You'll Need 11 Hours To Complete the Recommended 'American Horror Story' Homework
American Horror Story has been a gothic feather in Ryan Murphy’s cap for 15 years now, but like all anthology series, not every season is as good as the last. Everyone has their own favorite (usually “Asylum,” “Coven,” or “Murder House”) and least favorite (usually “Double Feature” or “Delicate”), and the gap between those two can be immense.
So for Season 13, which promises a number of crossovers and actors playing multiple characters even within the same scene, many fans are waiting to see just which seasons this one will favor. Luckily, we just got a few clues in the form of a syllabus for your rewatch.
AHS’ official social media accounts recently posted a recommended list of 13 episodes before the new season premieres on September 24:
- Season 1, Episode 1: “Pilot”
- Season 1, Episode 9: “Spooky Little Girl”
- Season 1, Episode 12: “Afterbirth”
- Season 3, Episode 1: “Bitchcraft”
- Season 3, Episode 12: “Go To Hell”
- Season 3, Episode 13: “The Seven Wonders”
- Season 4, Episodes 3 and 4: “Edward Mordrake (Part 1 + 2)
- Season 5, Episode 4: “Devil’s Night”
- Season 7, Episode 10: “Charles (Manson) In Charge”
- Season 8, Episode 1: “The End”
- Season 8, Episode 6: “Return to Murder House”
- Season 8, Episode 9: “Fire and Reign”
- Season 8, Episode 10: “Apocalypse Then”
It’s a formidable list: all in all, it will take you almost 11 hours to watch all 13 episodes from start to finish. However, these are just the top 13 episodes of the 132 that have aired so far, so there are whole seasons missing, including the fan favorite “Asylum” season (Season 2), “Roanoke” (Season 6), and the entire run of the show after Season 8, aka “Apocalypse.”
The heavy Season 8 representation makes sense, as Season 8 was the last big crossover season in the series so far. The Season 4 two-parter is also a no-brainer, as the Edward Mordrake episodes established Twisty the Clown (John Carroll Lynch), who featured heavily in the trailers for the series. But the last of Season 2 is confusing, especially since Jessica Lange is confirmed to appear as “Asylum’s” Sister Jude in the upcoming series.
If you’re a longtime AHS fan, now’s the time to start your refresher homework, and if you’re short on time, at least check out the Season 8 episodes, as they fold in characters from previous seasons. If you’re a new fan, this list is a great starting point, but it’s worth watching at least one full season as well, if only to understand the unique tone this series strikes.
It’s unlikely these episodes will contain everything you need to know for the new seasons, but at this point, we’ve got less than 10 days to watch 12 seasons. You’ll need to get a bit discerning.