'American Horror Story' Spin-Off Series Of Standalone Episodes Announced By Ryan Murphy
American Horror Story is one of the most successful anthology series on air today, with each season offering a fresh horror approach from creator Ryan Murphy. But the mega-producer, who has been producing content under a deal with Netflix, is still finding new ways to tell horror stories with a new spin-off series that will double down on the anthology model. Titled American Horror Stories, the spin-off series will consist of hourlong standalone episodes, rather than the season-long horror arcs of the original show.
Ryan Murphy announced on his Instagram page on Monday that he's developing an American Horror Story spin-off series titled American Horror Stories, a series of contained episodes. While the American Horror Story format already allowed Murphy to switch up the cast and narrative each season — with the show resetting to tell a complete story from beginning to end — Murphy seems to be taking the Twilight Zone approach with his new spin-off and focusing on stories that can be contained within an hour.
Murphy announced the series on his Instagram account in a video informing the cast of American Horror Story Season 10 that the season is "weather-dependent" and may be postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Murphy also mused that he may tackle a different idea than the aquatic-themed season that he teased with images of a creepy New England coast. The still-secretive 10th season as announced would feature Sarah Paulson as the "central character" and would feature Murphy regulars and newcomers Kathy Bates, Macaulay Culkin, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Evan Peters, Adina Porter, Lily Rabe, Angelica Ross, and Finn Wittrock. However, it's unclear if Murphy will move forward with season 10 as is.
It's unclear if American Horror Stories would feature the same cast of regulars that frequently appear in American Horror Story — in addition to a few of the above, Taissa Farmiga, Jessica Lange, Emma Roberts, Angela Bassett, Frances Conroy, and more have been known to pop up — or if the anthology series would air on FX or FX on Hulu. Murphy has been pretty occupied with his deal with Netflix, recently releasing the alternate-history series Hollywood, and has several more shows lined up with the streamer. But since American Horror Story is so heavily associated with FX which, prior to Netflix, had the strongest relationship with Murphy, it's likely to land at the cable network.
Check out the Murphy Zoom chat with his American Horror Story cast below.