’m on strike, serving as a WGA strike captain and lot coordinator at Amazon studios where today we held an Abortion Rights rally. I walked away from my job 53 days ago to fight for fair and equitable wages, and now I picket every day and age at a rapid rate in the sun.
— Rachel Lewis – WGA Captain (@eddie_rachel) June 23, 2023
Can you post a cute selfie with the call sheet (advance schedule facing the camera)?
— Shawn Wines WGA Captain (@shawnwines) June 23, 2023
Check out more responses to Kardashian’s ill-conceived tweet.
— Revolutionary Blackout Network (@RevBlackNetwork) June 23, 2023
Oh. You know. Standing up with our unions to fight for money to put food on our table. You know…? What us grunts have to do…? Hello? Is this thing on? #ReadTheRoom 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤬🤬🤬
The impact thatAmerican Horror Storyhas had on horror television is impressive. We’ve seen more series following the anthology format or committing to anthology style, allowing us to absorb a story without adding a lot of filler content. Even when anAHS season misses, it’s still enjoyable to watch for the performances, queerness, and horror alone—not to mention the amazing actors that are usually attached to the seasons, such as Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Emma Roberts.
Season 11 wrapped up in November and it’s much different than previous seasons. It’s still American Horror Story though, so it’s going on this list. Sorry not sorry my fellow AHS freaks.
Season 7: Cult
(FX)
Plot: “This season focuses on marginalization, which is set between 2016 and 2017 in the aftermath of 2016 U.S. Election in the fictitious city of Brookfield Heights, Michigan, and shows how a young man gives birth to a cult of women and men who try to terrorize this small city, killing and petrifying several citizens in a brutal way to take control over them.”
– FX
Season 7 is pretty scary when you take into account the hell that was the Trump presidency, at least for some folks (no need to get into who because it’s obvious). That’s why AHS: Cult is uncomfortable and hard to watch. To be honest, it occasionally steers into parody territory a little too much. Plus, some of the character decisions make no sense. But if you want a character to despise, Kai (Evan Peters) will properly disgust you. All in all, it’s a season that’s not as put together as it wants to be.
Season 10: Double Feature
(FX)
Plot: “The season is divided into two parts: Red Tide, which takes place “by the sea”, and Death Valley, which takes place “by the sand” “
– FX
I genuinely hate to have this so low on the list, but the blame can go to Part 2: Death Valley. If this season had been just Red Tide, it would’ve been phenomenal (even with the poor part 1 finale). I mean we got delightful AHS newcomers like Macaulay Culkin and Ryan Kiera Armstrong. Not to mention that there’s a certain essence infused into the first part of the season. But unfortunately, part 2 just doesn’t work and is sloppily written. It would’ve been cool if they stuck with 1 singular time period and had properly focused on it. Instead, we got the exact opposite of stable storytelling. What a shame all around and if Red Tide were its own season, it would be ranked much higher.
Season 8: Apocalypse
(FX)
Plot: “After the nuclear apocalypse, the world’s chosen elite survive in secure outposts created by the mysterious Cooperative. On the American West Coast, Ms. Wilhemina Venable (Sarah Paulson) and Ms. Miriam Mead (Kathy Bates) run Outpost Three with an iron fist. The unexpected arrival of Michael Langdon (Cody Fern) , a Cooperative representative determined to save society with a secret paradise, throws their order into chaos. However, underneath the surface of humanity’s salvation lies a battlefield for the final conflict between good and evil.”
– FX
Despite the exciting nature of the crossover with Murder House, Coven, and Hotel, the season is really uneven in its writing. There’s too much going on and the time travel that happens sort of ruins things. As much as there are good performances from the AHS veterans and newcomers (especially Cody Fern), it doesn’t distract from where the season goes wrong. There are the unnecessary losers that help bring forth the apocalypse, the unbalanced focus on certain timelines, certain annoying characters (see Dinah Stevens ect), and all the other tidbits that don’t work. But on a positive note, it’s so deliciously dark, moody (at least during the post-apocalypse), and scary.
Season 5: Hotel
(FX)
Plot: “The plot centers around the mysterious Hotel Cortez in Los Angeles, California that catches the eye of an intrepid homicide detective (Bentley). “
– FX
Trigger warning: Mention of rape
Horror being set primarily in a singular building is usually a lot of fun, which is part of the allure of Hotel because there’s obviously a lot of inspiration being drawn from elsewhere. Add Lady Gaga as The Countess and you have a lot of glamour. This season is extremely dark in its events (James Patrick March contributed heavily) and tone. Not that any season of AHS is light and fluttery. It’s just that in the first episode alone there’s a rape scene involving a gay man. Aside from that horrible scene, the writing for this season involved a lot of twists. It served for a lot of entertainment and shock, even if it’s not your cup of tea. Also, who doesn’t love seeing queer characters and actors getting their shine? And the chemistry with the actors? Chef’s kiss.
Season 9: 1984
(FX)
Plot: “In the summer of 1984, five friends escape Los Angeles to work as counselors at Camp Redwood. As they adjust to their new jobs, they quickly learn that the only thing scarier than campfire tales is the past coming to haunt you.”
