Good news for people who enjoy extra kink in their televised horror series: FX renewed “American Horror Story” yesterday after only four episodes. Ooohhh, it happened on Halloween! Spoooooky renewwwwwwwalllll!!!
The series, created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, has received a 13-episode second-season order. “It’s one thing to have the ambition and guts to reinvent a genre in a way that makes it captivatingly fresh for a broad audience — it’s something else entirely to have the craft to back that ambition up,” said FX president John Landgraf…
The series premiere of 20th TV-produced AHS delivered 3.14 million adults 18-49 and 1.77 million adults 18-34 in Live+7 to rank as FX’s highest-rated series debut in those demos… AHS, whose first season ends on December 21, is currently tracking to become the highest-rated first season of any series ever on FX. [Deadline]
“American Horror Story” is certainly eye-catching, but it hasn’t reinvented the genre. Not unless you count finding new ways to keep the family living in the house that’s trying to kill them. In that regard, I’d be interested in seeing how they keep the Harmons living in the same house for another season. “We CAN’T move! All of our money is tied up in the kitchen remodeling and basement exorcism projects!”
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This show is stupid. I don’t care for any characters, every plot ends are lose.
And as you mention Matt, it is just ridiculous that they still live in the house.
It’s full of creeps that visit unannouced, your wife was raped by a gimp, she and your daughter were nearly murdered, it makes you bang the mother from Six Feet Under, Russell from True Blood is extorting money from you, and now there’s your zombie ex-mistress knocking at the door… just sell it for 2 cents on the dollar and go live in a small non-murdering 2 bedrooms appartment FFS!!!
I honestly hate this show. So the dude who makes it is a perfect score of hate for all his TV shows from me. Way to be consistent.
And yet they cancelled Terriers!! What is this world coming to…. (Yes, I know Terriers’ ratings were crap, but it was a much better show than AHS. I don’t blame Landgraf as much as I blame the Nielsen families — those people are idiots.)
This is one of my favorite shows and I’m glad it got picked up. When so many great shows aren’t getting picked up it’s always a dangerous proposition to get involved with a new show. I’m glad I can at least enjoy a second season. I’m not sure what they will be able to do for a second season as the concept seems to be better suited for a short story. Personally, I think they should have a new family each season move into the house, but I doubt they do that.
To those that complain that it’s stupid they just stay in the house: Of course it is. That’s a trope of the genre. Have you never seen a scary movie? People never do things they are supposed to. I will say, the show has explained why they have to stay better than most others I’ve seen. Most other stories just use the characters stupidity and stubbornness to explain why they stay. They make leaving the house a major plot point.
It is a weird show, and because of that it is extremely polarizing. Most people hated Twin Peaks, LOST, Arrested Development, etc.. But it is hard to ignore how influential those shows have been on TV, and I feel similarly about AHS.
“It is badly written because most horror movies are badly written” doesn’t make this show’s writing any good in my book.
Also I’m pretty sure (checks ratings) most people liked Lost , and most people didn’t know what Twin Peaks and Arrested Development was.
But hey, AHS is still a million times better than Once Upon a Time.
@MC Hamme : You’re so right, bring back Terriers!
If you think LOST was liked by the majority of tv watching people you’re wrong. Was it ever in danger of being cancelled? No, but those that actively disliked it far outnumber the fans of it. Why? Because it got weird and heavy on the mythology. Those are why I and many loved it, but it’s accurate to say it wasn’t a huge ratings winner by the time it ended. Also, I wasn’t trying to say AHS is as good as LOST or those other shows, just that it’s weird, unconventional storytelling is polarizing.
Also, why did you quote the “it is badly written because most horror movies are badly written?” That’s not what I or anyone else said. Using a trope isn’t shorthand for “bad writing.” You may think it’s bad writing, and I’ll never argue it is the best writing on tv–what horror story is considered good writing?–but using the example of them staying in the house is a poor choice to prove that point. Or, you are actually just saying you don’t like the “haunted house” sub-genre of the horror storytelling, instead of commenting on the merits of this individual show. I haven’t heard too many specific points of the show and I know the writer of this blog only watched the pilot episode, which I’m guessing is similar to the others criticizing the show.
For what this show is trying to be and do, I think it is succeeding and is fun to watch. If it can continue as such, I don’t know. I may grow to hate it, but for now it has been worthy of some praise.