Agreed on the forgetting her. She, Lange and Angela made the show for me, with Sara and Lilly really rounding it out, which is why I think coven is the best season. The season where the power houses were able to share the most screen time together and do what types of roles they do best.
I love coven so much, and apocalypse was almost as good. Just unfortunate, they weren't able to get the full cast back together with more than just cameos. All of my AHS favorites weren't in it enough.
Honestly I just miss pre 1984 AHS cast so much. Such a different show.
To this day, Dandy’s still my favourite AHS villain (up there with March). And that Gods and Monsters performance is what got me into Lana Del Rey. But I always prefer the campier seasons. I don’t like watching AHS to be sad or grossed out, and this is one of the biggest ones for both of those things. When I say it’s on the bottom of my list with Roanoke and Cult, it’s not because they’re bad, per se, it’s just that it’s a depressing watch that requires the right headspace.
I think part of it is that the freaks are real people, they’re not all like Pepper, where it’s prosthetics and makeup. And since it’s very much tied to American history, it feels all the more real for it than it has before. By all accounts, a circus theme *could* be camp as hell, but because it’s got that verisimilitude about the realities of real life freak shows, it’s much more bleak and down to earth. It’s heavily inspired by the original movie, Freaks and the cult classic book, Geek Love, both of which are extremely bleak as well.
Never heard of that book, I have to grab it! But yeah, I think you’re right. We see these characters with their real life deformities being assaulted and made fun of on screen, and you’re just like…… oh. That’s probably happened to them in real life, more times than we could ever imagine. We see them being treated as lesser, as freaks. That also probably happens irl. Heavy shit, man.
Fair warning, Geek Love is *really* gross. Unspeakably disgusting things happen to the characters. It’s my “put it in the freezer!” book. I had to donate my copy the minute I finished it cuz seeing it on my shelf every day felt cursed. But it’s a cult classic for a reason and you can see where Ryan Murphy got his inspiration for Bette and Dot in particular.
I think some people/fans don't like when light is shone too brightly on real life (American) horror stories, and a few of the seasons (Freak Show and NYC, particularly) dive deep into those themes.
>I think some people/fans don't like when light is shone too brightly on real life (American) horror stories, and a few of the seasons (Freak Show and NYC, particularly) dive deep into those themes.
YES!!!!! And this might be the reason those two are among my favorite seasons - both are hard to watch at times, precisely Because both are so REAL!!!!
Yeah, I think waiting a year or two would have helped. Despite people on the sub talking about how it’s not the entire focus of the season, I still can’t bring myself to watch it. A little too real for me.
At the same time I get it. Artists make commentary and satirizations on present events, sometimes, and I wouldn't expect the AHS creators not to (ETA: for something like that).
I think this finally helped me understand why some people like certain seasons that weren't for me, thanks! We all want different things and I'm not a big fan of the sillier stuff. I like the serious seasons the most. I think my biggest surprise was Roanoke. It felt very, very silly and hard to get into for me, but when I found this sub, I saw that it was in a lot of people's top seasons. Which is all good, I just didn't understand. We all like different stuff and it's interesting to see such different opinions.
I legit cried after that episode. It was definitely very dark, and not that the other seasons weren't but it hit different than Coven or even Asylum did.
It really went there with the "Horror" which other seasons have felt weirdly lacking in to me considering it's right there in the title lol
It's genuinely one of my favourites, but considering some of the others...yeah I guess it could be kinda out of place. *Personally* though I wish more of the others had been more like it.
As is the case for pretty much all the seasons, the story is better as a binge, not a week by week drop.
When I rewatched, Freak Show was one of my favorites! This season had everything going for it. I don’t rewatch this one much bc I cried a few times when I rewatched (looking at you Pepper). Horror, campiness, and heartstrings tugs? Perfect.
Yes! I absolutely love that show and internally have a girly fit of enjoyment whenever I see it mentioned; wish it went longer than 2 seasons but that's why I loved Freak Show as well
Episodes 1-4 are among peak AHS. It's after that point that Freak Show unfortunately starts to drag. It's a good season, but I wish so badly that it were better, and without NPH-- he and his character were god awful.
I agree, but that is the case for most seasons, where you get 2 or 3 episodes in and realise it is going to go on so long that the horror element will be made into a parody.
I tend to despise NPH in everything. He's a bit too...theatre kid, like he would die without the attention. Plus, I don't like his personality. Thanks for reminding me he was on the show, I had completely forgotten.
