It’s officially fall, which means that there’s a new season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series American Horror Story airing on FX. This season is titled Delicate, and features a number of familiar faces from the show’s history. But there’s also some newcomers like Kim Kardashian. AHS: Delicate is here, but I’m not sold on Kardashian’s acting.
We’re only a few episodes into Delicate, so the show’s overall plot is still being established. But Kim Kardashian’s Siobhan Corbyn has been heavily featured, with the reality TV icon given some truly wild dialogue. Twitter seems to be going gaga over Kim’s acting chops so far, so I feel like an outlier. It’s just not landing for me.
To clarify, I’m not a hater of the Kardashian empire, and watch plenty of reality TV myself. And as such, Kim still has the ability to win me over as we get deeper into this season of American Horror Story. But right now there’s a disconnect for me.
Perhaps the reason is due to the wild dialogue of AHS: Delicate. Kim Kardashian has been going viral online as Siobhan because the character’s lines are so filthy and outrageous. Unfortunately, I haven’t felt like she’s portrayed up that loud personality, and is instead letting the screenplay do the heavy lifting.
Maybe there’s also a cognitive dissonance with seeing Kim Kardashian playing… not Kim Kardashian. She’s been on TV non-stop for years, and continues to make headlines thanks to Hulu’s series The Kardashians. So it’s strange to see her without eating salads and talking to various members of her family of entrepreneurs. Since she’s got that signature contour and high fashion looks in the show, the costuming isn't exactly helping the transformation process. At least, not yet.
All this being said, you can’t deny that the camera absolutely loves Kim. It’s hard to take your eye off her onscreen, even in the same frame as other actors like Emma Roberts. So if her character forces her to step out of her comfort zone later on in this season of American Horror Story, it could be her big debut as a real actress. Only time will tell, but I’ll be tuning in.
As previously mentioned, the cast of American Horror Story: Delicate is stacked, with plenty of returning faces. While Emma Roberts is playing the protagonist, she's joined with franchise favorites like Dennis O'Hare, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, and Zachary Quinto. We'll just have to see how these characters ultimately factor into the growing narrative of the beloved anthology series.
American Horror Story: Delicate airs new episodes Wednesdays on FX, and is also streaming with a Hulu subscription. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next movie experience.
