There has been a distinct change happening in the world of television. Rather than straight forward storytelling, anthology series have been popping up to tell more capsulated small screen adventures. Ryan Murphy has used this formula like gangbusters with FX's American Horror Story, which features a new location, cast, and story with each season. AHS also has frequent crossovers, so the overall timeline of the series is an interconnected web that can be a bit confusing for casual viewers. Until now.
Youtube channel Popped Culture has recently compiled a video which walks us through the complete timeline of American Horror Story's first 5 seasons. Considering how much chaos has happened throughout the years on AHS, it's enough to make your head spin.
Pretty impressive, right? Let's break down all the goodness that they jam packed into the American Horror Story timeline.
I have to say that I never really thought about how all of the seasons of American Horror Story function chronologically. Seasons of the show usually alternate between period pieces and modern stories, so it can be a bit of a mess if you try to work it all out yourself. But AHS often lists the year and location of each scene, so if you put pen to paper you can figure out how it all fits together in time.
The whole thing begins with Kathy Bates' vile Delphine LaLaurie (AHS: Coven) in New Orleans and ends with Sarah Paulson's Billie Dean Howard (AHS: Murder House and AHS: Hotel) fleeing from the Hotel Cortez. In between we're given the many lives and adventures of some of the more supernatural characters such as The Countess and Fiona Goode. And because there are so many immortal characters and ghosts, characters have been making moves for years.
It should be interesting to see how Season 6 fits into the narrative of the overall series. American Horror Story: My Roanoke Nightmare has changed the format of the series greatly, surprising everyone during last week's series premiere. While still a spooky anthology series, Season 6 is using a mockumentary format, with the main characters' action split between talking heads interviews and "reenactments". So if crossovers and connections with past season is to occur, it's unclear which version of the characters would be interacting with past characters. Will we see Cordelia Foxx show up in the reenactments, or will she be one of the "real people" like Lily Rabe?
Only time will tell how American Horror Story continues to interconnect and expand the world of the series. At least now you're caught up on the first five seasons, courtesy of the above video. So there's that.