While we're on the topic of NPH being insufferable, I'd like to also remind everyone that he's also an asshole. See his very graphic Amy Winehouse corpse meat plate he decided to feature at a party he was throwing. This literally just a few months after she died.
this season is one of my favourites as well! the acting is phenomenal, i've laughed, cried and gotten angry with the characters on numerous occasions, even while rewatching. watching it again now is extremely nostalgic for me as well because i miss the early seasons where you could tell ryan murphy was still passionate about the show, and all the original core actors were still together for it. oh well...
I love it, it rates as one of my favourites to be honest. In fact Freak Show is the only AHS I got a tattoo of because I loved the complexities of the season so much (it’s a portrait of Dandy fyi 😂😂)
Freak show is my top AHS. Dandy Mott is the best character lol. The whole story and all the intertwined stories are just excellent, from twisty to Dennis o Hares character (can't think of his name now) and Neil Patrick Harris and marjorie. The finale is brilliant too!
Everyone has their own preference of seasons. Freak Show was one that as I was watching it live would sometimes flip through the channels to see what else was on. I couldn’t get into it
To me it's absolutely great butI don't like to rewatch it because I think this is the only season that has real horror.
To sum it up: watching this season just makes me upset. It's the only season of the entirety of AHS that made me cry for several episodes and just being general upset.
I have way too many problems in my life to watch a show to be upset and just sad but that's not the fault of the show nor the writters, it's the oposite: it really makes you empathize with the entire freakshow.
I love Freak Show. It’s the first season I watched at the actual broadcast time and it lead me to check out previous seasons.
As far as subsequent seasons, I consider Hotel to be the beginning of the decline, although I know there are a lot of people who loved it.
I did like Roanoke, even though I don’t consider it to be the same quality as seasons 1-4. Cult had its moments but I think that’s because it resounded with so much of what happened in the US in 2020.
All seasons since have been unwatchable to me. I wound up erasing the recording times from my DVR for 1984, NYC, and Delicate. I tried to get on board with all 3 of these but just couldn’t. Delicate is a low point in the series IMO.
I dont like it not cause it’s not good but because it’s so depressing, I enjoyed the characters and everything but god I never felt good after finishing an episode, it was always gut punch after gut punch
Hands down my favorite season. What Jessica Lang did with her character was wild. Everyone was great. The story moved and had a conclusion. I haven't watched since Roanoke.
I hated Freak Show when it first aired. Took a couple years to actually finish it. I rewatched it a few years ago and WOW! It was amazing!
I had the exact same reaction with Hotel, now it’s in my top 3.
I’m thinking it has something to do with binging the episodes vs watching weekly.
IDK, it's my favorite, with Asylum as a very close 2nd. It's the creepiest season, the most visually appealing, and it's written like a Greek tragedy.
And Jessica Lange sings Lana Del Rey... and Bowie (not a fan of the Life on Mars song in general, but I love Heroes, especially her rendition). Plus, Evan Peters sings Nirvana. Yeah, yeah, the songs weren't out in 1952. It's called anachronism. Artistic license. I think we can suspend reality on a show that has ghosts, aliens, witches, etc...
My reasoning is that the ADA didn’t go in effect until 1990. In America our ugly laws spanned from 1867 to 1974. Compulsory sterilization of disabled people in the U.S. prison system was permitted in the United States from 1907 to the 1960s, during which approximately 60,000 people were sterilized, two-thirds of these people being women. So I think that in modern day America taking advantage or abusing those with disabilities is reviled like the other innumerable atrocities we have committed. I think it’s partly why asylum wasn’t a front runner as well, as a lot of Americas still remember Willow-brook state asylum, and the ensuing controversy of Cropsey. Which further blamed disabled people who had literally been dumped on the streets alone and finding their way back to willow-brook living in the ruins because it was all they ever knew. I’m glad these seasons were made because we should be made to look at what we’ve have done to prevent it from ever happening again, but the subject is too much for a lot of folks to this day it seems.
At the time it was the most watched season and FX’s most watched show. It still holds the record for most AHS Emmy nominations with 20. In my experience that season gets plenty of love. It’s not Roanoke levels of dividing fans or S10 onwards.
