With Lady Gaga and Matt Bomer confirmed for American Horror Story: Hotel but series Jessica Lange not set to return for the new season on FX in October, it's finally time to check out and move on.
Credit: FOX
When American Horror Story first appeared on our screens, it was dark and edgy and a refreshing take on a TV horror series with a tongue-in-cheek twist. The strength of the show was, in part, down to the stellar cast with Lange leading the way, immersing herself in an array of tragically flawed leads that had you rooting for them no matter how murderous or ridiculous they first seemed.
It was around AHS: Coven when the show took a turn for me. It felt as though AHS creator Ryan Murphy, also responsible for hit shows like Nip/Tuck and Glee, was taking AHS down a route that began to see, well, a bit ridiculous. The darkness had been lost and instead 'style over substance' had taken root that felt jarring and misplaced. The characters had fallen into stereotypes that, at times, felt absurd and by the time Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks made her guest appearance, my attention had almost completely waned.
With Freak Show on the horizon, it felt as though Murphy would be able to explore darker ground again. However, the overriding aspect of AHS: Freak Show was the singing. The God damned singing. It just wasn't needed yet it felt as though Murphy was shoehorning in elements of Glee. Furthermore, if Murphy was so keen to have the musical element included, then he could have at least chosen songs from the era in which it was set, or perhaps re-imagined the songs so they sound less modern. Despite my negativity though, it has to be mentioned that Finn Wittock did an incredible job with the character Dandy Mott - one of the best characters on the show this past year.
Now we have Lady Gaga and Glee's Matt Bomer confirmed, I have fully checked out. Personally, this feels like Murphy has fully invested in the 'style over substance' element of AHS. Lady Gaga's announcement she would be a series regular with Bomer in tow marks a bit of a reset in terms of the AHS world. Fans were getting tiresome of the usual twists and turns in the last two seasons so it feels like a fresh start.
However, Gaga and Bomer don't fill me with any excitement or hope. Paulson, Lange and Lily Rabe (who was used badly in Coven and sorely underused in Freak Show) are capable actors who bring an atmosphere and weight to every scene they're in, they were the show's saving grace. In a media crazed world where empty pop culture rules, Lange's exit and these two new casting announcements make me feel as though I'll be watching a series more akin to something I should be watching on the E! network rather than a serious drama. Plus the cynic in me feels like these announcements are to reel in some new fans and Gaga die hards. I'm not convinced.
With brilliant horror TV shows like Hannibal now into its third season, there's no need to watch the horror-lite mess that has become American Horror Story.
I'm sure the next season will have its fans, in fact, it'll have even more fans with Gaga in the mix but I'm checking out and moving on. Thanks American Horror Story, it was good (sort of) while it lasted.
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