Ryan Murphy is back at Disney. That’s the big thing you’ve gotta understand first. After a massive five-year stint at Netflix that gave us Dahmer and The Watcher, the mastermind behind the most chaotic anthology series on TV is home. But it leaves us with a massive, gaping hole in our Tuesday nights: American Horror Story Season 13. It feels like we’ve been waiting forever. Honestly, the franchise has been through the ringer lately. Between the mixed reception of Delicate and the literal industry shutdowns, the state of the show is... well, it’s complicated.
Is Season 13 Even Still Happening?
Yes. Relax. It’s definitely happening. FX chairman John Landgraf has been pretty vocal about the show's longevity. Back in 2020, the network gave the green light for the series to run through a thirteenth installment. That was a pre-pandemic, pre-strike world. But despite the shifts in the media landscape, the renewal stands. American Horror Story Season 13 isn't just a possibility; it’s a contractual reality.
Usually, we'd have a teaser by now. A creepy crawly something-or-other on Instagram. But Ryan Murphy’s return to the Disney/ABC fold (which owns FX) means he’s juggling a dozen plates. He’s got Grotesquerie, American Sports Story, and American Love Story all fighting for bandwidth. The "mothership" show, as fans call it, is currently sitting in a bit of a developmental limbo while Murphy re-organizes his creative empire.
The gap between seasons is stretching. It sucks. Delicate was split into two parts because of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which killed the momentum. People got bored. They moved on. Now, the pressure is on for Season 13 to be a "return to form" because, let’s be real, the Kim Kardashian experiment was polarizing.
The Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters Factor
You can't talk about American Horror Story Season 13 without talking about the "O.G." cast. The fans are practically screaming for it. For years, the show felt like a repertory theater company. You had Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, and Kathy Bates. Then, things shifted. We got new blood. Some of it worked (Billie Lourd is a treasure), and some of it felt like the show was trying too hard to be "TikTok-able."
Sarah Paulson has been teasing us. In recent interviews, like her circuit for Hold Your Breath, she’s been asked point-blank about returning. Her answer? A resounding "maybe." She’s said she’d come back if the story is right and if Evan Peters is there. That’s the golden ticket. Peters took a break after the emotional toll of playing Jeffrey Dahmer, which is totally fair. The man needed a nap and some sunshine. But if Murphy can convince the "Big Two" to return for the thirteenth season—a lucky number in the horror world—the hype would be astronomical.
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What Could the Theme Be?
Murphy is a vault. He doesn't leak. However, we can look at the breadcrumbs. Fans have been obsessing over a few specific urban legends that the show hasn't touched yet. We’ve done witches, aliens, cults, and slashers. What’s left?
- The Black Forest / Folklore: Something deeply European and ancient.
- The Ghost Ship: Think Mary Celeste vibes but with more blood.
- Civil War Horror: We’ve seen flashes of history in Coven and Roanoke, but never a full-blown period piece set in the 1860s.
- Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, the Hookman, the "Bunny Man" bridge.
There was a poll a few years back on Murphy’s social media asking fans what they wanted to see. "Siren," "Bloody Mary," and "Plague" were all on the list. We got a bit of the Siren/Sea vibe in Red Tide (the first half of Double Feature), but it didn't fully commit to the mythological bit. American Horror Story Season 13 could finally dive into the deep sea or the high-concept folklore fans have been begging for since 2011.
The "Final Season" Rumors
Is 13 the end? It’s a clean number. It’s thematic. In the horror genre, 13 is the ultimate milestone. There’s a lot of chatter among industry insiders that Murphy might use this season to tie the entire "Muraniverse" together. We already know the seasons are connected. Pepper from Asylum showed up in Freak Show. The Coven witches popped up in Apocalypse. Richard Ramirez was a character in Hotel and 1984 (which created a bit of a continuity headache, but we ignore that).
If American Horror Story Season 13 is the series finale, expect it to be a massive, bloated, star-studded mess in the best way possible. Murphy isn't known for subtle exits. He’s known for throwing the kitchen sink at the screen.
Why the Quality Has Felt "Off" Lately
Let’s be honest. The show hasn't felt the same since 1984. Double Feature was a cool experiment that fumbled the ending—hard. NYC was a brilliant, somber piece of television, but it didn't feel like "Classic AHS." It felt like a different show entirely. Then Delicate happened. It was the first season not run by Murphy himself; Halley Feiffer took the reins, and it was based on a book (Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine).
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It felt... slow. It lacked that "what the hell did I just watch?" energy that defines the series. For Season 13 to succeed, it needs to get back to its roots. It needs camp. It needs genuine scares. It needs a high-concept hook that isn't just "famous person joins the cast."
What We Know About the Production Timeline
Don't expect it tomorrow. Production cycles for AHS are usually pretty tight, but the script phase for American Horror Story Season 13 has been kept under wraps. Usually, filming starts in the summer for an October release. Since we haven't seen casting calls or location scouts in Los Angeles or New Orleans (the two favorite filming hubs), we are likely looking at a late 2025 or even a 2026 release date.
It’s a long wait. I know. But the move back to Disney is a big deal. It means more resources. It means Murphy has his old support system back. The "American Horror" brand is still one of the most valuable IPs for FX on Hulu. They aren't going to let it die a quiet death.
Real-World Constraints and Cast Availability
- Emma Roberts: She’s been the face of the franchise lately. She’s likely to return, though she’s busy with a million other projects.
- Leslie Grossman and Billie Lourd: These two are the backbone of the modern era. If they aren't in Season 13, I’ll be shocked.
- The Schedule: Murphy currently has 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star, Doctor Odyssey, and several "Monster" seasons for Netflix in various stages of production.
The man does not sleep. But he only has so many hours in the day. American Horror Story Season 13 requires a specific kind of creative juice that he hasn't seemed focused on lately. He’s been more interested in true crime and procedural drama. We need him to get back into the "Gaga as a vampire" headspace.
What You Should Do While Waiting
If you're itching for that AHS fix, don't just rewatch Murder House for the tenth time.
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First, check out American Horror Stories (the spin-off). The episodes are hit or miss, but some of them, like "Ba'al" or "Dollhouse," are actually better than the recent full seasons. "Dollhouse" specifically provides a crucial backstory for Spalding from Coven. It’s essential viewing for lore nerds.
Second, keep an eye on Ryan Murphy’s Instagram. He is notorious for deleting posts, but when he’s ready to announce American Horror Story Season 13, he’ll start posting cryptic images of latex suits or cracked porcelain dolls. That’s your signal.
Third, look at the casting news for his other shows. Usually, he "test drives" actors in things like Grotesquerie before bringing them into the AHS fold. If a big name suddenly pops up in a Murphy procedural, there’s a 50/50 chance they’ll end up in the horror anthology next.
The thirteenth season is a legacy moment. It’s the chance to fix the mistakes of the last few years and remind everyone why this show changed the face of cable TV in the first place. It’s about more than just jump scares; it’s about the American nightmare. Whether it’s aliens in the desert or a haunted high-rise, we just want it to feel like AHS again.
Stay skeptical of "confirmed" themes you see on fan-made posters on Twitter. If it hasn't come from Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, or Murphy’s own thumb, it’s probably fake. We’re in the dark for now, but in the world of American Horror Story, that’s usually where the best things happen.
Keep your eyes on the trades toward the end of the year. That's when the real movement starts. Until then, we wait. We speculate. We hope for the return of the Supreme.