By Andrew Sanford | News | January 15, 2025 |
I was so dialed in for the first season of American Horror Story. It was weird and sexy and dark in a way I wouldn’t expect a television show to get. The same can be said for season two, which I remember enjoying immensely. Then, Stevie Nicks sang a song in season three, and I was still pretty much on board. It leaned more into the weirdness, but it all made sense tonally (at least to me). Season four broke me completely. I can’t remember if it was Jessica Lange singing “Life on Mars” or a Nirvana song, but I didn’t even finish the season and haven’t watched one since.
People are opinionated (shocker), but my relationship with the show has turned into me watching people get very excited for the trailers and first few episodes and then turning on the show about halfway through the season. I’ve also had to explain away some of the imagery whenever I open Disney+ so my kids can watch Bluey and they are bombarded with pictures from Ryan Murphy’s bloody horror show. In fairness, my kids are intrigued by them because they already know what vampires are, and that’s my fault, but I’m not showing them anything crazy, Ryan!
American Horror Story isn’t the only show in Ryan Murphy’s arsenal, and arguably it’s the thing he’s pissed people off with the least. His American Crime Story shows offer dramatic retellings of real events, highlighting the melodrama. Monster, a show about murderers, has come under fire for exploiting victims and, in some cases, outright lying to make the show more scintillating. Then there’s Scream Queens, during which he yelled at national treasure Keke Palmer.
But today, we will focus on AHS because national treasure Kathy Bates is crediting the show and Murphy for giving her career a second life. Bates appeared in the third season of AHS after dealing with a distressing career hiccup. “Right before he gave me the opportunity to do the show, I had breast cancer and Harry’s Law had been canceled rather unpleasantly …” she explained to Jesse Tyler Ferguson on his podcast Dinner’s On Me. “When that summer happened, it was degrading. I felt kind of humiliated. I felt like I had let my cast down and had never been through an experience like that.”
After facing that devastating low, the actress was more than thrilled to have her career “rejuvenated” by Murphy. Now, she’s starring in a hit Matlock remake and is pleased as Peach. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Bates explained. “I’ve been counseled by my PR lady not to say it’s the best experience that I’ve had. But I can’t help it. I can’t help it.” Dammit. If Murphy’s Hollywood powers result in Bates getting what she wants/deserves, I guess that’s something.