Never fear: “American Horror Story” will be returning next fall.
After a monster ratings debut for latest installment “Freak Show” – which broke all FX records in its Wednesday night premiere with 10 million Total Viewers, 6.54 million Adults 18-49, and 4.08 million Adults 18-34 – the network has officially renewed the Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck-created series for a 13-episode fifth season set to premiere next October.
“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,” said FX CEO John Landgraf 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. 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.”
In addition to setting records for both the series and the network overall, “Freak Show” also saw a big ratings jump year-over-year, topping the “Coven” opener by nearly 3 total million viewers (10 million vs. 7.27 million) and over a million viewers in Adults 18-49 (6.54 million vs. 5.07 million) and Adults 18-34 (4.08 million vs. 2.92 million). Since its 2011 launch, the show has grown 148% in total viewers, 119% in Adults 18-49 and 127% in Adults 18-34.
The network recently announced an “AHS” true-crime companion series, “American Crime Story,” the first season of which will focus on the O.J. Simpson trial.
Starring Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Michael Chiklis, Angela Bassett, Emma Roberts, Evan Peters, Denis O'Hare, Frances Conroy, Finn Wittrock, Gabourey Sidibe, Wes Bentley, Grace Gummer and Naomi Grossman, “American Horror Story: Freak Show” centers on the cast of one of the nation's few remaining “freak shows” in Jupiter, Florida circa 1952.
Did you watch Wednesday night's premiere? If so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments.