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The fourth season of the American
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining
freak show A freak show, also known as a creep show, is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with ...
s in the United States and their struggle for survival. The
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...
includes Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Michael Chiklis, Frances Conroy, Denis O'Hare, Emma Roberts, Finn Wittrock,
Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...
, Kathy Bates, and Jessica Lange, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomers Chiklis and Wittrock. The season marks the first not to be strictly anthological, with Lily Rabe,
Naomi Grossman Naomi Grossman (born February 6, 1975) is an American actress, writer, and producer best known for her role as Pepper in the second and fourth season of the FX horror television series ''American Horror Story''. Early life Grossman was born in ...
, and John Cromwell reprising their roles from the series' second cycle, '' Asylum.'' Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for cable network FX, the series is produced by
20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...
. ''Freak Show'' was broadcast between October 8, 2014, to January 21, 2015, consisting of 13 episodes. Like its predecessors, the season was met with positive reviews and consistently strong ratings. The premiere episode attracted a series high of 6.13 million viewers, making it the most viewed episode of the series. It ultimately became FX's most-watched program ever, surpassing its previous installment, ''
Coven A coven () is a group or gathering of witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English until 1921 when Margaret Murray promote ...
''. The season garnered a total of twenty
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nominations, the most for any season of ''American Horror Story'' to date, including nominations for Outstanding Limited Series, and six acting nominations for Lange, O'Hare, Wittrock, Paulson, Bassett, and Bates. In addition, Paulson won for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Limited Series at the
5th Critics' Choice Television Awards The 5th Critics' Choice Television Awards ceremony, presented by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA), honored the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2014, to May 31, 2015, and was held on May 31, 2015, at The ...
.


Cast and characters


Main

* Sarah Paulson as Bette and Dot Tattler * Evan Peters as
Jimmy Darling The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
* Michael Chiklis as
Dell Toledo The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
* Frances Conroy as
Gloria Mott '' American Horror Story: Freak Show'' is the fourth season of the FX horror anthology series ''American Horror Story''. The season is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, and centers around a freak show run by aspiring German actress and singer Elsa ...
* Denis O'Hare as
Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
* Emma Roberts as
Maggie Esmerelda The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
* Finn Wittrock as
Dandy Mott The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
*
Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...
as
Desiree Dupree The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
* Kathy Bates as
Ethel Darling The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
* Jessica Lange as Elsa Mars


Special guest stars

*
Wes Bentley Wesley Cook Bentley is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Ricky Fitts in '' American Beauty'' (1999), which earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Supporting Actor; Seneca Crane in ''The Hunger Games'' (2012); Doyle i ...
as
Edward Mordrake Edward Mordake (sometimes spelled Mordrake) is the apocryphal subject of an urban legend who was born in the 19th century as the heir to an English peerage with a face at the back of his head. According to legend, the face could whisper, laugh or ...
* Celia Weston as Lillian Hemmings * Gabourey Sidibe as
Regina Ross The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
* Matt Bomer as
Andy Andy may refer to: People *Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds *Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and piano ...
*
Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for h ...
as
Massimo Dolcefino The fourth season of the American Horror (genre), horror Anthology series, anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak show ...
* Lily Rabe as Sister Mary Eunice McKee * Neil Patrick Harris as
Chester Creb The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...


Recurring

*
Naomi Grossman Naomi Grossman (born February 6, 1975) is an American actress, writer, and producer best known for her role as Pepper in the second and fourth season of the FX horror television series ''American Horror Story''. Early life Grossman was born in ...
as
Pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...
*
Grace Gummer Grace Jane Gummer (born May 9, 1986) is an American actress. She received a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of '' Arcadia''. Her television work includes recurring roles in '' The Newsroom'' and '' American Horror ...
as
Penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
* Chrissy Metz as Barbara / Ima Wiggles * Malcolm-Jamal Warner as
Angus T. Jefferson The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series '' American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
* Erika Ervin as
Amazon Eve Erika Ervin (born February 23, 1979), known professionally as Amazon Eve, is an American model, fitness trainer, and actress. She has appeared on the cover of Australian magazine ''Zoo Weekly'' and played a regular character on '' American Hor ...
* Mat Fraser as Paul the Illustrated Seal *
Jyoti Amge Jyoti Kishanji Amge (born 16 December 1993) is an Indian actress notable for being the world's shortest living woman according to the ''Guinness World Records''. Following Amge's 18th birthday on 16 December 2011, she was officially declared ...
as Ma Petite *
Rose Siggins Rose Marie Homan (December 8, 1972 – December 12, 2015), better known by her stage (and married) name Rose Siggins, was an American actress best known for her portrayal of Legless Suzi on '' American Horror Story: Freak Show''. Siggins was bor ...
as
Legless Suzi The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
*
Ben Woolf Benjamin Eric Woolf (September 15, 1980 – February 23, 2015) was an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles in ''American Horror Story'' first and fourth seasons, in which he played Infantata and Meep, respectively. He wa ...
as Meep * Lee Tergesen as Vince * Christopher Neiman as Salty * Drew Rin Varick as
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
* PJ Marshall as Detective Colquitt * John Carroll Lynch as
Twisty the Clown ''American Horror Story: Freak Show'' is the fourth season of the FXX, FX Horror fiction, horror Anthology series, anthology series ''American Horror Story''. The season is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, and centers around a freak show run by aspi ...
*
Major Dodson Major Dodson (born July 8, 2003) is an American actor known for his roles on '' The Walking Dead'', ''American Horror Story'' and ''Left Behind''. Career Dodson began acting professionally at the age of six, he had many small roles until his f ...
as Corey Bachman * Skyler Samuels as Bonnie Lipton *
Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...
as Dora Ross


Guest stars

*
Jamie Brewer Jamie Brewer is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles in the FX horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story''. In its first season, '' Murder House'', she portrayed Adelaide "Addie" Langdon; in the third ...
as
Marjorie Marjorie is a female given name derived from Margaret, which means pearl. It can also be spelled as Margery or Marjory. Marjorie is a medieval variant of Margery, influenced by the name of the herb marjoram. It came into English from the Old Fre ...
* Mare Winningham as Rita Gayheart * Matthew Glave as Larry Gayheart * David Burtka as Michael Beck * Heather Langenkamp as Female Toulouse *
Jerry Leggio Jerry Leggio (born September 23, 1935) is an American actor. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Career He has appeared in such films as '' Sounder'', '' Sister, Sister'', ''The Badge'' and ''American Violet'' and in two episodes of '' In the ...
as
Dr. Bonham The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...
*
Dalton E. Gray Dalton E. Gray (born June 4, 1997) is an American actor best known for his role as Mike in '' American Horror Story: Freak Show'' and Jack Colson for two seasons on HBO's '' Treme'' In 2012 Dalton made his film debut in the WWE Studios produced t ...
as Mike * Shauna Rappold as Lucy Creb * Kathy Deitch as young Ethel Darling * Edward Gelhaus as young Dell Toledo *
Angela Sarafyan Angela Sarafyan ( hy, Անժելա Սարաֆյան; June 30, 1983), sometimes credited as Angela Sarafian, is an Armenian-American actress. She has appeared as a guest star in several television series and has acted in the feature films: ''Kablu ...
as
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
* John Cromwell as young Arthur Arden


Episodes


Production


Development

In November 2013, FX announced that the show had been renewed for a fourth season. Series co-creator Ryan Murphy hinted that clues about the fourth season would be hidden in the final episodes of the third season. In March 2014, the season was revealed to be set at a carnival, according to co-executive producer/writer
Douglas Petrie Douglas Petrie is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Best known as a writer, director, and co-executive producer on '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. He co-wrote the screenplays for the '' Fantastic Four'' film and ''Harriet the Sp ...
. It was also revealed that Lange would be playing a role similar to
Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
. Murphy revealed that the season would take place in 1950, adding: "If you look historically what happened in the year 1950, there's some more clues in that year. It's a period piece. We try and do the opposite of what we've done before. Jessica Lange has already started practicing her German accent, so I'm very excited!" Murphy indicated that this season drew inspiration from Tod Browning's ''
Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...
'' and
Herk Harvey Harold Arnold "Herk" Harvey (June 3, 1924 – April 3, 1996) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and film producer. Early life Harvey was born in Windsor, Colorado, the son of Everett and Minnie R. Prewitt Harvey. He grew up in ...
's '' Carnival of Souls''. This season featured the largest set ever constructed for ''American Horror Story'', with Murphy stating: "We had to build an entire city. We built an entire huge compound, and then we had to build the interior of all those buildings on set. It's all, period. And it's all based on roduction designerMark Worthington's immaculate research."


