Returning cast members from the original show, usually playing a new character, include Matt Bomer, Celia Finkelstein, Naomi Grossman, John Carroll Lynch, Charles Melton, Billie Lourd, Chad James Buchanan, Cody Fern, Dylan McDermott, Jamie Brewer, Denis O'Hare, Matt Lasky, Gabourey Sidibe, Max Greenfield, Austin Woods, Seth Gabel, Rebecca Dayan, Cameron Cowperthwaite, Spencer Neville, Teddy Sears, Jeff Hiller, Casey Thomas Brown, and Nick Jacobs.

[7][8] Matt Bomer, Gavin Creel, Sierra McCormick, Paris Jackson, Belissa Escobedo, Merrin Dungey, Selena Sloan, Ashley Martin Carter, Valerie Loo, Kaia Gerber, Aaron Tveit and Celia Finkelstein starred in the first two episodes.

[9][10] Other American Horror Story alums who appeared in the first season include Naomi Grossman, John Carroll Lynch, Charles Melton, Billie Lourd, Chad James Buchanan, Cody Fern, Dylan McDermott and Jamie Brewer along with newcomers Rhenzy Feliz, Madison Bailey, Ben J.

Pierce, Leonardo Cecchi, Kyle Red Silverstein, Brandon Papo, Amy Grabow, Adrienne Barbeau, Kevin McHale, Nico Greetham, Dyllón Burnside, Taneka Johnson, Danny Trejo, Ronen Rubinstein, Virginia Gardner, Vanessa E. Williams, Michael B.

Silver, Kimberley Drummond, Jake Choi, Misha Gonz-Cirkl, Tiffany Dupont, Blake Shields, Colin Tandberg, Mercedes Mason, Noah Cyrus, Adam Hagenbuch, John Brotherton, Nicolas Bechtel and Tom Lenk.

Denis O'Hare, Matt Lasky, Gabourey Sidibe, Max Greenfield, Austin Woods, Seth Gabel, Rebecca Dayan, Cameron Cowperthwaite, Spencer Neville and Teddy Sears, who appeared in previous seasons of American Horror Story, appeared in the second season along with newcomers Kristine Froseth, Houston Towe, Abby Corrigan, Simone Recasner, Maryssa Menendez, Emily Morales-Cabrera, Caitlin Dulany, Joel Swetow, Lily Rohren, Vince Yap, Nancy Linehan Charles, Bella Thorne, Anthony De La Torre, Billie Bodega, Julia Schlaepfer, Addison Timlin, Ian Sharkey, Dominique Jackson, Quvenzhané Wallis, Raven Scott, Kyla Drew, Kyanna Simone, Shane Callahan, Ryan Madison, Tiffany Yvonne Cox, Judith Light, Britt Lower, Todd Waring, Cornelia Guest, Madison Iseman, Jeff Doucette, Sara Silva, Jessika Van, Chelsea M. Davis, Alicia Silverstone, Olivia Rouyre, Bobby Hogan, Heather Wynters and Jarrod Crawford.

Jeff Hiller, Casey Thomas Brown, and Nick Jacobs, who all appeared previously in American Horror Story: NYC appeared in the third season, along with newcomers Jessica Barden, Emma Halleen, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Allius Barnes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reid Scott, Annie Hamilton, Christopher Fitzgerald, Maury Ginsberg, Lisa Rinna, Laura Kariuki, Rob Yang, Hazel Graye, Raúl Castillo, Emily Browning, Havana Rose Liu, Susan Pourfar, Jeff Adler, Drew Moore, Patrick Breen, Maria Tucci, Laila Robins, Michael Imperioli, Matthew Maher, David Pittu, Natalie Gold, Victor Garber, Guy Burnet, Dagmara Domińczyk, David Deblinger, Mia Isaac, Jennifer Ferrin, Kate Eastman, Henry Winkler, Henry Eikenberry, Hudson Oz, Daniel Zolghadri, Angel Bismark, Billy Carter, Michael Cyril Creighton, June Squibb, Debby Ryan, Melanie Field, Melonie Diaz, Matthew Del Negro, Frank Pando, and Matthew Holcomb.

