American Horror Story Writers Have “Flirted” With Idea For Season In Space

Ahead of the finale of the ninth season of American Horror Story, series creator Ryan Murphy was already teasing the inevitable tenth season of the series, likely due to air in the fall of 2020. Now that American Horror Story: 1984 has officially wrapped up, the prolific television auteur has his sights set on the next batch of episodes. Murphy has revealed that he already knows what it will be but is keeping his idea for the next season close to the vest. The series co-creator has also revealed some ideas he’s had for the series that have been talked about but which they can’t pull the trigger on just yet.

Speaking with Deadline about the most recent season and the future, Murphy revealed that when deciding on the theme of the next season he keeps a list of the other ideas that didn’t make the cut, and that one of them is a season set in space. Murphy said even he doesn’t understand the process by which he decides on the theme for the next season, compiling a list of candidates that “could be” and letting his mind tell him which fits best.

“Every season by Halloween, I come up with what the winner (theme) is and I already came up with an idea for season 10,” Murhpy said. “There’s always the runner-ups, and I’m like ‘Hmm could this be something?’ We flirted with aliens, we flirted with space, we flirted with some things that were more interesting than others. I think that at the heart of it, it’s always about Americana….The fans write in what they want, and they’re very excited about the Coven stuff and the aliens in season 2. They’ve always wanted something in space.”

When pressed further about what the new season would be about, Murphy wouldn’t say, but it’s safe to assume that “Space” landed on the chopping block and won’t be seen next year.

“(Space) would be hard because it’s called American Horror Story and you’d have to stay within the legal soil limits in order to make that work. We’re working on an idea for season 10 that I think people will love.”

Further details about the tenth season of American Horror Story remain a mystery, but Murphy also revealed that they’ll be bringing back some fan-favorite actors for the season, specifically actors from the early seasons of the series. There’s also the possibility that the new season brings back other characters from past season (as season 8’s Apocalypse did). Sarah Paulson has already expressed interest in returning to the series, saying in an interview earlier this year: “It’s hard not to be a part of it. I would love to [return for Season 10]. I need to be a part of it again.”

What do you want the tenth season of American Horror Story to be themed around? Do you think they could ever make a season in space work? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts!