FX has renewed American Horror Story for a fifth season.
The cabler has ordered 13 episodes for the fifth run of the anthology series, which hails from 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchuck, TVWise has learned.
The show’s fourth season, subtitled Freak Show, premiered on FX last week to strong ratings. Per recently released L3 numbers, the season premiere drew 10 million Total Viewers, 6.54 million Adults 18-49, and 4.08 million Adults 18-34 – surpassing the record set by the seventh season debut of Sons of Anarchy to become FX’s most watched progamme in the 20 year history of the network. The numbers were also up nearly 40% on the ratings for the season three (American Horror Story: Coven) premiere.
“The American Horror Story anthology has had the highest growth trajectory of any show in FX history, not to mention an unprecedented track record of success in awards recognition,” said John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks. “With Ryan Murphy and his partners, Brad Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto and Tim Minear at the helm, the show’s success is not surprising. AHS continues to deliver amazing stories, a brilliant troupe of actors led by Jessica Lange, and a visual style unlike any other on TV”.
The renewal also comes less than a week after FX expanded the American Horror Story franchise by green-lighting 10 episode companion series American Crime Story. That drama, which also hails from Ryan Murphy, is another anthology series which examines a true crime case each season. The first season will focus on the OJ trial.
The fifth season of American Horror Story will enter production next year for a 2015 premiere on FX. It is presently unclear which, if any, cast members from the current season will return next year. The cast for Freak Show, which revolves around a troupe of circus performers, includes Jessica Lange (In Secret), Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law), Sarah Paulson (Game Change), Michael Chiklis (The Shield) and Angela Bassett (ER).