Casting

Ryan Murphy confirmed that Jessica Lange would be returning for a fourth season, although said to be in a reduced capacity. She portrayed Elsa Mars, the owner of the freak show. In November 2013, Murphy said he approached Kathy Bates and
Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...
to return. Bassett later confirmed in an interview with '' Access Hollywood'' that she would be indeed coming back. They portrayed Ethel Darling and Desiree Dupree, respectively. In an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', Sarah Paulson revealed she would be returning, possibly for a main role, which was later revealed to be the conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler. It was announced at the PaleyFest 2014 that the cast members present at the panel would all be returning for the fourth season in some capacity, including Denis O'Hare (Stanley), Emma Roberts (Maggie Esmerelda), Frances Conroy (Gloria Mott), Evan Peters (Jimmy Darling), and Gabourey Sidibe (Regina Ross).
Jamie Brewer Jamie Brewer is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles in the FX horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story''. In its first season, '' Murder House'', she portrayed Adelaide "Addie" Langdon; in the third ...
was also added to the present roster, although Murphy later indicated Brewer may not appear during the season. She was later confirmed to portray the ventriloquist dummy Marjorie after appearing in a promo for the final episodes. Additionally, Michael Chiklis was announced to play the father of Peters' character and ex-husband of Bates' character, the strongman Dell Toledo. Finn Wittrock was the last lead actor joining the cast. He portrayed the psychopathic Dandy Mott. In July 2014, '' TVLine'' reported that
Wes Bentley Wesley Cook Bentley is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Ricky Fitts in '' American Beauty'' (1999), which earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Supporting Actor; Seneca Crane in ''The Hunger Games'' (2012); Doyle i ...
would appear in the season' two-part Halloween episode as
Edward Mordrake Edward Mordake (sometimes spelled Mordrake) is the apocryphal subject of an urban legend who was born in the 19th century as the heir to an English peerage with a face at the back of his head. According to legend, the face could whisper, laugh or ...
. At the Comic-Con 2014, it was announced that John Carroll Lynch would portray one of the central antagonist during the season, Twisty the Clown. In August 2014, R&B singer
Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...
joined the cast for a four-episode story arc as the mother of Sidibe's character, named Dora, the Motts' housekeeper. Also in August 2014, it was revealed that Matt Bomer would be guest-starring in one episode as Andy, Dell's secret lover. Murphy took to his Twitter account to announce that the world's smallest woman
Jyoti Amge Jyoti Kishanji Amge (born 16 December 1993) is an Indian actress notable for being the world's shortest living woman according to the ''Guinness World Records''. Following Amge's 18th birthday on 16 December 2011, she was officially declared ...
has joined the cast as Ma Petite. Murphy had written a role specifically for ''
Coven A coven () is a group or gathering of witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English until 1921 when Margaret Murray promote ...
'' alum Leslie Jordan, but he did not appear on the show due to scheduling conflicts. In September 2014, it was reported that '' Asylum'' alum
Naomi Grossman Naomi Grossman (born February 6, 1975) is an American actress, writer, and producer best known for her role as Pepper in the second and fourth season of the FX horror television series ''American Horror Story''. Early life Grossman was born in ...
would return to portray Pepper, which marked the first time a character appeared in multiple seasons of the series. Lily Rabe also reprised her ''Asylum'' character Sister Mary Eunice McKee in the tenth episode, "
Orphans An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
". Mare Winningham made an appearance in the same episode, as Pepper's sister Rita. Neil Patrick Harris guest starred in two episodes as Chester, who takes over the freak show when Elsa leaves for Hollywood. Harris' husband, David Burtka, appeared in the season finale as Elsa's husband.


Filming

At Paley Center for Media's 2014 PaleyFest event, Ryan Murphy announced that the season's filming would take place again in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, although the show's setting is in Jupiter, Florida. The premiere episode was directed by co-creator Murphy, his first effort since the
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
for the season began on July 15, 2014. Production on the season concluded on December 19, 2014.


Marketing

A video released in July 2014, entitled "Fallen Angel", was reported by many news sources to be an official ''Freak Show'' trailer. The video – which featured the ''American Horror Story'' title card – was later taken down after FX confirmed it was fan-made. Before the debut of the fan-made video, FX had not released any official trailers concerning the upcoming season. The first official
teaser Teaser may refer to: * One who teases * Teaser (animal), a male livestock animal (typically a bull) whose penis has been amputated, "''gomer''" Film exhibition, broadcasting, advertising * Teaser (trailer), a short film used to advertise an ...
was released on August 20, 2014, entitled "Admit One". As with previous seasons, FX released a series of teaser trailers on the show's
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
page. FX also used the marketing
hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...
#WirSindAlleFreaks in the German language, and its English translation #WeAreAllFreaks.


Reception


Critical response

''American Horror Story: Freak Show'' has received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it scored a 69 out of 100 based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported a 77% approval rating with an average rating of 7.29/10 based on 35 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Though it may turn off new viewers unaccustomed to its unabashed weirdness, ''Freak Show'' still brings the thrills, thanks to its reliably stylish presentation and game cast."


Awards and nominations

In its fourth season, the series was nominated for 76 awards, 21 of which were won.


Home media


Soundtrack

The opening theme for the 4th season of AHS is "Carousel" by Melanie Martinez, a song from her debut album "Cry Baby". Every cover song performed in ''Freak Show'' was released by
20th Century Fox TV Records Fox Music was the music division label of 20th Century Fox. It encompassed music publishing and licensing businesses, dealing primarily with television and film soundtracks. It was located in Century City, California. During CEO Robert Kraft's ...
in online music stores following the broadcast of the episode in which it appeared, except the cover of
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's "Heroes", performed by Jessica Lange in " Curtain Call."


References


External links

* * {{Freaks 2014 American television seasons 2015 American television seasons 2010s American drama television series American historical fiction 04 Circus television shows Fiction set in 1952 Filicide in fiction Ghosts in television Mass murder in fiction Matricide in fiction Serial killers in television Southern Gothic television series Television series set in the 1950s Television shows set in Florida Works about discrimination