– FX
There’s no question that this season has way too many twists (even by AHS standards). But it’s a fucking blast if you take out the Richard Ramirez (Zach Villa) bits. When you ignore the poor writing, it does what it sets out to do: it pays homage to the slasher genre. Maybe that’s something that people have been missing when discussing this season. It’s meant to be schlocky and wild because most classic slashers were. We also got amazing final girls in Brooke (Emma Roberts) and Donna (Angelica Ross) and a bitchin’ (see what I did there?) soundtrack.
Season 4: Freak Show
(FX)
Plot: “This season is mainly set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their struggle for survival.”
– FX
Believe it or not, freak shows did exist at one point in time. Therefore, the premise of this season isn’t far-fetched. Of course Twisty (John Carroll Lynch) is an outrageous character and that’s just classic AHS. Yet he does work as a brief serial killer character, until Dandy (Finn Wittrock) takes his place. This season isn’t appreciated as much, even though it’s one of the most ambitious. There’s an array of actors that would be considered “freaks” in real life, allowing for authenticity. They aren’t reduced to being grotesque or pathetic. Instead, these characters understand they’re different and aren’t trying to be “normal,” and the overall plot is consistent from start to finish. With iconic musical performance scenes from Jessica Lange and others, overall the season does work, even with its little blips!
Season 11: NYC
(FX)
Plot: “The eleventh season, NYC, takes place in 1980’s New York City, andfocuses on a string of killings involving gay men, as well as the emergence of a new virus.”
– FX
The seriousness of this season made the horror all the more intense. NYC doesn’t play games with its audience. It has a message it wants to share, and it will make you hear it. If you’ve ever seen William Friedkin’s infamous film, Cruising (1980) then you’ll recognize how inspired this season is by it. The performances throughout the season are top tier, especially from AHS newbies Russell Tovey and Joe Mantello. Overall I can’t call this season a blast because it’s gritty and an accurate depiction of the AIDs crisis and how the community was treated. There’s a lot of tension and you’re not going to be smiling too much.
Season 6: Roanoke
(FX)
Plot: “After a disturbing incident, a young couple (Lily Rabe and André Holland) move into a seemingly perfect home built in the 18th century in the woods of North Carolina. However, the building turns out to be in close proximity to the site of the legendary Lost Colony’s disappearance, and as horrific supernatural events occur at the house, the couple start to sense something dark underneath the facade.”
– FX
Roanoke is so underrated it’s ridiculous! Not only does it do something immensely different from the previous seasons, but there’s almost no humor, which leaves us stuck in the scary moments that never seem to stop. Not even during the second half when shit hits the fan, with actors and the folks they’re portraying dying left and right. In all honesty it’s one of the scariest seasons of the show, with some of the most d i s t u r b i n g death scenes (and scenes in general), between ghost!witch sex and cannibalistic hillbillies. Turn the lights off and watch this season in a very quiet room, then try not to be scared. You’ll fail.
Season 1: Murder House
(FX)
Plot: “It centers on the Harmon family: Dr. Ben Harmon, Vivien, and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair. They move into a restored mansion, unaware that the ghosts of its former residents and their victims haunt the house.”
– FX
We would have nothing without Murder House and its massive success for the network. I wouldn’t call this season basic because there’s certainly a lot of disturbing events, from the nature of Vivien (Connie Britton)’s pregnancy to the appearance of some of the ghosts to Violet (Taissa Farmiga)’s ultimate fate. But ghosts being trapped in a house isn’t too intense, which makes it easy to absorb during a first watch if you’re easily scared. The writing focuses a lot on the mysterious nature of the house and what may be coming in terms of Vivien’s pregnancy. And that helps a lot for when some episodes feel a bit meh. All in all, this season focuses on a straight white family and how horrible Ben Harmon is. But take away the stereotypical drama and this season is really good.
Season 2: Asylum
(FX)
Plot: “The season begins in 1964 at the fictional mental institution Briarcliff Manor, following the stories of the staff and inmates who occupy it and intercuts with events in the past and present. Returning cast members from the previous season of the series include: Zachary Quinto, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Jessica Lange, Dylan McDermott, and Frances Conroy, along with new cast members Joseph Fiennes, Lizzie Brocheré, and James Cromwell.
– FX
TW: Mentions of rape, conversion therapy ect
This is still one of the darkest seasons of the show, with almost no reprieve from the sinister things happening. Poor Lana (Sarah Paulson) Winters goes through unimaginable things like shock and conversion therapy, rape that results in pregnancy (in which she fails to abort), and being held against her will by the asylum. Then the Black characters are either nonexistent or they suffer. And the overall religious aspects/characters make it very hard to watch (at least for me). However, thanks to the performances and the plot’s twists and turns, this is still one of the best seasons.
Season 3: Coven
(FX)
Go ahead, throw your rotten fruit at me. At the end of the day, Coven is fucking iconic and features some of the most memorable moments across the entire series. Even though there needed to be more Black characters in the Miss Robichaux’s Academy (I mean, c’mon, it’s New Orleans!), it’s a phenomenal season. All the performances hit the spot and watching racists and rapists get what they deserve is always a fun time (not sorry). Almost anything involving powerful witches is great, and watching Fiona (Jessica Lange) and Marie (Angela Bassett) be bad bitches all season is always satisfying. All the performances are stellar from Lange, Bassett, Paulson, Bates, and Conroy, to younger actors like Emma Roberts and Gabourey Sidibe. They all lend something to the season, which focuses on inclusive feminism and racial trauma.