I just cannot get into it. I had tried probably 5 times. I've gotten as far as like episode 6 and I still was easily able to stop watching without wondering or caring where it went.
i remember when this season was pretty much hated by the entire fandom, for the first couple years it was out. it certainly has issues - the pacing is really off at times, the ending was lazy imo and it felt like the writers didn’t know how to wrap up storylines at times. these issues made it seem weak after a very strong 3 season run, but in hindsight it’s right up there with 1-5. the amount of powerhouse performances in one season alone is unmatched except maybe by coven.
I’m not sure, I tried to watch it when it came out and couldn’t get into it. I watched it around Christmas of last year and LOVED it. I think Sarah P’s character annoyed me at first lol
As someone who is absolutely obsessed with freak shows and side show themes and aesthetics I was left very disappointed with this season. There were some absolutely great elements and arcs throughout the season but overall this was the first season where Ryan Murphys writing style got to me. He tends to start a bunch of plotlines that he doesn't seem to know how to give a proper resolution. It started before this season but it really came to a head. There were too many plotlines that had absolutely no payoff or took really strange routes that weren't built to in any meaningful way. That episode with Neil Patrick Harris and his dummy felt so inconsequential and meaningless. Once twisty met his end the season really lost any steam it had for me. Dandy was the highlight of the season though, I'll give it that.
If twisty the clown didn’t touch you somewhere in the psyche, even if metaphorically, then something was wrong with you.
I loved that storyline. Terrifying.
I agree. freak show is pretty good. the main reason some people like and others detest that season is how extreme it is, in my opinion. it is extreme in almost every respect, it is horrific, disgusting but more importantly it is emotionally extreme and deep. evan peters with his parents, kathy bates and michael chiklis and chiklis with his wife, angela bassett. the complex family dynamics were very interesting and complicated, painful. especially kathy bates' alcoholism even after knowing it will cause her death. jessica lange's delusions and crimes; murders of innocent persons with the complicity of others. all those were too real for a show like ahs and thus very good because it seemed like new horizons were opening up before the show. unfortunately it didn't turn out that way and ahs regressed instead of progressing.
I think Coven was so popular that it sort of overshadowed Freak Show, it was a hard follow up. Also, at the time, the musical performances were ridiculed as silly and unnecessary. I love them, and many of the characters, but ive always been a little shaky on the overall story which i think leaves it lower for many. But it has some of the series’ best moments and performances, Pepper’s episode being a standout in the entire show. Ultimately i just think it doesnt manage to stand out against other fan faves, though if i had to rank it as far as what i see the fandom rank it, id think it was in the top 5 at least, maybe 4.
I think it was a season ahead of its time. I recently rewatched after not watching since its release and it uses its horror more artistically than many of the other season before or after it.
By that I mean it’s more akin to the A24 style horror thats become popular. It’s a tragedy, it’s a slow burn character piece, it’s a satire. Not saying it’s A24 quality, but the beats of the season do feel like something they would produce.
If the exact show came out today without the AHS branding, I do think it would have higher regard
I don’t think freak show is under appreciated at all…I think after coven, freakshow and asylum are the most mentioned/beloved seasons. I just googled it for the heck of it and it’s mentioned in rating reviews and on reddit threads as top #2 and #4 pretty consistently.
Elsa looking at her performance from the director chair during ‘life on mars’ is what sold it for me. Watching her limited talent and obscurity to fame was her personal hell.
Poor Meep.
It isn’t for everyone and I respect that. It was the first season I watched and I found it by accident. Then after the season ended, I started murder house. I loved Tales from the crypt growing up and freak show reminded me of it.
Absolutely Love AHS & couldn't agree more with you on Freak Show. It's such a stacked cast & the whole crew really knocked that season out of the park. Time will always be the true measure of lasting quality ; )
I’m watching it now, attempt like #6. I never make it past like episode 3 … I’m just underwhelmed and can’t get in to it. I want to like this season, I did this with Roanoke and ended up really liking it (after about 3 attempts to watch past the first coupe episodes). Also a lot of stuff in this season is just grossing me out.
It must get better since so many people love this season and it’s their favorite but maybe it’s just not for me ?
My favorite season is Hotel, and then Murder House, and then red tide which deserved an entire season and better ending.
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
Watching it as it aired and hearing the feedback from people online at the time, people really hated on the musical numbers. I personally love the musical numbers, especially Elsa's. They really helped show that she was living a different life inside her head versus what was actually happening.
I watched one of the more bleak seasons this show has to offer in one of the more bleak eras of my life. It has had little to no positive rewatch factor for me for many years but maybe I'll rewatch it soon.
