American Story
Logo of FX'sAmerican Horror Story andAmerican Crime Story
Created by	Ryan Murphy Brad Falchuk
Original work	American Horror Story
Owner	FX Networks
Years	2011–present
Films and television
Television series	Horror Story (2011–present) Crime Story (2016–2021) Horror Stories (2021–present) Sports Story (2024–present) Love Story (upcoming, 2026)

American Story^[1] is an Americananthologytelevisionfranchise consisting of several television series created byRyan Murphy andBrad Falchuk for thecable networkFX andFX on Hulu. Each series follows a differentgenre offiction, with each individual season conceived as a self-containedminiseries, following a different set of characters and settings, and a story line with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season and series are loosely inspired by true events. Many actors appear in more than one season and series, often playing a new character.

Actors who have appeared in two or more installments of the franchise include:Sarah Paulson;Cuba Gooding Jr.;Connie Britton;Darren Criss;Finn Wittrock;Jon Jon Briones;Billy Eichner;Matt Bomer, who directed an episode ofAmerican Crime Story;Kaia Gerber;Naomi Grossman;Chad James Buchanan;John Carroll Lynch;Dylan McDermott;Charles Melton;Billie Lourd;Jamie Brewer;Naomi Campbell who appears in the form of archive audio inAmerican Crime Story; Celia Finkelstein;Blake Shields; John Lacy;Nico Greetham;Teddy Sears;Judith Light;Rebecca Dayan; Matt Lasky; Cameron Cowperthwaite; Spencer Neville;Denis O'Hare andGabourey Sidibe.Cody Fern andMax Greenfield have appeared in three installments.

TheAmerican Story franchise has received widespread critical acclaim, winning severalEmmy Awards.

Creators Murphy and Falchuk began working onAmerican Horror Story before their Fox seriesGlee began production. Murphy wanted to do the opposite of what he had done previously and thus began his work on the series. He stated: "I went fromNip/Tuck toGlee, so it made sense that I wanted to do something challenging and dark. And I always had loved, as Brad had, the horror genre. So it just was a natural for me."^[3] Falchuk was intrigued by the idea of putting a different angle on the horror genre, stating that their main goal in creating the series was to scare viewers. "You want people to be a little bit off balance afterwards," he said.^[4]

In February 2011, FX officially announced that it had ordered a pilot for a possible series from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, with both Murphy and Falchuk writing and Murphy directing.Dante Di Loreto was announced as executive producer. Production on the series began in April 2011.^[5] In July 2011, FX officially announced the project had been picked up to become a full series.^[6]

From the beginning, Murphy and Falchuk planned that each season of the series would tell a different story.^[2] After the first-season finale aired, Murphy spoke of his plans to change the cast and location for the second season.^[7] He did say, however, that some actors who starred in the first season would be returning. "The people that are coming back will be playing completely different characters, creatures, monsters, etc. [The Harmons'] stories are done. People who are coming back will be playing entirely new characters," he announced.^[2] In November 2012, FX chief executive,John Landgraf, described the unique format of the series stating: "[T]he notion of doing an anthological series of miniseries with a repertory cast—has proven groundbreaking, wildly successful and will prove to be trendsetting."^[8]

On October 7, 2014, it was announced that FX had ordered a 10-episode companion series^[9] titledAmerican Crime Story, developed byScott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.^[10] While each season ofAmerican Horror Story focuses on a new horror theme, each season ofAmerican Crime Story focuses on a newtrue crime story.^[11][12] On May 11, 2020, Murphy revealed that aspin-off series namedAmerican Horror Stories was being developed; it will feature self-contained anthological episodes, instead of a season-long story arc as featured inAmerican Horror Story. It was set to air onFX.^[13]

On August 13, 2021, it was announced that FX had ordered a new spin-off limited seriesAmerican Sports Story. The first installment, based on the podcastGladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. fromThe Boston Globe andWondery, focuses on the rise and fall of former NFL playerAaron Hernandez.^[1] On the same day, it was announced that FX had ordered a new spin-off seriesLove Story. The first installment will depict the whirlwind courtship and marriage ofJohn F. Kennedy Jr. andCarolyn Bessette-Kennedy.^[1]

Four television series make up theAmerican Story franchise:American Horror Story,American Crime Story,American Horror Stories, andAmerican Sports Story. All series in total amount to 195 episodes across 19 seasons of television.

