The third season of the American horror

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 ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

'', subtitled ''Coven'', is set in 2013

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and follows a

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 ...

witches Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have use ...

descended from

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

as they fight for survival, and features flashbacks to the

Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...

in 1692, as well as the 1830s, 1910s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s. 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 Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She began her acting career in New York City stage productions before starring in the short-lived television series '' American Gothic'' (1995–1996) and '' Jack & Jill' ...

Taissa Farmiga Taissa Farmiga (; born August 17, 1994) is an American actress. Born in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, she is the younger sister of actress Vera Farmiga. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen. Farmi ...

Frances Conroy Frances Hardman Conroy is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth Fisher on the television series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), for which she won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and received four Pr ...

Evan Peters Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his multiple roles on the FX anthology series ''American Horror Story''; as Detective Colin Zabel in the HBO crime drama limited series ''Mare of Easttown'', whic ...

Lily Rabe Lily Rabe (born June 29, 1982) is an American actress. She is best known for her multiple roles on the FX anthology horror series ''American Horror Story'' (2011–2021). For her performance as Portia in the Broadway production of ''The Merchan ...

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror film, horror and thriller (genre), thriller genres, she has received List of awar ...

Denis O'Hare Denis Patrick Seamus O'Hare (born January 17, 1962) is an American actor, singer, and author noted for his award-winning performances in the plays '' Take Me Out'' and ''Sweet Charity'', as well as portraying vampire king Russell Edgington on HB ...

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...

Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. She is the 13th actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having won two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with a Screen Actors G ...

, with all returning from previous seasons, except Roberts, Bassett, Sidibe, and Bates. Created by Ryan Murphy and

Brad Falchuk Bradley Douglas Falchuk (born March 1, 1971) is an American television writer, director, and producer, best known for co-creating with Ryan Murphy the comedy-drama television series ''Glee'', the drama series ''Pose'', the horror comedy '' Screa ...

for

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

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 ...

. ''Coven'' was broadcast between October 9, 2013, to January 29, 2014, consisting of 13 episodes. Like its predecessors, the season was met with both positive reviews and strong ratings, with the premiere attracting a series high of 5.54 million viewers, which at the time was the most viewed episode of the series. The season garnered seventeen

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries. The performances (particularly those of Lange, Paulson, Conroy, Bates, Bassett, and Sidibe) received widespread acclaim, and five acting nominations for Lange, Paulson, Bassett, Conroy, and Bates at the

66th Primetime Emmy Awards The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1, 2013 until May 31, 2014, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on Monday, August 25, 2014, at the Noki ...

, with Lange and Bates winning their respective categories. In addition, ''Coven'' was nominated Best Miniseries or TV Film at the

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

Cast and characters

Main

Cordelia Foxx The third season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Coven'', is set in 2013 New Orleans and follows a coven of witches descended from Salem as they fight for survival, and features flash ...

Zoe Benson The third season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Coven'', is set in 2013 New Orleans and follows a coven of witches descended from Salem as they fight for survival, and features flashbac ...

Myrtle Snow '' American Horror Story: Coven'' is the third season of the FX horror anthology series ''American Horror Story''. The season focuses on the oppression of witches, who resides in present-day New Orleans, as they try to combat organized efforts ...

as Kyle Spencer *

Misty Day '' American Horror Story: Coven'' is the third season of the FX horror anthology series ''American Horror Story''. The season focuses on the oppression of witches, who resides in present-day New Orleans, as they try to combat organized efforts ...

as Madison Montgomery *

as Spalding *

Delphine LaLaurie Marie Delphine Macarty or MacCarthy (March 19, 1787 – December 7, 1849), more commonly known as Madame Blanque or, after her third marriage, as Madame LaLaurie, was a New Orleans socialite and serial killer who tortured and murdered slave ...

Fiona Goode The third season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Coven'', is set in 2013 New Orleans and follows a coven of witches descended from Salem as they fight for survival, and features flash ...

Recurring

Gabourey Sidibe Gabourey Sidibe ( ; born May 6, 1983) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the 2009 film '' Precious'', a role that earned her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, in addition to nominations for the Golden Globe an ...

as Queenie *

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 ...

Nan Nan or NAN may refer to: Places China * Nan County, Yiyang, Hunan, China * Nan Commandery, historical commandery in Hubei, China Thailand * Nan Province ** Nan, Thailand, the administrative capital of Nan Province * Nan River People Given name ...

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 ...

Marie Laveau Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 – June 15, 1881)''Marie Laveau The Mysterious Voodoo Queen: A Study of Powerful Female Leadership in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans'' by Ina Johanna Fandrich was a Louisiana Creole people, Louisiana ...

