EXCLUSIVE: The writers of American Horror Story have clarified what to expect now that the new season is breaking a major 13-year tradition.
After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, American Horror Story has returned for its 13th season. Co-creator Ryan Murphy is reuniting several actors from the 12 previous seasons, including Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman, John Carroll Lynch and Frances Conroy, to reprise multiple roles that fans have seen before.
American Horror Story 13 is also treading into new territory for the series with 30-minute episodes, whereas past seasons consisted of hour-long episodes.
In a red carpet interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley for American Horror Story season 13, executive producers and writers Ned Martel and Charlie Carver clarified that this major change does not mean the long-running show will be less scary or shocking.
Martel explained that Murphy was the one who thought of shortening the episodes down to 30 minutes. By doing so, they were able to create “dense” storylines “filled with surprises and scares and humor.” Fans will still be satisfied at the end of every half-hour installment because they will never know what’s coming next, despite seeing familiar faces.
Ned Martel: “You’re going to be satisfied by never knowing what’s coming, even though there’ll be familiar characters on the screen. Ryan thought of the construct of 13 30-minute episodes, so they’re very dense and filled with surprises and scares and humor.”
American Horror Story is an anthology series, which means each season typically consists of a self-contained storyline with the actors playing brand-new characters.
Every so often, certain characters have returned in crossovers on a smaller scale, like during Apocalypse when Paulson not only reprised Billie Dean Howard and Cordelia Foxx but also played new character Wilhemina Venable; Peters and Taissa Farmiga also stepped back into their Murder House and Coven roles that year.
However, American Horror Story season 13 will take that crossover concept and blow it up on a massive scale, with some actors playing upwards of five or more different characters.
With that many callbacks to previous storylines, fans should expect many more tributes to the past. As Carver told ScreenRant, “There are Easter eggs and ways to honor all 13 seasons of the show hidden throughout.” Behind the scenes, every department that worked on the new season put in “so much effort” to celebrate what this series has become.
Charlie Carver: “If you’re looking for the deep craft, there are Easter eggs and ways to honor all 13 seasons of the show hidden throughout. I think everyone in every department put so much effort into celebrating what this is becoming.”
Speaking of the crew, Martel also revealed that the members of the prosthetics department “made things that were so gross” that he doesn’t even know how to begin describing what he saw on the set. As a result, American Horror Story season 13 will feature “body horror” like viewers have never seen before on TV.
Ned Martel: “There’s never been body horror like this on TV. Our teammate in the prosthetics department made things that were so gross, we can’t even put it into words.”
Along with the massive list of returning stars, the season also features new cast members John Waters, Joey Pollari, Alex Consani, Paul Anthony Kelly, Madelaine Petsch and Tig Notaro.
Murphy has brought together a star-studded lineup of actors from within the franchise and elsewhere to create an Avengers-like team-up, as the creator has described it, that will unfold across 13 episodes.
American Horror Story season 13 premieres Thursday, September 24 at 9 p.m. EDT on FX and Hulu.
- Release Date
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October 5, 2011
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Sarah Paulson
Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower
