Every Season of American Horror Story to Date, Ranked

Nicole Drum

09/20/2023 12:35 am EDT

American Horror Story returns Wednesday night for the first part of its twelfth season, American Horror Story: Delicate. The season is set to be like none before it, not only in that it is divided into two parts due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but it is also the first to be based directly on source material — in this case, Danielle Valentine's novel Delicate Condition, and also not be show run by series co-creator Ryan Murphy. But while a lot has been discussed about American Horror Story: Delicate in anticipation of its release and with fans eagerly anticipating what this story that's being billed as a modern take on Rosemary's Baby may hold within the overall AHS franchise, as we head into the latest season of the horror anthology series, we're taking a look back at the previous seasons of the series — and ranking them.

Ranking the previous seasons of American Horror Story is something that we've done before, but it's been a few years — and a few seasons — since we've done so. This time around, we're specifically going to look at how the seasons fared with critics by looking at their Rotten Tomatoes scores and comparing that to audience response as well. The results might surprise you. Read on for the rankings. You can also read on for more information about American Horror Story: Delicate below as well.

What Is The New Season of American Horror Story About?

Titled American Horror Story: Delicate, the twelfth season of American Horror Story will premiere next month. The season is inspired by Danielle Valentine's novel, Delicate Condition, in which a woman named Anna becomes convinced that a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens while the men in her life refuse to believe a word she says. The season will star Emma Roberts, Cara Delevingne, Kim Kardashian, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, and Zachary Quinto. Halley Feiffer is set to serve as the season's showrunner.

"It is essentially a horror novel about pregnancy," Valentine previously shared with Entertainment Weekly about the book. "It's a novel exploring not just the actual physical gruesomeness of what pregnancy is, but also the medical gaslighting that even modern, very privileged women experience as they're going through their pregnancies and the symptoms that I feel we as a culture still don't talk about for strange reasons."

11. Hotel (Season 5)

Hotel ranks the lowest among critics of all AHS seasons to date with a 64 percent. The critical consensus is that the season favors "garish style over effective storytelling" and does its cast no favors. The season is centered around the mysterious Hotel Cortez in Los Angeles, the scene of disturbing and paranormal events, overseen by its enigmatic staff and stars Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Wes Bentley, Matt Bomer, Chloe Sevigny, Denis O'Hare, Cheyenne Jackson, Angela Bassett, and Lady Gaga. Fans also weren't super fond of the season and gave it a 60.

10. NYC (Season 11)

(Photo: FX)

Season 11 is another very divisive season. Critics gave it a 71 which puts it at the 10th spot on this list, but fans rated it much lower at 40 percent — the lowest rating for a season to date. Set in the 1980s in New York City, the season focuses on a string of killings involving gay men amid the emergence of a new virus — HIV/AIDS. The season starred Russell Tovey, Joe Mantello, Billie Lourd, Denis O'Hare, Charlie Carver, Leslie Grossman, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Powell, Zachary Quinto, and Patti LuPone.

9. Murder House (Season 1)

Despite being the first season, Murder House comes in very low with the critics at 72 percent, though for fans, the number is much higher. Fans give the season an 84 percent, which would put it at the number 2 spot. The season set the tone for everything after it and followed a family who moved into a restored mansion in Los Angeles after dealing with miscarriage and infidelity only to soon discover the house is haunted by the ghosts of its former residents — and victims. The season starred Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Evan Peters, Taissa Farmiga, Denis O'Hare, and Jessica Lange.

8. Cult (Season 7)

Cult comes in at number 8 with 73 percent and praise for its "timely, over-the-top creepiness" even though it was "hampered by broad political generalizations". It's those generalizations and its political nature that didn't win over fans, however, giving it a low 52 percent making this a truly divisive entry in the overall franchise.

Cult took place in the fictional suburb of Brookfield Heights, Michigan and centered on a cult terrorizing residents in the aftermath of Donald Trump's presidential win. The season starred Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Cheyenne Jackson, Billie Lourd, and Alison Pill.

7. Roanoke (Season 6)

The sixth season of AHS, Roanoke is unique in that it leans hard on historical elements and also has a "show within a show" feel, but for critics, that's a good thing. It has a 74 percent score placing it at number 7 overall with praise for its "surprising turn away from prior AHS formats, revisiting the deliberate pace of earlier seasons on a spookier, smaller scale." Fans, however, did not agree, giving the season a 57 percent.