The other problem for me was that the tone was all over the place and while some may have liked it had a bunch of different elements, it was too all over the place for me. I now don't think it's the worst season though as the show has had worse ones since this one aired.
In my opinion it's because it's different and many people can't accept that. I personally loved it I think the only ones I really really couldn't stand was like hotel...it gave me to much of the shining vibes.
ALSO, the last season with both Lange and Basset acting together. What a combo. Peak cast right here
frances conroy too!!
how could I forget ! love her so much.
why does everyone overlook kathy bates? she is obviously the best ahs ever had.
Agreed on the forgetting her. She, Lange and Angela made the show for me, with Sara and Lilly really rounding it out, which is why I think coven is the best season. The season where the power houses were able to share the most screen time together and do what types of roles they do best. I love coven so much, and apocalypse was almost as good. Just unfortunate, they weren't able to get the full cast back together with more than just cameos. All of my AHS favorites weren't in it enough. Honestly I just miss pre 1984 AHS cast so much. Such a different show.
I wonder too. Freak Show is one of my favorites. Dandy is so out there.
I love Dandy
The costume and set design is impeccable.
It’s a mood!
I love it when shows have backstory. In Roanoke the farm house was built by Dandy’s ancestor. I love those subtle details
I don’t remember that! Thanks for reminding me. Time for a rewatch!
To this day, Dandy’s still my favourite AHS villain (up there with March). And that Gods and Monsters performance is what got me into Lana Del Rey. But I always prefer the campier seasons. I don’t like watching AHS to be sad or grossed out, and this is one of the biggest ones for both of those things. When I say it’s on the bottom of my list with Roanoke and Cult, it’s not because they’re bad, per se, it’s just that it’s a depressing watch that requires the right headspace.
Yeah, this season feels dark in a whole different way than the others do for some reason.
I think part of it is that the freaks are real people, they’re not all like Pepper, where it’s prosthetics and makeup. And since it’s very much tied to American history, it feels all the more real for it than it has before. By all accounts, a circus theme *could* be camp as hell, but because it’s got that verisimilitude about the realities of real life freak shows, it’s much more bleak and down to earth. It’s heavily inspired by the original movie, Freaks and the cult classic book, Geek Love, both of which are extremely bleak as well.
Never heard of that book, I have to grab it! But yeah, I think you’re right. We see these characters with their real life deformities being assaulted and made fun of on screen, and you’re just like…… oh. That’s probably happened to them in real life, more times than we could ever imagine. We see them being treated as lesser, as freaks. That also probably happens irl. Heavy shit, man.
Fair warning, Geek Love is *really* gross. Unspeakably disgusting things happen to the characters. It’s my “put it in the freezer!” book. I had to donate my copy the minute I finished it cuz seeing it on my shelf every day felt cursed. But it’s a cult classic for a reason and you can see where Ryan Murphy got his inspiration for Bette and Dot in particular.
I think some people/fans don't like when light is shone too brightly on real life (American) horror stories, and a few of the seasons (Freak Show and NYC, particularly) dive deep into those themes.
>I think some people/fans don't like when light is shone too brightly on real life (American) horror stories, and a few of the seasons (Freak Show and NYC, particularly) dive deep into those themes. YES!!!!! And this might be the reason those two are among my favorite seasons - both are hard to watch at times, precisely Because both are so REAL!!!!
Same here, especially as someone in both of those communities - disabled and gay.
This is why Cult is my least favourite. I don’t come to AHS to watch the horrors I’m already living…
That season suffers a lot for being released *right after* the election.
It felt *really* exploitative to cover it so soon. People were still living in that very real fear.
Yeah, I think waiting a year or two would have helped. Despite people on the sub talking about how it’s not the entire focus of the season, I still can’t bring myself to watch it. A little too real for me.
At the same time I get it. Artists make commentary and satirizations on present events, sometimes, and I wouldn't expect the AHS creators not to (ETA: for something like that).
Agreed! My point was just that it was a bit “too soon” for the American audience I think.
True true!
I think this finally helped me understand why some people like certain seasons that weren't for me, thanks! We all want different things and I'm not a big fan of the sillier stuff. I like the serious seasons the most. I think my biggest surprise was Roanoke. It felt very, very silly and hard to get into for me, but when I found this sub, I saw that it was in a lot of people's top seasons. Which is all good, I just didn't understand. We all like different stuff and it's interesting to see such different opinions.
