American Horror Story Just Got a Very Promising Update

Back in January 2020, FX renewed American Horror Story through Season 13 but the horror anthology series’ future may go much further. Speaking with The Wrap, series-co-creator Ryan Murphy revealed that he would like to “keep doing it for a long time” and that FX is on board as well. American Horror Story just completed its 12th season, Delicate, in April with Delicate being the first season of the popular series that Murphy did not showrun himself — Halley Feiffer took over duties for the season, which was based on Danielle Valentine’s novel Delicate Condition.

“John Landgraf is so cool about that,” Murphy said about continuing American Horror Story. “He always says, ‘Well, it’s really up to you. I’ll keep putting him on the air and making them.’ I have the luxury of my deal, and also it just aired. So, it’s not like it’s been gone forever.”

He continued, “I would keep doing it for a long time. Sarah Paulson and I talk about that too, like, shoot the finale at her funeral, so to speak. A lot of people who made that have stayed with us through the years … When we first started it, we were really like a troupe, and I didn’t have children then, so I was a completely different person. I was able to go, at Jessica Lange’s command, to New Orleans. I couldn’t do that now. Now I’m excited that Sarah is interested in it again. I’m excited that Evan — in the right part — would be interested. There’s a large group of people that I would like to return to that show, including Angela Bassett and on and on and on. It’s fun. But I have to have something to say, or somebody else, another showrunner, has to have something to say.”

While we don’t currently have any details about Season 13 of American Horror Story — as was noted, Delicate just aired earlier this year — the idea that some fan favorites could be returning for the future season (or seasons) is pretty exciting. Paulson herself recently said during an appearance on Good Morning America that there was a “big chance” she’d come back to the anthology and that it is something she’d like to do “more than anything.”

“I think there is a big chance that I will return to American Horror Story,” Paulson said. “I’ve got everything crossed. I would like to do it more than anything. It’s my home. It’s where I started.”

Murphy himself has also recently indicated that he’s spoken with both Paulson and Peters about returning, suggesting that it is something that could happen sooner than fans expect.

“You know, that’s an interesting question,” Murphy said. “I was talking to Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters about that the other day, so maybe sooner than you think.”

While the idea that FX is all in for more American Horror Story and that Murphy isn’t opposed to it is good news for fans, future seasons could see some changes — not unlike what we’ve already seen with Delicate. Murphy also said that whether he would showrun future seasons of the series would depend on the idea (and the cast, as he indicated that if Paulson and Evans returned, he would as well). But Murphy also noted that his workload in general has changed a great deal with his company and all of the shows he works on. While he did say that he was heavily involved with Delicate’s look and design, the series was a departure from the rest of American Horror Story. It didn’t necessarily work as well for some fans and critics — the series received mixed reviews overall — but opening up the long-running anthology series to new approaches (in this case, adaptations) and new perspectives (such as showrunners) could be the ticket to seeing American Horror Story go well beyond Season 13.

All 12 current seasons of American Horror Story are available to stream on Hulu.