Since premiering in 2011, we’ve gotten 12 seasons of American Horror Story (so far). While the show is largely an anthology series, we’ve seen numerous actors reprise their roles on various seasons, including Jessica Lange, Emma Roberts, Sarah Paulson, and Evan Peters, among many others. Use our guide below to find out how to watch American Horror Story in order by release date and chronologically.
American Horror Story in Release Date Order
- Murder House (2011)
- Asylum (2012)
- Coven (2013)
- Freak Show (2014)
- Hotel (2015)
- Roanoke (2016)
- Cult (2017)
- Apocalypse (2018)
- 1984 (2019)
- Double Feature (2021)
- NYC (2022)
- Delicate (2023-2024)
American Horror Story in Chronological Order
Freak Show (1952)
Set in 1952, Freak Show centered around a dying traveling freak show in the dawn of the television era. But dark forces are lingering within the tattered carnival, targeting the performers.
Double Feature - Death Valley (1954)
Set during the Eisenhower administration, Death Valley takes place in the ‘50s and finds a group of college kids caught up in an alien conspiracy (heavily inspired by the alleged events in Roswell).
Asylum (1964)
Set in 1964, the show’s second season sees a journalist (Paulson) head to an infamous New England insane asylum hoping to find her next big story… but she ends up discovering more horrors than she could have ever imagined.
NYC (1981)
AHS makes quite a big time jump, bringing the series to the Big Apple during its gritty, crime-filled days in the early ‘80s. Even worse, the city is grappling with a serial killer and the beginnings of the HIV epidemic.
1984 (1984)
As the season’s name implies, this time around audiences head to summer camp in 1984. Heavily inspired by slasher flicks of the ‘80s, the season…well, you can probably guess what happens next.
Murder House (2011)
The first season was set in the present day, so 2011, and centered on a couple who move into the house of their dreams. But it’s more like the house from hell, with neighbors from hell. Ugh oh…
Coven (2013)
Also set in the present day, Coven took place in 2013 and followed a secretive witch coven as they encounter some of NOLA’s infamous villains like the Axeman and Delphine LaLaurie.
Roanoke (2014-2016)
In Roanoke, a family moves into a rural farmhouse in North Carolina, on the site of the infamous Lost Colony of Roanoke. But it turns out that many of the doomed spirits still remain.
Hotel (2015)
The season known for bringing Lady Gaga into the mix was set in 2015 and takes place in a notorious Los Angeles hotel. Inspired by the very real (and very infamous) Hotel Cecil in LA, the season shows the horrors that take place behind closed doors.
Cult (2017)
Also set in the present day, so 2017, Cult took American politics head-on, showing how MAGA Republicans had basically become a cult. It’s one of the show’s boldest and most meaningful seasons to date.
Apocalypse (2020)
Apocalypse premiered in 2018 and was (at the time) set in the near future of 2020, revealing that a nuclear apocalypse could destroy society. Little did the show know that in 2020, the world really would go through a sort of apocalypse with the COVID pandemic.
Double Feature - Red Tide (2021)
Set in the present day, Red Tide sees a couple spend a winter in the remote Cape village of Provincetown and wild events begin to happen with help hundreds of miles away.
Delicate (2023-2024)
Set in the present day, the season was inspired by the book Delicate Condition and follows a celebrity trying to get pregnant through IVF… but soon she starts suffering from delusions and paranoia.
Where Can I Watch Every American Horror Story Season Online?
Use our guide below to find out where every season of American Horror Story is streaming online right now.