Roanoke follows supernatural experiences and a haunted house in North Carolina with the first part of the season presented as a documentary and the second half as found footage of the doomed production of its sequel. The season stars Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lily Rabe, Andre Holland, Denis O'Hare, Wes Bentley, Evan Peters, Cheyenne Jackson, and Angela Bassett and also featured Lady Gaga.

6. Freak Show (Season 4)

Freak Show is notably Jessica Lange's favorite season and it's one that has fared pretty well with critics, coming in with a 74 percent score. Critics noted that the season is very weird but praised it for bringing the thrills "thanks to its reliably stylish presentation and game cast." Fans gave the season a 68. and we previously put it near the bottom of our list at 8 out of the then 9 total seasons due to its weirder elements and musical performances.

Freak Show followed the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the U.S. and starred Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Michael Chiklis, Francis Conroy, Denis O'Hare, Emma Roberts, Finn Wittrock, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, and Jessica Lange along with Lily Rabe, Naomi Grossman, and John Cromwell, the three of which reprised their roles from Asylum.

5. Apocalypse (Season 8)

(Photo: FX)

The big crossover season, Apocalypse takes the number five spot with critics with a 79 percent score, receiving praise for its performances and its ambition in that it crosses over with multiple seasons of the series — including Murder House, Hotel, and Coven. We previously ranked this season at number six and fans have it at 75 percent, putting it in a three-way tie for third. The season saw the Coven witches return to battle the Antichrist in an attempt to save the world after a nuclear holocaust. The season starred Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Adina Porter, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Cody Fern, Emma Roberts, Cheyenne Jackson, and Kathy Bates.

4. Double Feature (Season 10)

Season 10 was a unique season for AHS in that it features two different stories, "Red Tide" and "Death Valley" that ultimately were not connected. "Red Tied" focused on a family who finds themselves dealing with the mysterious — and vampiric — true inhabitants of Provincetown, Massachusetts while "Death Valley" followed a group of camping friends who end up in the middle of an alien conspiracy. The double season starred Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Finn Wittrock, Frances Conroy, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Adina Porter, and Angelica Ross along with Macaulay Culkin, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Neal McDonough, Kaia Gerber, Nico Greetham, Isaac Powell, Rachel Hilson, and Rebecca Dayan. It comes in fourth with critics with a score of 80 percent, but fans had a very different take. Its audience sore is a dismal 51. The only thing everyone can agree on? Leslie Grossman was outstanding.

3. Asylum (Season 2)

The second season of American Horror Story, Asylum, comes in third with critics with a score of 84 percent. The season, which follows the stories of the staff and inmates occupying the fictional Briarcliff Manor mental institution, is praised for its ability to cross "boundaries to shock and scare with sexy subplots and some innovative takes on current social issues". We previously ranked this season at number one and the fans seem to agree with us. The season has the highest audience score of all AHS seasons to date with a massive 90 percent

2. Coven (Season 3)

(Photo: FX)

The third season of American Horror Story, Coven has a solid 85 percent on Rotten Tomatoes where it was praised for having "a noteworthy ensemble cast combined with creepy storytelling and campy, outrageous thrills." We previously ranked this season at number 3. Fans generally seem to agree with the overall assessment of the season which followed a coven of witches in New Orleans as they fight for survival as it received a 75 percent audience score. The season starred Sarah Paulson, Taissa Farmiga, Frances Conroy, Angela Bassett, Evan Peters, Gabourey Sidibe, Lily Rabe, Emma Roberts, Denis O'Hare, Kathy Bates, and Jessica Lange.

1. 1984 (Season 9)

With a critic's score of 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the slasher-flick inspired 1984 leads the pack as the critical favorite of American Horror Story seasons to date. The critical consensus is that the season is "a near perfect blend of slasher tropes and American Horror Story's trademark twists." We previously ranked this at number 2 on our rankings. The season took place just outside Los Angeles in the 1980s and focused on the staff of a summer camp reopening 14 years after a massacre and starred Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Cody Fern, Matthew Morrison, Gus Kenworthy, John Carroll Lynch, Angelica Ross, and Zach Villa.

As for the audience score, 1984 received a 75 percent, putting it in a three-way tie for third place along with Coven and Apocalypse.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.