Ryan Murphy Names His Favorite ‘American Horror Story’ Season, and Fans Are Split
‘American Horror Story‘ has spent over a decade reinventing itself with each new season, giving creator Ryan Murphy a rare opportunity to look back across more than a dozen distinct chapters and pick a personal favorite. With the franchise currently promoting its most ambitious crossover season yet, that kind of reflection has naturally worked its way into the press cycle.
That promotional tour for season 13 has brought both cast and crew face-to-face with questions about the show’s entire history, and Murphy hasn’t shied away from offering opinions that don’t always align with popular fan consensus. Given how divisive certain seasons of the anthology series have historically been among viewers, any definitive ranking from the show’s creator was always going to generate discussion.
That discussion is now well underway. Murphy revealed his favorite season of ‘American Horror Story’ in a new interview, and his pick landed on one of the franchise’s most polarizing entries. “My favorite season is the season which everybody hates, which is Roanoke,” Murphy told Page Six. “That is my favorite season; it’s my favorite form,” he continued, defending the choice further by explaining, “I loved making it because it was playing with form.”
Murphy’s pick is notable partly because it directly contradicts the stated opinion of one of the franchise’s most central performers. Sarah Paulson, who has appeared across ten seasons of the anthology series, has previously gone on record calling Roanoke her least favorite installment, describing it as a stretch of filming she found personally underwhelming coming off her role in ‘American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson.’
That disagreement between Murphy and Paulson has apparently become something of a running joke between the two collaborators. After coming across footage of Paulson discussing her feelings toward the season, Murphy responded directly, writing, “JUSTICE FOR ROANOKE! My favorite season, Sarah’s least favorite… but she was so good in it!” while adding that the pair have had genuine arguments over the topic.
Fan reaction to Murphy’s pick has been notably split. Some viewers rushed to back his choice, with one commenter writing that Roanoke was “the only one that actually gave me the long-term creeps,” while others sided firmly with Paulson’s original assessment, reinforcing just how divisive the season has remained nearly a decade after it originally aired in 2016.
Murphy’s comments arrive during the promotional push for ‘American Horror Story’ season 13, an all-star installment designed to bring back beloved characters from across the anthology’s twelve-season history. Sarah Paulson is set to portray as many as six or seven different characters throughout the new season, while Jessica Lange returns to reprise all four of her previous roles and Evan Peters takes on five separate characters.
Speaking on the red carpet with Entertainment Tonight, Murphy described the new season as featuring returning characters from every prior installment, “including characters we thought would never come back,” setting up what he’s characterized as a crossover event years in the making. The ambitious ensemble also includes Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd and Angela Bassett, all facing what Murphy has described as the franchise’s ultimate evil.
Check out the new teaser for the upcoming episode of #AmericanHorrorStory: 13.
— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) September 26, 2026
Premiering Thursday on FX. pic.twitter.com/Kmw4AGcCTr
With season 13 already in the works and Murphy telling The Hollywood Reporter that he’s simultaneously developing ideas for a fourteenth season, it’s clear the creator has no intention of slowing down anytime soon, controversial season rankings or otherwise.
What do you think of Ryan Murphy naming Roanoke as his favorite season of American Horror Story?
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