American Horror Story

I remember watching the first season of American Horror Story (now called Murder House) and thinking "WHAT THE H*** WITH THIS SHOW?" - it was unexpected, visceral, graphic and just really compelling. Twists came out you so fast and the characters were all memorable and stunning.

Seasons 1-7 really are good with my favorite being "Asylum" - Murder House, Coven, Hotel all add pieces to already stunning puzzle. Good writing, well shot. Both Roanoke and Freakshow were a bit weak but in both cases you could see the writers were trying to stretch and pushed past what they could do. Cult was the worst of this group as showrunners tried their hands at politics which didn't really translate to this genre. Still, it was visual and interesting.

Season 8 picks up characters and storylines from the best of the previous seasons and gives a full-circle story. Worth every minute with characters (particularly from MH and Coven) you really like.

Season 9 forward shows what happens when a series runs out of what made it great. In trying to start a "new" arc - the show is all over the place and really poor in quality. The emphasis on "hot gay characters' replaces deep or quirky people, and the show itself searches for a genre - 1984 can't decide if its making fun of 80's slasher films or if its trying to be one, Double feature gives anthology style a chance and fails twice - neither story is long enough to tell a good story or short enough to dismiss. NYC is the AIDS allegory no one asked for, and Delicate shows AHS at its saddest grasp yet - writing a vehicle for Kim Kardashian because. Love her or hate her, people will watch here.

AHS has gone from ground-breaking TV to the lowest of low hanging fruit. Watch 1-8 or at least watch 1,2,3, 6, 8. Let go of the rest.

The first seasons of AHS was very good. Something fresh, always a story with a twist, and they had Jessica Lange and then unknown Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters. I really liked the dark, gritty style, changing from season to season. Unfortunately, after Freak Show, which I really liked, there has been a letdown in quality for each season. The departure of Jessica Lange made a big void, but Sarah Paulson has shown us that she is indeed a versatile star. But Hotel was the beginning of a decline, with the infamous, stupid glorified serial killer episode. Ryan Murphy himself said 3 years ago he was out of ideas, so time to put a lid on it. You aint doing any favors with the new American Horror Stories. And the new actors are terrible, with an exception in Billie Lourd.

AHS used to shine with bold storytelling, creepy atmosphere, and a talented cast. Most fans agree that Hotel was the last truly great season.

Seasons like Murder House and Asylum showcased the talents of Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, and Evan Peters, creating unforgettable characters that kept audiences hooked.

And then the audacity of casting Kim Kardashian, seriously? Her nonexistent acting skills are coming off more like a publicity stunt. Honestly, it feels less like a casting decision and more like a desperate ploy for ratings.

I used to LOVE this show. Such a disappointment.

AHS S11 was atrocious. It's barely the AHS brand anymore. It should have fallen into the American Crime Story series not AHS. I'm a gay man, I appreciate stories to do with gay history and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in America in the 1980s but for goodness sake use another platform to do it with. The only thing I'm grateful for is that Murphy has satisfied whatever itch he had that compelled him to make this bummer of a season, paid his version of respect to our gay ancestors, now he can move the hell on and never do this again.

On a side note I'm also questioning how far we can push the 'raising awareness' argument versus exploitation for the sake of economy and entertainment, by turning the memories of the people who died of AIDS into a dark artistic expression for the sake of a tv show. You don't get to speak for all of us Murphy. Unless you've got some crucial perspective that hasn't yet been uncovered, which this was NOT it, then let the dead Rest In Peace. Leave the memories of these poor men alone.

A dysfunctional family moves into an old house, a house with a history of horror. For the main characters, history is what the first episode is all about: the husband's history of infidelity, the wife's history of having a bloody stillbirth, the daughter's history of cutting herself -- for each a long history of pain and resentment and longing for change, though it quickly becomes apparent the only change coming will leave them hysterically screaming to the sudden, violent, gory end. The one sure thing this show promises is that people will die horribly, and we will all be terrified by it.

The characters are not likable; they may not even be redeemable. Even the suffering wife is bitter and cold and hateful. But do they deserve what horrible things will assuredly happen to them? Nope. Which means their fight is our fight, and their fear is our fear.

American Horror Story is interesting, entertaining, suspenseful, and ambitious. After watching the first episode, I want to watch some more.