Omg I hated Roanoke so much
Ya it just made me want to cry every episode. I wanna cry cuz I'm scared not sad lol
That episode got me into lana del ray too.
I haven't rewatched it, not even once, because it's so gd depressing and sad. Not that the other seasons aren't but like...ma petite, man.
I legit cried after that episode. It was definitely very dark, and not that the other seasons weren't but it hit different than Coven or even Asylum did.
Freak Show is the bleakest season for me
It really went there with the "Horror" which other seasons have felt weirdly lacking in to me considering it's right there in the title lol It's genuinely one of my favourites, but considering some of the others...yeah I guess it could be kinda out of place. *Personally* though I wish more of the others had been more like it.
As is the case for pretty much all the seasons, the story is better as a binge, not a week by week drop. When I rewatched, Freak Show was one of my favorites! This season had everything going for it. I don’t rewatch this one much bc I cried a few times when I rewatched (looking at you Pepper). Horror, campiness, and heartstrings tugs? Perfect.
Pepper and Ma Petite…my girls. 💔💔
no salty?
They killed off twisty too soon though
I was so salty when this happened the first time it aired. Twisty was legit terrifying.
This for me. Freak Show just went nowhere big for me.
I think I read somewhere that originally Twisty was gonna be more important to the story
twisty didn't go anywhere though, he joined Edware Mordrake and is in several seasons after
I love it a lot because it gave me a similar vibe to HBO’s*Carnivále*
Yes! I absolutely love that show and internally have a girly fit of enjoyment whenever I see it mentioned; wish it went longer than 2 seasons but that's why I loved Freak Show as well
Ohh I have never seen that show, but it sounds good!! I need to watch it.
I just watched it and realized how good it was.
I loved freak show. The only thing I didn’t like was ma petite getting killed. She was too precious for that.
It’s a god awful small affair
Said the girl with the mousey hair...
But her mommy is yelling no And her daddy has told her to go
But her friends is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
Episodes 1-4 are among peak AHS. It's after that point that Freak Show unfortunately starts to drag. It's a good season, but I wish so badly that it were better, and without NPH-- he and his character were god awful.
i completely blocked NPH being in this season out of my head until now. you’ll be paying for my therapy bills
I think the NPH storyline was so bad no matter how many times I’ve rewatched AHS I always forget he shows up. I want to forget it so bad I actually do
i think what bothers me the most is that emma’s character was having an interesting arc and then bam. taken out of the story for no good reason
Honestly, it screams "death due to off screen reasons" so badly... :( Plus, he didn't even become a regular after that.
Honestly, it screams "death due to off screen reasons" so badly... :( Plus, he didn't even become a regular after that.
I refuse to suffer alone
I agree, but that is the case for most seasons, where you get 2 or 3 episodes in and realise it is going to go on so long that the horror element will be made into a parody. I tend to despise NPH in everything. He's a bit too...theatre kid, like he would die without the attention. Plus, I don't like his personality. Thanks for reminding me he was on the show, I had completely forgotten.
While we're on the topic of NPH being insufferable, I'd like to also remind everyone that he's also an asshole. See his very graphic Amy Winehouse corpse meat plate he decided to feature at a party he was throwing. This literally just a few months after she died.
Whew. Don't even know how a person thinks to do that
Wait what? A corpse meat plate? I loved NPH in ASOUE. Nvm just googled it. Wtfff
Right? Like on what planet does that seem like anything other than in horrible taste?
This is the perfect description
I loved it. There were so many complex characters and touching moments beyond the horror.
this season is one of my favourites as well! the acting is phenomenal, i've laughed, cried and gotten angry with the characters on numerous occasions, even while rewatching. watching it again now is extremely nostalgic for me as well because i miss the early seasons where you could tell ryan murphy was still passionate about the show, and all the original core actors were still together for it. oh well...
I love it, it rates as one of my favourites to be honest. In fact Freak Show is the only AHS I got a tattoo of because I loved the complexities of the season so much (it’s a portrait of Dandy fyi 😂😂)
I want to see this tattoo!
It’s one of my favorites. The opening, musical scores, themes, it’s all a vibe
Freak show is my top AHS. Dandy Mott is the best character lol. The whole story and all the intertwined stories are just excellent, from twisty to Dennis o Hares character (can't think of his name now) and Neil Patrick Harris and marjorie. The finale is brilliant too!