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 the Axeman *

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...

as Hank Foxx *

Alexander Dreymon Alexander Dreymon (born Alexander Doetsch; 7 February 1983) is a German actor. He is best known for portraying Uhtred of Bebbanburg in the television series ''The Last Kingdom'' (2015–2022). Dreymon's other notable roles were in ''Christopher an ...

as Luke Ramsey *

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...

Joan Ramsey The third season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Coven'', is set in 2013 New Orleans and follows a coven of witches descended from Salem as they fight for survival, and features flash ...

Dana Gourrier Dana Michelle Gourrier is an American actress, known for her roles as Cora in the film ''Django Unchained'' (2012), and as Minnie Mink in ''The Hateful Eight'' (2015), both directed by Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born Ma ...

Chantal Chantal () is a feminine given name of French origin. The name Chantal can be traced back to the Old Occitan word ''cantal'', meaning "stone." It came into popular use as a given name in honor of the Catholic saint, Jeanne de Chantal. It may als ...

Lance Reddick Lance Reddick (born December 31, 1962) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Cedric Daniels in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in '' Bosch'' (2014–2020) ...

Papa Legba Papa Legba is a lwa in Haitian Vodou, Winti and Louisiana Voodoo, who serves as the intermediary between the lwa and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the spirits of Guineé, and is bel ...

Michael Cristofer Michael Cristofer (born January 22, 1945) is an American actor, playwright and filmmaker. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for ''The Shadow Box'' in 1977. From 2015 to 2019, he played the role of Phillip ...

as Harrison Renard *

Leslie Jordan Leslie Allen Jordan (April 29, 1955 – October 24, 2022) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and singer. His television roles include Beverley Leslie on ''Will & Grace'' (2001–2006 and 2017–2020), several characters on television in ...

as Quentin Fleming *

Robin Bartlett Robin Bartlett (born April 22, 1951) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in two NBC sitcoms ''The Powers That Be'' and ''Mad About You''. Career She appeared in the short-lived series ''The Powers That Be''. She played the le ...

as Cecily Pembroke *

Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...

as David *

Riley Voelkel Riley Emilia Voelkel (born April 26, 1990) is an American-born Canadian actress. She is known for portraying Freya Mikaelson on The CW television series '' The Originals'' and ''Legacies''. Voelkel also played the role of Jenna Johnson on the HBO ...

as young Fiona Goode * Ameer Baraka as Bastien the Minotaur

Guest stars

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

herself A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to another noun or pronoun (its antecedent) within the same sentence. In the English language specifically, a reflexive pronoun will end in ''-self'' or ''-selves'', and refer to a previously n ...

Alexandra Breckenridge Alexandra Hetherington Breckenridge is an American actress. She began her career with supporting roles in the teen comedy films ''Big Fat Liar'' (2002) and ''She's the Man'' (2006). She later played reporter Willa McPherson in the FX series ''D ...

Kaylee Kaylee (and its various spellings) is a given name, most often for females. The name is a modern English combination of the name elements Kay and Lee. It was a popular name in the United States in the latter part of the 20th century and the ear ...

Mare Winningham A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

as Alicia Spencer *

Grey Damon Grey Damon (born September 24, 1987) is an American actor, known for his roles in '' Friday Night Lights'', ''The Nine Lives of Chloe King'' and ''Station 19''. He resides in Los Angeles. Beginning with its premiere on May 28, 2015, Damon co-sta ...

as Brener *

Ian Anthony Dale Ian Anthony Dale (born July 3, 1978) is an American actor. His notable roles include Adam Noshimuri on ''Hawaii Five-0'', Harris Edwards on ''Salvation'', Simon Lee on ''The Event'', Davis Lee on ''Surface'', Avatar Gamma on ''Charmed'' and Kazu ...

as Dr. David Zhong * Lance E. Nichols as Detective Sanchez *

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 Millie *

Andrew Leeds Andrew Leeds (born 19 September 1965) is an Australian former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers and Wakefield Tri ...

as Dr. Dunphy *

Gavin Stenhouse Gavin Rees Stenhouse (born 4 April 1986) is an English actor best known for television series reboot, ''Kung Fu'', ''Black Mirror'' episode: "San Junipero", and ''Life-Size 2''. Early life Stenhouse was born and raised in Hong Kong and later mo ...

as Billy * P.J. Boudousqué as Jimmy *

Kyle Secor Kyle Ivan Secor (born May 31, 1957) is an American television and film actor. He is known for portraying Detective Tim Bayliss on the crime drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999). Early years Secor was born in Tacoma, Was ...

as Bill * Raeden Greer as Pauline LaLaurie * Jennifer Lynn Warren as Borquita LaLaurie * Ashlynn Ross as Marie Jeanne LaLaurie * Scott Michael Jefferson as Louis LaLaurie *

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals '' 42nd Street'' and ''Grey Gardens'', winning two Tony Awards. She has co-s ...

as Anna-Lee Leighton * Michelle Page as young Myrtle Snow * James DuMont as

Dr. Morrison The third season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Coven'', is set in 2013 New Orleans and follows a coven of witches descended from Salem as they fight for survival, and features flash ...

Episodes

Production

Conception

In January 2013, series co-creator Ryan Murphy hinted that a clue about the third season would be hidden in the tenth episode of the second season. In a later interview discussing that episode, he stated, "I sorta feel like for the third version I want to do something that's a little bit more 'evil glamour.' Just something that's a little bit more...one of the things that I missed this season was I really loved having that ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' youth story with

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

and

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

first_season.html" ;"title="American Horror Story: Murder House">first season">American Horror Story: Murder House">first season I want something like that again, and we're doing something like that in the third season. And we're contemplating shooting the show in a different place. We're contemplating shooting it in a place in the country where true horror has been." In another interview, Murphy added that the season would be set in the modern-day. Executive producer Tim Minear has stated that, while this season's tone might be lighter with more humor, the global themes of it will be "oppression of minorities of all kinds, and within that idea, minority groups going after each other and doing the work of the larger culture." He added, "While there is a strong feminist theme that runs throughout ''Coven'', there are themes of race and themes of oppression, and themes of family – especially mothers and daughters."

Future season

In October 2016, Murphy stated that a future season of the show would feature a return/continuation of ''Coven''. He stated that this is not the theme for season 7, but a later season. He also confirmed that

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

's character from '' Roanoke'' is the first Supreme. Later that month, Murphy announced that the season would be a ''Coven'' and ''Murder House'' crossover continuation. Merging stories, themes, and characters. He also stated that he had begun reaching out to actors from both seasons to reprise their respective roles. In 2018, Murphy announced the eighth season, ''

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

'', which would be the crossover season. ''Apocalypse'' follows the world after a nuclear holocaust, and the events leading up to the end of the world, principally, the witches' fight against Michael Langdon, the antichrist who was born in ''Murder House''.

Casting

Series executive producers and co-creators Ryan Murphy and

stated that, as with the second season, "many actors" would return for the third season in different roles.

, and

all confirmed their returns. Murphy added that Lange would portray a "real glamour-cat lady," whose name was later revealed to be Fiona Goode. Paulson said in an interview that her character would "definitely edifferent o her season two character" She added, "Basically, she's going to look different, and my relationship to Lange is going to be quite different this time. At the beginning of last season, no one knew that Lana would be the hero, so it's possible I could end up the evil one this year. As of right now, there will be some of Lana Winters' qualities in my character, but I don't know for sure."

, who played a lead role in the first season, starred as Zoe Benson, a character involved in a prominent romance with Peters' character.

and

portrayed series regulars Misty Day and Myrtle Snow, respectively.

co-starred as

, an evil woman from the past who tortures her slaves. Murphy stated that Bates' character would be "five times worse than er'' Misery'' character" and is also inspired by a "true event." It was reported on May 22, 2013, that

would co-star as Madison Montgomery, a difficult Hollywood starlet. In May 2013, Murphy announced via Twitter that

and

had joined the cast. Bassett later confirmed she would be playing voodoo priestess,

. In an interview, LuPone said that her character, Joan Ramsey, would not be a witch but "the personification of the religious right, 'like

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), all of which brought her Academy Award no ...

in ''

Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...

''.'"

appeared in 12 episodes of the season portraying Queenie, a young witch, whose prominent ability allows her to become a human

voodoo doll The term Voodoo doll commonly describes an effigy into which pins are inserted. Such practices are found in various forms in the magical traditions of many cultures around the world. Despite its name, the dolls are not prominent in Haitian Vodo ...

. First season actress

recurred as Nan, a young witch who is clairvoyant. In July and August 2013, Murphy announced through

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that ''Murder House'' actors

and

had joined the cast in unknown roles, later known as Spalding and Kaylee, respectively. Also in August, Murphy announced that

would be playing a "

Glinda the Good Witch Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...

-type of gal," who is Fiona's predecessor. In an interview, Jessica Lange revealed that

had joined the cast as Peters' character's mother, Alicia Spencer.

announced that he had joined the cast as Quentin Fleming, a high-ranking witch. In September 2013,

was cast in the role of Luke Ramsey. Described as "the handsome young man who moves in next door to the Academy".

, and

all recurred throughout the season as the Axeman, Hank Foxx, and

, respectively. Murphy also invited singer

to be a part of the season. She appeared in two episodes, " The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks" and " The Seven Wonders."

Filming

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 23, 2013, in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The casting call reads, "After two seasons shooting in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, the series moves to ew Orleansfor its third season. Filming begins July 23, 2013, in New Orleans, Louisiana and

ill be ILL may refer to: * ''I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom * Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland * Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility * Interlibrar ...

completed on January 17, 2014." Despite Ryan Murphy stating that the third season would take place in multiple cities, New Orleans is the primary setting of the third installment.

Marketing

Similar to the prior seasons, FX published mini

teaser trailer A teaser (or more specifically teaser trailer) is a mini- trailer and a form of teaser campaign advertising that focuses on film and television programming. It is a videography pre-release move or television show advertisement. Short in length, te ...

s for ''Coven'' on the show's

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page.

Reception

Critical response

''American Horror Story: Coven'' received positive reviews from critics. 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 an 85% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.25/10, based on 221 reviews, becoming the best-reviewed season of the series on that site. The site's consensus reads, "A noteworthy ensemble cast combined with creepy storytelling and campy, outrageous thrills make ''American Horror Story: Coven'' a potently structured fright-fest." The season scored 71 out of 100 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, based on 24 reviews. Anne T Donahue of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' stated that ''Coven'' "could be ''American Horror Story'''s best instalment yet," writing, "That's not to say ''Coven'' is perfect. It's been called out as glorified slave-torture porn in the US, and it's important that Madame LeLaurie's storyline comes full circle, and that slavery is handled in a responsible way. The same goes for Zoe's storyline, and the incidences of sexual assault within this season, too. But ''American Horror Story'' can handle it. And while it's obviously over-the-top, its broader social commentary makes it a unique series, unlike anything we've seen on television before. It's a conventional horror story, but it's America's horror story too. Just try making it through an episode without hiding behind the sofa." In their post-season reviews, ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'' is the weekly student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other stu ...

'' gave ''Coven'' a B+, saying, "And while its conclusion, appropriately titled "The Seven Wonders", never quite matched the high standard it set for itself throughout the season, ''Coven''s reputation will nonetheless remain a solid one." Jeff Jensen of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' gave the season a B rating and said, "I can't deny my experience: Week to week, the excesses of ''Coven'' were wickedly amusing. Next year, I hope ''American Horror Story'' can be more than that, and with less." In contrast, ''Coven'' was also met with negative reviews from some critics. ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' gave the season a low rating of D+, with critic Emily VanDerWerff remarking, "It lurched drunkenly from idea to idea, never settling on one long enough to build anything of worth." Some critics, like Amanda Kay LeBlanc, state that the series is ineffective in completely opposing the ideas of racism, oppression, and racial conflict that are integral to ''Coven'' conception. "Although the narrative of ''Coven'' explicitly decries racism," she writes, "it simultaneously invests in colorblind racist narratives. Whiteness is central in ''Coven'', operating through discourse that ignores racial difference and contemporary forms of oppression and erasure." She additionally argues that ''Coven'' excessively depends on and uses the imagery of violence against black people for entertainment and plot progression.

Awards and nominations

In its third season, the series was nominated for 74 awards, 14 of which were won.

Ratings

''Coven''s premiere episode, " Bitchcraft", was watched by 5.54 million viewers, which, at the time, was the highest total viewers of any ''American Horror Story'' episode. It was surpassed by the fourth season's premiere, "

Monsters Among Us "Monsters Among Us" is the premiere episode of the fourth season of the anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', which premiered on October 8, 2014 on the cable network FX. It was co-written by creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falc ...

", which received 6.13 million viewers during its broadcast. The ratings slipped for the second episode, delivering 4.51 million viewers and a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 – down 17% from the premiere. The rest of the season's episodes remained relatively steady in ratings; the episode with the lowest viewing numbers was the penultimate episode, " Go to Hell".

Home media

Notes

References

External links

* * {{American Horror Story episodes Fiction set in the 1830s 2013 American television seasons 2014 American television seasons 2010s American drama television series American gothic fiction American historical fiction 03 Dark fantasy television series Ghosts in television Incest in television Fiction about Louisiana Voodoo Mass murder in fiction Matricide in fiction Mythology in popular culture Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Racism in television Serial killers in television Salem witch trials in fiction Southern Gothic television series Television about magic Television shows about precognition Television shows about telekinesis Television series about cancer Television series about witchcraft Television series set in 2013 Television series set in the 2010s Television shows set in New Orleans Wizards in television Zombies in television Television series set in the 1960s Television series set in the 1970s Television series set in the 1990s Television series set in the 17th century