American Horror Story’s Most Underrated Season May Be Its Best

When it comes to American Horror Story, almost every season is supposed to stand on its own; however, there are some, like American Horror Story: Hotel, that feature characters from past seasons in cameo roles. Meanwhile, American Horror Story: Apocalypse delivers a full on crossover season before marking a fresh start for the series at large, with Season 13 of American Horror Story on the way. With that in mind, though, American Horror Story’s most unique season came before the reboot, and it is also the series’ most underrated season.

That season is Season 6, better known as American Horror Story: Roanoke. What makes this season stand out the most is its structure. Part of Roanoke is filmed as documentary series following up on a supernatural re-enactment series with a strange production history. It even uses footage from said fictionalized TV show, giving audiences the best of both worlds. It’s a layered framing device, acting as a love letter and a satire to these re-enactment shows, as well as found footage films. It even calls out the staged, manipulative nature of reality TV and the entertainment industry at large.

Along with this unique motif, American Horror Story: Roanoke allows its actors — many of which have performed in the series before as different characters — to deliver more grounded performances than seen in past seasons (largely to keep up the illusion that this is a documentary). While American Horror Story is known for going over the top and embracing camp at times, especially with American Horror Story: 1984, American Horror Story: Roanoke feels more realistic, even when audiences get to the supernatural elements. As a result, American Horror Story: Roanoke is even more scary, upsetting, and uncomfortable than past seasons.

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While people often go to American Horror Story for the horror, this meta take on television alone provides an interesting narrative, as well as plenty of drama that’s perfect for a soap opera. When it comes to the horror, though, that is also engaging. American Horror Story: Roanoke addresses one of the United States of America’s oldest unsolved mysteries, the lost colony of Roanoke. American Horror Story is no stranger to incorporating real horrors and mysteries into its narratives, as seen with the appearances of multiple real life serial killers in different seasons. However, Roanoke, in particular, stands out given the mystery around it, as well as the hypothetical answers presented.

There is also a stark contrast between how the re-enactment show depicts the horrors of Roanoke and what is experienced during the making-of said show. The latter is much more gruesome and haunting, reminding audiences that true crime series are not fantastical, fictional tales to get lost in. These places are rooted in real life tragedies.

American Horror Story: Roanoke is one of the franchise’s most meta looks at true crime, television production, and the series itself. It pulls this off without being too tongue and cheek, thus making it a refreshing standout in meta television. It’s especially refreshing for American Horror Story, which at times loses its bite or feels as if it’s relying to much on shock factor. Yes, Roanoke is a shocking season, but what’s shocking feels as if it serves a purpose for the most part. One of the best American Horror Story seasons, Roanoke is often overlooked but stands out for the same reason — its the American Horror Story season that feels the least like what’s expected from American Horror Story.

Stream American Horror Story: Roanoke on Hulu.