The fourth 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 ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952

Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 61,047 as of April 1, 2020. It is 84 miles north of Miami, and the northernmost community in the Miami met ...

, 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 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' ...

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 ...

Michael Chiklis Michael Charles Chiklis ( born August 30, 1963) is an American actor, television director, television producer and musician. He is best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama ''The S ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Finn Wittrock Peter L. Wittrock Jr. (born October 28, 1984), known as Finn Wittrock, is an US actor and screenwriter who began his career in guest roles on several television shows. He made his film debut in 2004, in '' Halloweentown High'' before returning to ...

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 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 ...

, and

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 newcomers Chiklis and Wittrock. The season marks the first not to be strictly anthological, with

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 ...

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 Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

.'' 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 ...

. ''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

Bette and Dot Tattler 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 ...

as Jimmy Darling *

as Dell Toledo *

as Gloria Mott *

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) ...

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 ...

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 ...

as Desiree Dupree *

Ethel Darling 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 ...

Elsa Mars 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 ...

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 ...

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 Celia Weston is an American character actress. Weston received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in '' Dead Man Walking'' (1995), and also had supporting roles in more than 40 movies, including ''The Talented Mr. Ripley' ...

as Lillian Hemmings *

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 Regina Ross *

Matt Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2000, he made his television debut o ...

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 ...

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 ...

Sister Mary Eunice McKee The second season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Asylum'', takes place in 1964 and follows the stories of the staff and inmates who occupy the fictional mental institution Briarcliff Mano ...

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

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

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 ...

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 Christine Michelle Metz (born September 29, 1980) is an American actress and singer. She played Kate Pearson in the television series ''This Is Us'' (2016–2022), which earned her nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Aw ...

as Barbara / Ima Wiggles *

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'', which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series a ...

as Angus T. Jefferson *

Erika Ervin Erika Ervin (born February 23, 1979), known professionally as Amazon Eve, is an American Model (person), model, fitness trainer, and actress. She has appeared on the cover of Australian magazine ''Zoo Weekly'' and played a regular character on ...

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 ...

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 Lee Allen Tergesen (; born July 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in '' Weird Science'', as Tobias Beecher in HBO's prison drama '' Oz'', and as Evan Wright in ''Generation Kill,'' as well as guest starring in many other ...

Vince Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname. It may refer to: Given name People * Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player * Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...

* 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 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 ...

John Carroll Lynch John Carroll Lynch (born August 1, 1963) is an American character actor and film director. He first gained notice for his role as Norm Gunderson in '' Fargo'' (1996). He is also known for his television work on the ABC sitcom ''The Drew Carey Show ...

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 Skyler Rose Samuels (born April 14, 1994) is an American actress and model, known for her roles in the television series ''Wizards of Waverly Place'', ''The Gates'', ''The Nine Lives of Chloe King'', '' Scream Queens'' and '' The Gifted''. Early ...

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 ...

Dora 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 ...

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 ...

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 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 Rita Gayheart *

Matthew Glave Matthew Glave (born August 19, 1963) is an American actor best known for his roles in ''The Wedding Singer'', ''Picket Fences'', ''Baby's Day Out'', '' ER'', ''Stargate SG-1'', ''Army Wives'', ''Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce'', and ''Angie Trib ...

as Larry Gayheart *

David Burtka David Michael Burtka (born May 29, 1975) is an American actor and professional chef. He is known for his acting roles in theatre and television shows such as '' How I Met Your Mother'' and ''The Play About the Baby''. After his role on ''How I Met ...

as Michael Beck *

Heather Langenkamp Heather Elizabeth Langenkamp (born July 17, 1964) is an American actress. She is considered an influential figure in horror films and in popular culture, noted for her acting in several works of the genre and her behind-the-scenes work coordinat ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

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 Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of vari ...

'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 ''Carnival of Souls'' is a 1962 American independent horror film produced and directed by Herk Harvey and written by John Clifford from a story by Clifford and Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss. Its plot follows Mary Henry, a young wo ...

''. 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

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

and

to return. Bassett later confirmed in an interview with ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created ...

'' 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 ...

'',

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 The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City, New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, ...

2014 that the cast members present at the panel would all be returning for the fourth season in some capacity, including

(Stanley),

(Maggie Esmerelda),

(Gloria Mott),

(Jimmy Darling), and

(Regina Ross).

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,

was announced to play the father of Peters' character and ex-husband of Bates' character, the strongman Dell Toledo.

was the last lead actor joining the cast. He portrayed the psychopathic Dandy Mott. In July 2014, ''

TVLine ''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs. History In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...

'' reported that

would appear in the season' two-part Halloween episode as

. At the

Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events ...

2014, it was announced that

would portray one of the central antagonist during the season, Twisty the Clown. In August 2014, R&B singer

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

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

has joined the cast as Ma Petite. Murphy had written a role specifically for ''

'' alum

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 ...

, but he did not appear on the show due to scheduling conflicts. In September 2014, it was reported that ''

'' alum

would return to portray Pepper, which marked the first time a character appeared in multiple seasons of the series.

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 ...

made an appearance in the same episode, as Pepper's sister Rita.

guest starred in two episodes as Chester, who takes over the freak show when Elsa leaves for Hollywood. Harris' husband,

, 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

. 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 ...

online music store A digital music store is a business that sells digital audio files of music recordings over the Internet. Customers gain ownership of a license to use the files, in contrast to a music streaming service, where they listen to recordings without ...

s 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

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