American Horror Story

The premise of this show about a troubled family looking for a fresh start in a house that turns out to be haunted caught my attention right away. I always try to keep the number of new shows I want to check out to a minimum because I watch too many as is, but this one just sounded too intriguing not to take a peak.

The producers are the guy who produced Nip/Tuck, which I never watched but heard great things about, and Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee, which I also don’t watch, but from what I hear is pretty brilliant, and this show promised to have a dark and weird tone, unlike Glee. Furthermore, I read that the gorgeous Dylan McDermott was starring and, since I’ve always found him incredibly attractive, I decided to tune in for the pilot.

Needless to say, I was hooked right away by the intriguing story, the dark and moody ambience, the great direction, cinematography, makeup, visual effects, art direction, and twisty scripts, and the terrific Jessica Lange, among a fantastic acting cast.

Naturally, this show isn’t for everybody. First, you have to accept that what you see is quite often not what you think. Second, it’s not for the squeamish, as some scenes can be pretty gory and/or scary. But if you fit the bill, then you won’t be disappointed.

My opinion of the show was already pretty high, and then I just read an article on EW in which Ryan Murphy explains how he envisioned the show with each season as a standalone, rather than an ongoing serialized drama. By that he means that some of the people we saw in season 1 will be back, but others will not, and season 2 will take place somewhere else. The haunted locale will always change, and so will some of the actors/characters.

I find that fascinating and refreshing, first, because you can rest assured that you’ll quickly get closure and will not be left hanging for a year by a cliffhanger season finale like TV shows generally do these days. Second, because oftentimes shows that run for years tend to have weak seasons here and there caused by overextended arches and storylines. With a story limited to about 10 episodes, the payback comes much more quickly for the audience.

Naturally, I’ll be sad not to see Jessica Lange return, since she was pitch perfect and a pleasure to watch, as were Frances Conroy, Connie Britton, Denis O’Hare, Evan Peters, Taissa Farmiga, and Lily Rabe. And last, but definitely not least, I’ll miss Dylan…

Check out this show if you like oddball mysteries with a touch of otherworldliness and a lot of darkness. I, for one, can’t wait for season 2!!

Grade – Season 1: 8