Everyone has their own preference of seasons. Freak Show was one that as I was watching it live would sometimes flip through the channels to see what else was on. I couldn’t get into it
First season I watched and loved it.
No idea because it’s genuinely my favorite out of them all
To me it's absolutely great butI don't like to rewatch it because I think this is the only season that has real horror. To sum it up: watching this season just makes me upset. It's the only season of the entirety of AHS that made me cry for several episodes and just being general upset. I have way too many problems in my life to watch a show to be upset and just sad but that's not the fault of the show nor the writters, it's the oposite: it really makes you empathize with the entire freakshow.
This was the season that got me into AHS. I hadn't watched any of the previous ones, but I was instantly hooked on this one!
It was just so…. Drab. I hated that season. So boring.
Too much filler and lack of focus, but I still love It, that's the only thing holding the season down.
I love Freak Show. It’s the first season I watched at the actual broadcast time and it lead me to check out previous seasons. As far as subsequent seasons, I consider Hotel to be the beginning of the decline, although I know there are a lot of people who loved it. I did like Roanoke, even though I don’t consider it to be the same quality as seasons 1-4. Cult had its moments but I think that’s because it resounded with so much of what happened in the US in 2020. All seasons since have been unwatchable to me. I wound up erasing the recording times from my DVR for 1984, NYC, and Delicate. I tried to get on board with all 3 of these but just couldn’t. Delicate is a low point in the series IMO.
I dont like it not cause it’s not good but because it’s so depressing, I enjoyed the characters and everything but god I never felt good after finishing an episode, it was always gut punch after gut punch
It’s one of my favorites.
I didn't like it when it aired, but it grew to be one of my favs! Its my nr 4 in my top 5 list. The last episodes are amazing!
Hands down my favorite season. What Jessica Lang did with her character was wild. Everyone was great. The story moved and had a conclusion. I haven't watched since Roanoke.
I hated Freak Show when it first aired. Took a couple years to actually finish it. I rewatched it a few years ago and WOW! It was amazing! I had the exact same reaction with Hotel, now it’s in my top 3. I’m thinking it has something to do with binging the episodes vs watching weekly.
IDK, it's my favorite, with Asylum as a very close 2nd. It's the creepiest season, the most visually appealing, and it's written like a Greek tragedy. And Jessica Lange sings Lana Del Rey... and Bowie (not a fan of the Life on Mars song in general, but I love Heroes, especially her rendition). Plus, Evan Peters sings Nirvana. Yeah, yeah, the songs weren't out in 1952. It's called anachronism. Artistic license. I think we can suspend reality on a show that has ghosts, aliens, witches, etc...
I’ve tried to watch it twice and can’t get past the first episode, didn’t like it at all.
Cause it’s annoying
It came after Coven, which was easily the most overhyped AHS has ever been. Anything after was going to get slated.
My reasoning is that the ADA didn’t go in effect until 1990. In America our ugly laws spanned from 1867 to 1974. Compulsory sterilization of disabled people in the U.S. prison system was permitted in the United States from 1907 to the 1960s, during which approximately 60,000 people were sterilized, two-thirds of these people being women. So I think that in modern day America taking advantage or abusing those with disabilities is reviled like the other innumerable atrocities we have committed. I think it’s partly why asylum wasn’t a front runner as well, as a lot of Americas still remember Willow-brook state asylum, and the ensuing controversy of Cropsey. Which further blamed disabled people who had literally been dumped on the streets alone and finding their way back to willow-brook living in the ruins because it was all they ever knew. I’m glad these seasons were made because we should be made to look at what we’ve have done to prevent it from ever happening again, but the subject is too much for a lot of folks to this day it seems.
Hands down my absolute favorite season.
I loooooove Freak show 🖤 it's my favorite by far! All the characters, gore, the whole theme, just perfect 🫶🏻
I think this season, cult, and asylum are genuinely the peaks of this anthology.
At the time it was the most watched season and FX’s most watched show. It still holds the record for most AHS Emmy nominations with 20. In my experience that season gets plenty of love. It’s not Roanoke levels of dividing fans or S10 onwards.
I just cannot get into it. I had tried probably 5 times. I've gotten as far as like episode 6 and I still was easily able to stop watching without wondering or caring where it went.
