More than a dozen seasons in, American Horror Story is still going strong.
The anthology horror series has released ten seasons so far, with its most recent season — titled “Double Feature” — airing its final episode in October of 2021. The show typically airs in the latter half of the year, between September and January, and over the last decade has become a staple of the fall and winter months. As we once again approach cooling weather and the holiday season, the minds of fans are turning to this horror-themed favorite. The show is almost assured to air an eleventh season, but its airing schedule was altered in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Will we still get season eleven at the usual time, or do we have a longer wait than usual for our next AHS fix?
Will there be an American Horror Story season 11?
American Horror Story uses a unique formula to deliver its content. Rather than follow the typical direction of long-running shows, which see the same cast return, season to season, to play the same characters and advance the same storyline, AHS keeps things fresh. Each season of the series takes on a different theme, with different characters at its core. Many of the same actors return season to season, with several favorites appearing in almost every season of the popular show, but they rarely play the same characters.
Each season of the show is self-contained, introducing and concluding a complete story over the course of its runtime. Over ten seasons, the show has taken aim at a number of horror favorites, from witches and aliens to cults and polarized politics, the antichrist, and cannibals. The most recent season, “Double Feature” follows two separate storylines over its runtime, first taking aim at a struggling writer and his family after their move to an isolated Massachusetts town, and later pivoting to a group of teenagers on a camping trip in the late 50s. It aired its final episode on Oct. 20, 2021.
The series has already been renewed through season thirteen, so fans are well aware that season eleven is coming eventually. The timeline on its release is less certain, however, thanks to the continued effects of the pandemic. Ryan Murphy, one of the creators behind the popular series, has also promised that characters from two AHS seasons — “Coven” and “Apocalypse” — will return in later seasons.
When will AHS season 11 release?
Season eleven doesn’t have a definite release date just yet, but based on previous seasons, we can predict a loose timeline of when fans can expect more AHS content. The first nine seasons were released like clockwork, with a fresh season dropping yearly between September and October. The gap between seasons nine and ten altered the release schedule somewhat, with season ten dropping a full two years after season nine, and arriving a month earlier than previous seasons. The first episode of “Double Feature” dropped in mid-August, rather than September, and concluded early in mid-October.
This altered release schedule was necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus is unlikely to affect later seasons. It’s more likely that fans can expect season eleven (and other future seasons) to follow the release schedule of the first nine seasons, with its first episode arriving between mid-September and early October 2022. Given the horror-centric vibes of the show, it makes sense to release it around Halloween time, so its unlikely that season eleven will release much later than October, and with no news out yet, its very unlikely to arrive before the latter half of September.
What members of the cast will return for season 11?
We still don’t know many details about the plot or cast for season eleven, but a few cast members are highly anticipated. Sarah Paulson — a longtime AHS regular — is unlikely to appear in season eleven, and in fact may never appear in another American Horror Story season. She’s distanced herself from the show, but remains open to a potential future appearance if the right character comes along, according to ScreenRant.
Other favorites like Lily Rabe, Denis O’Hare, and Cody Fern are likely to make a return, after establishing themselves as mainstays over the show’s tenure. Fans are holding out hope that longtime fan-favorites like Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, and Emma Roberts might make a return, as well as newcomer Macaulay Culkin, who made his debut in season ten.
What is season 11’s theme?
Murphy has yet to comment on the precise theme for season eleven, but fans are digging through old ideas to propose theories for the next season. Back in 2021, Murphy put up a Twitter poll with teasers for different potential themes. These included Christmas Horror, Aliens, Piggy Man, Sirens, Bloody Mary, and Plague. Aliens have already cropped up twice in AHS — in seasons two and ten — so it seems unlikely that they are still a major contender. The other options are all being floated as the potential theme for season eleven, however, and fans would welcome any of them.