In 2021, a new show was released from the minds behindAmerican Horror Story(2011-) andAmerican Crime Story(2016-). The show would be a direct spin-off of the former and would also serve as the third installment in theAmerican Storyanthology franchise created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. ThusAmerican Horror Storieswas spawned as a self-contained anthology series in which each episode told its own story without needing a “season-long story arc as featured inAmerican Horror Story.”
The first season consisted of seven episodes, some of which tied back into theoriginalAmerican Horror Story,with the two premiere episodes and final of the season harkening back to “Murder House,” the iconic location of season 1. OtherAmerican Horror Storiesepisodes dealt with “a banned movie that causes its viewers to kill themselves, a killer Santa, a woman who would do anything to get pregnant, and a nightmare camp trip.”
While the first season had its fair share of terror, season 2 seems to be dialing it up a notch and throwing in some familiar faces to the mix. Classic Ryan Murphy!
AHS Season 2: The Stories
While there isn’t much known about the episodes specifically, there are some details that have been released about the newest additions toAmerican Horror Stories.For one, the titles of the eight episodes have been released:
The plots will be similar to the first season in that they will be contained in each episode. The franchise has worked hard to keep most of the details about each story a mystery for viewers to be surprised and blindsided by the horrors.
AHS Season 2: The Cast & Crew
Some ofthe cast of this newest seasonare faces that fans of Murphy’sAmerican Storyuniverse will recognize, including Cody Fern (AHS,2018-), Max Greenfield (AHS,2015), Nico Greetham (AHS,2021), Denis O’Hare (AHS,2011-), and Gabourey Sidibe (AHS,2013-). There are also a couple newcomers making their debut in the world ofAmerican Horror Stories. These newbiesinclude Alicia Silverstone(Senior Year,2022), Dominique Jackson (Pose,2018-2021), Bella Thorne (Paradise City,2021-), Judith Light (Tick,Tick…Boom!,2021), and Quvenzhané Wallis (Swagger, 2021).
Related:American Horror Story: What Order You Should Watch Each AHS Season
O’Hare is one of the most notable of the second season’s cast as he has appeared in six seasons ofAmerican Horror Storyall the way from the initial season. Fern “made his debut in the franchise in the eighth season” and has appeared in every season since the first season ofAmerican Horror Stories. While that is all the cast that has been confirmed, everyone who is familiar with Murphy knows he likes to bring back characters as well as cast members. But fans will just have to wait and see. The second season of the series was also created by Murphy and Falchuk. Several of the episodes, including “Dollhouse,” “Necro,” and “Drive,” were written by Manny Coto, who had a hand in writing and directing several of the episodes inseason 1 ofAmerican Horror Stories.
Crystal Liu and Angela L. Harvey also lent their writing talents to the second season. Liu was recruited by Falchuk and Murphy as a script supervisor from their pilot ofAmerican Horror Storyand into the third season. She then was promoted to staff writer for the fourth season before becoming the story editor during the fifth season. Harvey worked previously onTeen Wolfon MTV from 2013-2014 as a staff writer, to story editor in 2015, and then executive story editor from 2016-2017.
The season is executive produced by Murphy, Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall (9-1-1,2018-), John J. Gray (9-1-1: Lone Star,2020-), and Manny Coto. Not much is known about who will be directing the episodes yet.
Related:American Horror Story: Best Performances in the Series, Ranked
Release Date
The upcoming season hits FX on Hulu on August 07, 2025.
Everything Else
While many have felt that the first season of the spin-off left much to be desired, that didn’t stop viewers from tuning in. According toDeadline, “American Horror Storiesmarked the most successful launch of any FX on Hulu series to date.”The show probably has its anthology-based theme to thank for its high ratings. It’s not like a standard show, where the viewer watches the first episode and can discern whether or not they want to continue with the rest. With this show, every episode is new and a chance to start a different story from a different viewpoint.
These spine-chilling plot-lines mixed with camp visuals and taken from legend and lore make for an interesting mix that always seems to attract viewers.