In February 2011, FX officially announced that it had ordered a pilot for a possible series from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, with both Murphy and Falchuk writing and Murphy directing.Dante Di Loreto was announced as executive producer. Production on the series began in April 2011.^[17] In July 2011, FX officially announced the project had been picked up to become a full series.^[18]

Each season ofAmerican Horror Story focuses on a new horror theme. The series premiered on October 5, 2011, and is broadcast on the cable television channel FX in the United States. In November 2011, it premiered internationally on the respective countries'Fox Networks Group.The first season, retroactively subtitledMurder House, takes place inLos Angeles,California in 2011.It premiered on October 5, 2011, and concluded on December 21, 2011. The second season, subtitledAsylum, takes place inMassachusetts in 1964 which premiered on October 17, 2012. The third season, subtitledCoven, takes place inNew Orleans,Louisiana in 2013 which premiered on October 9, 2013. The fourth season, subtitledFreak Show, takes place inJupiter, Florida in 1952 which premiered on October 8, 2014. The fifth season, subtitledHotel, takes place in Los Angeles, California in 2015 which premiered on October 7, 2015. The sixth season, subtitledRoanoke, takes place inNorth Carolina during 2014–2016 which premiered on September 14, 2016. The seventh season, subtitledCult, takes place in the fictional suburb of Brookfield Heights,Michigan, during 2016–2017 which premiered on September 5, 2017. The eighth season, subtitledApocalypse, features the return of the witches fromCoven as they battle theAntichrist fromMurder House in an attempt to prevent the apocalypse which premiered on September 12, 2018. The ninth season, subtitled1984, takes place outside of Los Angeles during the 1980s which premiered on September 18, 2019. The tenth season, subtitledDouble Feature, includes two parts, and the first one takes place in 2021, focusing on a family who moves toProvincetown,Massachusetts, where the strange inhabitants begin to make an impact on their lives. In the second part, a group of students on a camping trip finds themselves embroiled in a terrifying and deadly conspiracy that has been preparing for decades which premiered on August 25, 2021.The eleventh season, subtitledNYC, takes place in 1980s New York City, and focuses on a string of killings involving gay men, as well as the emergence of a new virus which premiered on October 19, 2022. The twelfth season,Delicate, takes place in New York City and follows an actress who comes to believe that someone is going to great lengths to stop her from fulfilling her dream of getting pregnant which premiered on September 20, 2023. In January 2020, FX renewed the series for an additional three seasons, including the eleventh season, bringing it to at least thirteen confirmed seasons.

FX announced an order for a 10-episode companion series^[19]American Crime Story in October 2014, developed byScott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.^[20] Substituting a new horror theme for each season,American Crime Story focuses on a newtrue crime story. The series featuresAmerican Horror Story cast membersSarah Paulson,Connie Britton,Cuba Gooding Jr.,Darren Criss,Finn Wittrock,Max Greenfield,Jon Jon Briones,Cody Fern, andBilly Eichner.

The first seasonThe People v. O. J. Simpson premiered in February 2016. The second seasonThe Assassination of Gianni Versace premiered in January 2018.^[11] The third seasonImpeachment premiered in September 2021.^[12] By August 2021, a potential fourth season, tentatively focusing on the rise and fall ofStudio 54 ownersSteve Rubell andIan Schrager, is currently in development;^[21] however, in September 2024, executive producerBrad Simpson stated there are no developments in the production of the season.^[22]

On May 11, 2020, Murphy revealed that aspin-off series namedAmerican Horror Stories was being developed; it will feature self-contained anthological episodes, instead of a season-long story arc as featured inAmerican Horror Story. On June 22, 2020, it was announced thatAmerican Horror Stories would stream onFX on Hulu.^[23]American Horror Stories premiered on July 15, 2021, and its first season consists of seven episodes.^[24] On August 13, 2021, the series was renewed for a second season,^[25] Which premiered on July 21, 2022, and consists of eight episodes.

Matt Bomer,Gavin Creel,Sierra McCormick,Paris Jackson,Belissa Escobedo,Merrin Dungey, Selena Sloan, Valerie Loo, Ashley Martin Carter,Kaia Gerber,Aaron Tveit and Celia Finkelstein starred in the first two episodes.^[26][27] OtherAmerican Horror Story alums who appeared in the first season includeNaomi Grossman,John Carroll Lynch,Charles Melton,Billie Lourd,Chad James Buchanan,Cody Fern,Dylan McDermott andJamie Brewer along with newcomersRhenzy Feliz,Madison Bailey,Ben J. Pierce,Leonardo Cecchi, Kyle Red Silverstein, 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 andTom Lenk.^[28][29]

Nico Greetham and Cody Fern returned for the second season.Denis O'Hare, Matt Lasky,Gabourey Sidibe,Max Greenfield, Austin Woods,Seth Gabel,Rebecca Dayan, Cameron Cowperthwaite, Spencer Neville andTeddy Sears, who appeared in previous seasons of American Horror Story, will also appear in the second season along with newcomersKristine Froseth, Houston Jax 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,Addison Timlin, Julia Schlaepfer, Ian Sharkey,Dominique Jackson,Quvenzhané Wallis, Raven Scott, Kyla Drew, Kyanna Simone,Shane Callahan, Ryan D. 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.^[30][31]

On August 13, 2021, it was announced that FX had ordered a new spin-off limited seriesAmerican Sports Story. The first installment, based on the podcastGladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. fromThe Boston Globe andWondery, will focus on the rise and fall of former NFL playerAaron Hernandez.^[1] In January 2023, it was reported that the series was "heading toward production".^[32]Principal photography began on April 3, 2023, inJersey City, New Jersey.^[33] Filming was suspended in July due to the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.^[34] The series premiered on September 17, 2024.^[35]