They tell Coby that after murdering his adulterous wife, Van Wirt wants a replacement mother for his son Otis and has decided that the women should compete for the honor in a "pageant".

However, video evidence of her actions follows her everywhere making her unable to find other employments and leads to a confrontation between Sam and Charlie in a graveyard where they acknowledge that they are the only ones who understand each other.

BFF4EVA/Bestie later encourages her to be more confident and perform a series of escalating pranks including shoplifting, getting into fights with her dad, and poisoning the entire cast for a school play into vomiting on opening night.

As he is alone with only Daphne for company, he activates her and she proceeds to make his life better: changing lights in his home, raising prices on a virtual art auction, and helping him sleep.

A screenwriter named Daniel Hausman-Burger begins slipping in and out of "backrooms", eerie locales inhabited by strange hostile masked entities, his missing son being among them.

Nurse Claire Michaels begins to investigate a mysterious unsettling patient, Alice Taylor when she appears at the hospital and stabs one of the orderlies, painting an X on the wall in his blood.

She uncovers an unethical experimental program on cancer patients which implicates several of her colleagues, including her friend Nurse Mulling who later commits suicide out of remorse for her involvement.

[24] TV Time, the viewership tracking app from Whip Media that collects data from over 21 million users worldwide, reported that American Horror Stories was the tenth most-streamed original series in the U.S. during the week of August 7.

Kang found the series promising, especially noting the two-part premiere, "Rubber(wo)Man," which revisits the "Murder House" from the original American Horror Story.

They remarked that although the episodes have a lower budget, they effectively channel the essence of the first season with a satirical take on Los Angeles narcissism and a deliberately unsettling teen romance that drives the show's bloody narrative.

[36] Erin Maxwell of LA Weekly observed that American Horror Stories continues to embrace the chaotic and grotesque elements characteristic of Ryan Murphy's work, focusing heavily on graphic violence and macabre themes.

They said that while the series often prioritizes shock value and the use of disturbing imagery over coherent storytelling, it successfully retains the core elements that fans of the American Horror Story universe enjoy.

"[37] Joel Keller of Decider stated that American Horror Stories refines Murphy's and Falchuk's typical indulgences by condensing them into shorter, more manageable episodes.

Unlike The Twilight Zone or Shudder's Creepshow, which often involve moral lessons or comeuppance, American Horror Stories focuses on delivering shocks and surprises, particularly in its final moments.

Auty added that regardless of their connection to previous stories, all episodes maintain the same blend of eerie horror, surreal humor, and melodrama characteristic of the original show.

[40] Kristen Lopez of IndieWire graded the first season with a "D," saying while American Horror Stories features a solid cast comprising Murphy alumni, celebrity offspring, and others, the series often underutilizes its talent.

The pilot episode, for example, includes actors like Matt Bomer, Creel, Aaron Tveit, and Merrin Dungey, yet fails to fully leverage their abilities for Lopez.

[44] Johnny Loftus of Decider wrote that the episodic structure of American Horror Stories maintains a lean and engaging pace, and they found its sense of humor to be a valuable addition.

[46] Robert Vaux of Comic Book Resources noted that while the first season of American Horror Stories struggled with overshadowing references to the franchise's "Murder House," it included a mix of strong and mediocre episodes.

Hunter found that, despite his previous supporting roles, the second season demonstrates that the American Horror Story franchise would benefit from making Greetham a prominent member of its recurring ensemble.

[48] Nick Perry, Michileen Martin, and Blair Marnell of Digital Trends included American Horror Stories in their "Best Hulu Original Series" list of October 2022.

The episode delved into the theme of body dysmorphia within the fashion industry, following aspiring model Vivian Lee Finch, who resorts to using a tapeworm as a drastic weight-loss method.

[62] Some media outlets have described "Tapeworm" as an examination of the modeling industry's harsh standards and unrealistic body expectations, as well as the extreme and unhealthy measures some individuals take to succeed in that world.