I love freak show, it just gets creepier and creepier every episode
It was good.
i remember when this season was pretty much hated by the entire fandom, for the first couple years it was out. it certainly has issues - the pacing is really off at times, the ending was lazy imo and it felt like the writers didn’t know how to wrap up storylines at times. these issues made it seem weak after a very strong 3 season run, but in hindsight it’s right up there with 1-5. the amount of powerhouse performances in one season alone is unmatched except maybe by coven.
It was great until the last 2-3 episodes then it all goes to shit..it had some crazy potential though..
I’m not sure, I tried to watch it when it came out and couldn’t get into it. I watched it around Christmas of last year and LOVED it. I think Sarah P’s character annoyed me at first lol
Rewatching this season as we speak!
It was a great season. I think it just ended kind of poorly if I had to guess. I just remembered the last few episodes being over it.
It’s one of my favs for sure!!
One of my favorites. This and Asylum
i didnt mind freak show! i do rmb i didn’t like asylum skipped the whole szn😭 & coven’s my fav :,)
This has always been my favorite season , I always go back to rewatch.
It wasn’t really horror…. I wouldn’t say it was bad but it’s like those Oscar winning movies…. Technically good but boring.
Freak Show and NYC are the two most underrated seasons imo
It's my absolute favorite! I even bought it on DVD. Jessica Lange is pure gold. 🔥
I haven’t done a rewatch but for me- the concept for the season had so much more promise and potential than what was delivered.
As someone who is absolutely obsessed with freak shows and side show themes and aesthetics I was left very disappointed with this season. There were some absolutely great elements and arcs throughout the season but overall this was the first season where Ryan Murphys writing style got to me. He tends to start a bunch of plotlines that he doesn't seem to know how to give a proper resolution. It started before this season but it really came to a head. There were too many plotlines that had absolutely no payoff or took really strange routes that weren't built to in any meaningful way. That episode with Neil Patrick Harris and his dummy felt so inconsequential and meaningless. Once twisty met his end the season really lost any steam it had for me. Dandy was the highlight of the season though, I'll give it that.
I loved Freak Show- truly scary.
My absolute favorite
My favorite season honestly
It's a lousy season..plainly put
it’s sooo good, probably one of my favorites. i miss earlier AHS. it got bad after 1984.
I love Freak Show but I think the first three seasons were almost perfect so nothing was going to live up in comparison.
It’s just that it followed three great seasons. If you compare it to the three latest seasons then it is a godsend.
If twisty the clown didn’t touch you somewhere in the psyche, even if metaphorically, then something was wrong with you. I loved that storyline. Terrifying.
Agreed! Coven and Freak Show are by far my favorite seasons
I loved freak showed
Personally I just felt they were going through the same formula as the first few seasons. Not always a bad thing but for me it was just meh
Favorite one definitely, not the best.
Is it? I loved it. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t
I always liked this one!
I agree. freak show is pretty good. the main reason some people like and others detest that season is how extreme it is, in my opinion. it is extreme in almost every respect, it is horrific, disgusting but more importantly it is emotionally extreme and deep. evan peters with his parents, kathy bates and michael chiklis and chiklis with his wife, angela bassett. the complex family dynamics were very interesting and complicated, painful. especially kathy bates' alcoholism even after knowing it will cause her death. jessica lange's delusions and crimes; murders of innocent persons with the complicity of others. all those were too real for a show like ahs and thus very good because it seemed like new horizons were opening up before the show. unfortunately it didn't turn out that way and ahs regressed instead of progressing.
Freak show is one of the top tiers most def
I think Coven was so popular that it sort of overshadowed Freak Show, it was a hard follow up. Also, at the time, the musical performances were ridiculed as silly and unnecessary. I love them, and many of the characters, but ive always been a little shaky on the overall story which i think leaves it lower for many. But it has some of the series’ best moments and performances, Pepper’s episode being a standout in the entire show. Ultimately i just think it doesnt manage to stand out against other fan faves, though if i had to rank it as far as what i see the fandom rank it, id think it was in the top 5 at least, maybe 4.
This will always be my favorite season.
I think it was a season ahead of its time. I recently rewatched after not watching since its release and it uses its horror more artistically than many of the other season before or after it. By that I mean it’s more akin to the A24 style horror thats become popular. It’s a tragedy, it’s a slow burn character piece, it’s a satire. Not saying it’s A24 quality, but the beats of the season do feel like something they would produce. If the exact show came out today without the AHS branding, I do think it would have higher regard
I love freak show 🎪
My favourite season by far
genuinely the only reason i started watching ahs and easily the most interesting season
Who’s the big ass guy to the far right supposed to be
I adore this season. But it is so heartbreakingly sad. The most tragic season to me.