On August 13, 2021, it was announced that FX had ordered a new spin-off seriesAmerican Love Story. The first installment will depict the whirlwind courtship and marriage ofJohn F. Kennedy Jr. andCarolyn Bessette-Kennedy.^[1] In March 2025, it was reported by Variety thatSarah Pidgeon had been cast the role of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy^[36] In May 2025, it was reported by Variety thatNaomi Watts will playJackie Kennedy, while newcomer Paul Kelly leads the series as John F. Kennedy Jr.^[37] On June 6, 2025, the series expanded its cast withGrace Gummer,Sydney Lemmon, andAlessandro Nivola. In a series regular role, Gummer will portrayCaroline Kennedy. In recurring roles, Lemmon will portray Lauren Bessette, and Nivola will playCalvin Klein.^[38] On June 13, 2025,Ryan Murphy shared a first look at Paul Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon as JFK. Jr. and Carolyn Bessette on hisInstagram. Within the same day, it was announced by Murphy thatLeila George and Noah Fearnley joined the cast as Kelly Klein andMichael Bergin. In July 2025, Omari K. Chancellor joined the series in a recurring role as Gordon Henderson.^[39] The series, later retitledLove Story,^[39] is set to premiere in February 2026.^[16]

As part of the promotion forAmerican Horror Story, FX launched a "House Call" campaign, in which viewers at home could sign up and come face-to-face with a character from the series.^[72] Prior to the series premiere, FX released several clues to shine light on the series. They were offered on the show's officialYouTube channel. Ten clues were released.^[73] In September 2011, FX launched a website which allows visitors to tour the Murder House throughout the decades and look for clues.^[74]

In August 2012, the first promo for the second season was released on theAmerican Horror StoryFacebook page entitled "Special Delivery", in which a nun carries a couple of buckets filled with body parts through a field. As a church bell rings, the nun empties one bucket's bloody contents, leaving the empty bucket behind, and resumes her trek.^[75] Over 20 subsequent teasers were released.^[76] Four photos were also released on EW.com.^[77] Two televised teasers, titled "Meet the Residents", were released on August 31, 2012. They feature the patients and some staff (such as Dr. Thredson, played by Zachary Quinto, and Sister Mary Eunice, played by Lily Rabe) lying in twin beds and dealing with their individual issues as the heads of the asylum (Jessica Lange, Joseph Fiennes and James Cromwell) look on. The song "Que Sera, Sera", mixed with the show's theme music, plays.^[78] To promoteCult, a competition was set up where fans who donated to theChildren's Hospital Los Angeles could get a chance to get a walk-on role in an episode, and lunch with Evan Peters.^[79]

On August 16, 2016, FX announced a deal had been struck to feature anAmerican Horror Storymaze atUniversal Studios Hollywood andUniversal Orlando for theirHalloween Horror Nights events. The maze featured sets and themes fromMurder House,Freak Show, andHotel.Universal Parks & Resorts said of the experience, "Twisted scenes fromMurder House will unleash the evil spirits that possess the Harmon estate, spiraling guests through decades of the tortured dead who previously resided there. InFreak Show, guests joined a troupe of biological misfits in a sinister sideshow where they were stalked by the murderous and deformed Twisty the Clown. Finally, guests succumbed to the warped desires of the Countess after checking into the haunted Hotel Cortez, conceived from the beginning as a torture chamber for its customers."^[80] In 2017, the show returned as haunted attractions to both parks, with Universal Orlando having an attraction based onAsylum,Coven, andRoanoke, and Universal Studios Hollywood basing their attraction solely onRoanoke.

In December 2017,The Walt Disney Company announced it wouldpurchase 21st Century Fox which included the 20th Century Fox film and TV assets. The deal was completely finalized on March 20, 2019, making 20th Century Fox officially part ofThe Walt Disney Studios. As Disney and Universal are bitter rivals in thetheme park business (especially for theirCentral Florida properties), this would likely end the franchise's presence in Halloween Horror Nights at Universal parks.^[81]

On July 14, 2021, anAmerican Horror Story themed bakery opened inNew York'sMeatpacking District inManhattan until July 24, 2021, to celebrate the release of spin-offAmerican Horror Stories and thetenth season. Guests had to be over the age of 18 to enter the bakery. Guests also had to make reservations for 30 minute visits. It featured sweet treats inspired by the series, as well as unique designs and characters based on past installments ofAmerican Horror Story andAmerican Horror Stories. After placing an order, the Rubber Woman, introduced in the first episode ofAmerican Horror Stories, delivered the order through a secret window. It opened inLos Angeles from August 4, 2021, until August 14, 2021, inBeverly Grove. The bakery opened inProvincetown,Massachusetts, where the first part of the tenth season were filmed, at Pat's Happy Park on September 1, 2021, till September 4, 2021.^{[82][83][84][85][86][87][88]}

• 20th Television franchises
• American Crime Story
• American horror fiction television series
• American Horror Story
• American anthology television series
• Mass media franchises introduced in 2011
• Television series about serial killers
• Fiction about sororicide
• Television franchises
• 20th Century Studios franchises
• Television series about extraterrestrial life
• Television series set in the 2010s
• Television shows adapted into comics
• Television shows adapted into video games

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata