I am new to this show, but I bought it on iTunes while coming back from Las Vegas for something to watch on the plane and I was not disappointed. I knew it aired on FX, but my schedule never allowed me to watch it, and I always forgot to DVR it. I just finished the first season and all I have to say is, what an awesome concept! I am currently watching "American Horror Story: Asylum," which is the follow-up to the first season.
Before I get into the first season, let's discuss exactly what the format of the show is. Each season, a set 12 or 13 episode arc is created that follows converging story lines. At the close of the season, that arc is over and a new story begins as the new seasons premiere. The unique part? In Season 2, almost all of the actors are the same, but they play different characters. By my count, the only actress who was not asked back was Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights," "Nashville"), who played Vivien Harmon in the first run.
The show is produced and directed by Ryan Murphy, and season one chronicles a couple named Ben (Dylan McDermott, not to be confused with Dermott Mulrooney) and Vivien (Britton) who move into a house in Los Angeles to begin life anew after Ben had an affair. They bring their daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga, sister of Vera from "Up in the Air," "The Departed," and "Running Scared") who is entranced by the house. The house is the cheapest by almost half of the others in the neighborhood. Why?
It has been dubbed "The Murder House" not only by nearby residents but also by a Los Angeles tour that stops by the house daily to relate its bloody past. Nothing good seems to come to residents who inhabit the house, and everyone seems to have met a bloody end. Throughout the series, we get a peek into the lives of those who were killed in the house and we get to see not only their end, but also how they relate to the Harmon family.
Equally creepy is fallen starlet neighbor Constance Langdon, played by the excellent Jessica Lange ("Tootsie," "Blue Sky," "Grey Gardens") in her first regular television role. She won an Emmy for this role in 2012. With her mentally challenged daughter Addie and her son Tate in tow, she is constantly dropping in on the Harmons to "help" them and offer biting criticism of the decor and their plans for the house. These are not just ordinary people, as you'd imagine.
Ben (McDermott) is a psychiatrist who sees his patients at home, including Tate. Other patient cameos for the season include Eric Stonestreet (Cam, "Modern Family"), Adina Porter (Lettie Mae Thornton, "True Blood"), and Mena Suvari ("American Pie") as Elizabeth Short, a.k.a. The Black Dahlia. Each has their own story that integrates into the house and the lives of the Harmons.
One of the major themes of the show has to do with children in the house, and the potential joy they bring, so imagine when Vivien becomes pregnant. Residents past and neighbors fall all over themselves to make sure the baby gets delivered safely. But the problem is, they each want the baby for themselves. This idea plays out well over the course of the season and serves as one of its major plot points. What also makes it interesting is that we get to learn the backstories of all of these residents and others who pop up throughout the story.
Throw in Frances Conroy ("The West Wing," "Six Feet Under") as a maid who "comes with the house," Zachary Quinto ("Heroes," "Star Trek") as one half of a gay couple who used to live in the house, Sarah Paulson ("Studio 60," "American Gothic") as a medium, and Denis O'Hare (Russell Edgington, "True Blood"), and you've got a bunch of fine actors telling a great story that will leave you wishing there were more episodes to see.
But wait! You can see "American Horror Story: Asylum" should you wish to continue the journey. Jessica Lange returns this time as Sister Jude, the administrator of an Briarcliff Asylum in Massachusetts, and you'll recognize other familiar faces from Season 1. Additions to the cast include Lily Rabe (daughter of Jill Clayburgh) as Sister Mary Eunice, Franka Potente ("Run Lola Run," "The Bourne Identity") as Anne Frank, and James Cromwell ("Babe," Six Feet Under") as a physician with a God complex.
These shows do not necessarily need to be watched in order, but it's more fun if you do to see who pops up in season 2 as a different character. However, be advised that the show is gory at times, and it is not for the squeamish.