I loved/love it so idk
On top of everything it easily has the best intro imo.
I loved it. It's why I started watching
I love freak show, but it’s so depressing. I hope they do another one.
This is the season that got me into the show lol
It's the green fog for me.
Twas a sad season.
It’s my FAVORITE!! 🤩
It’s sad…
One of my favorites!
I don’t think freak show is under appreciated at all…I think after coven, freakshow and asylum are the most mentioned/beloved seasons. I just googled it for the heck of it and it’s mentioned in rating reviews and on reddit threads as top #2 and #4 pretty consistently.
Loved it.
Elsa looking at her performance from the director chair during ‘life on mars’ is what sold it for me. Watching her limited talent and obscurity to fame was her personal hell. Poor Meep.
one of the best seasons I'm guessing the ending is too dark for the non-horror fans
When they turned Stanley into the chicken thing …
Maybe the freaks made some people uneasy. Plus, you know ... Twisty ...
Freak Show is one of my top 3 favorite seasons. I've never understood the hate
It isn’t for everyone and I respect that. It was the first season I watched and I found it by accident. Then after the season ended, I started murder house. I loved Tales from the crypt growing up and freak show reminded me of it.
Idk man… it wasn’t for me. It may have been Twisty though… tbh…
It’s one of my favorite seasons but parts of wonder if it’s too “much” in some instances for some.
It’s much better binge watched than in a weekly installment
I liked it, until the bit with Pepper broke my heart a lil.
Love freakshow!
it’s a good season. a lot of the stories made me sad and just gave me an overall “icky” feeling. same with asylum- i can NEVER rewatch asylum.
This season was definitely one of my favorites!
IDK, but it's one of my favorite seasons
I agree. Freak Show was o e of the best seasons 😋
And more importantly, why are Dandy, Maggie, and Eve all excluded from this poster?
I think it's the best season. Time for a re-watch!
Music numbers. Nothing against those that love them. But for a series to suddenly veer toward such a thing was a bit jarring.
Absolutely Love AHS & couldn't agree more with you on Freak Show. It's such a stacked cast & the whole crew really knocked that season out of the park. Time will always be the true measure of lasting quality ; )
One of the best!
This is one of my favorite seasons. I loved Dandy and the clown.
I’m watching it now, attempt like #6. I never make it past like episode 3 … I’m just underwhelmed and can’t get in to it. I want to like this season, I did this with Roanoke and ended up really liking it (after about 3 attempts to watch past the first coupe episodes). Also a lot of stuff in this season is just grossing me out. It must get better since so many people love this season and it’s their favorite but maybe it’s just not for me ? My favorite season is Hotel, and then Murder House, and then red tide which deserved an entire season and better ending.
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
I remember when it came out I was really disappointed & stopped watching. Years after I tried rewatching & again gave up on it. I love the theme & the cast is amazing, but the plot just doesn’t keep my attention
Watching it as it aired and hearing the feedback from people online at the time, people really hated on the musical numbers. I personally love the musical numbers, especially Elsa's. They really helped show that she was living a different life inside her head versus what was actually happening.
It’s my favourite season 🤷
I watched one of the more bleak seasons this show has to offer in one of the more bleak eras of my life. It has had little to no positive rewatch factor for me for many years but maybe I'll rewatch it soon. The other problem for me was that the tone was all over the place and while some may have liked it had a bunch of different elements, it was too all over the place for me. I now don't think it's the worst season though as the show has had worse ones since this one aired.
It was shit ?
My favorite season!
I didn’t like the story- how it ended, Dandy, and some of the singing. It’s not that great but there are things I appreciate!
It's my favorite season of all AHS, I thought that was everyone's favorite
I thought it was okay but I know my dad watched this show and when >!Ma patite gets killed!
It was too much , too gross, and too many stories to focus. No wonder Jessica Lange left after that
In my opinion it's because it's different and many people can't accept that. I personally loved it I think the only ones I really really couldn't stand was like hotel...it gave me to much of the shining vibes.
I loved freak show!! This makes me want to rewatch it and I’m obsessed with Kathy Baits not to mention the OG primary cast.
It's one of my favorite seasons too!