Though it takes place across many different decades Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story isn’t too confusing to follow.
The horror anthology series spotlights different stories over each different season, making it possible to watch American Horror Story in any desired order.
At the same time, there are Easter eggs and clues that link certain seasons to each other, with a chronological pattern also able to be established between the separate storylines.
With Season 12 now airing, here’s how to watch all of American Horror Story in both release and chronological order.
American Horror Story in release order
Thankfully for us, the release order of American Horror Story is incredibly easy to follow.
Since 2011, seasons of American Horror Story have been released annually with the exception of 2020. Season 10, Double Feature, was originally scheduled to air then but was delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The show’s current release order looks something like this:
- Murder House
- Asylum
- Coven
- Freak Show
- Hotel
- Roanoke
- Cult
- Apocalypse
- 1984
- Double Feature
- NYC
- Delicate
American Horror Story in chronological order
Because no seasons of American Horror Story are obviously linked – though there are suggestions and brief cameos along the way – a chronological order is more difficult to piece together. Almost all episodes have some kind of flashback in them, meaning no one season has a completely linear timeline as it is.
While lots of the show’s seasons are set in the present day, there are a few key installments that suggest a loose timeline for American Horror Story to follow, even when the stories aren’t connected.
The chronological order looks more like this:
- Freak Show
- Double Feature Part 2: Death Valley
- Asylum
- NYC
- 1984
- Murder House
- Coven
- Hotel
- Cult
- Roanoke
- Double Feature Part 1: Red Tide
- Delicate
- Apocalypse
Freak Show
Though Freak Show is the fourth season overall, its events take place in 1952. Following a struggling freak show in Jupiter, Florida, its performers are faced with a new challenge when a mysterious con man arrives on the scene.
It’s the last series we see Jessica Lange star in, taking on the role of a somewhat deluded freak show ringmaster, Elsa Mars. It’s also her character that is mostly responsible for confusing the time period, singing cabaret songs like David Bowie’s Life On Mars (1973) and Lana Del Rey’s Gods & Monsters (2012).
Double Feature Part 2: Death Valley
Not only does Death Valley not link to any other American Horror Story season, but it also has nothing in common with Season 10’s first half, Red Tide.
The events of the second part take place between 1954-1972, putting it just two years after Freak Show. The story follows a political thread, looking at different Presidents in power while the first sightings of UFOs in New Mexico are reported. The first and third episodes take place in 1954, the second in 1963, and the third with Nixon in 1972.
Asylum
Jumping forward in time, the second episode of Death Valley is one year before the start of American Horror Story’s second season, Asylum.
Asylum’s story mostly takes place in 1964, documenting key figures in a mental institution known as Briarcliff Manor. Lana Winter (Sarah Paulson) is an essential character for building the season’s timeline, with the final episode flashing forward to the present day, with her traumatic events of 1970 also revealed.
As becomes a theme in the franchise, the final episode also links back to the idea of TV shows within TV shows – also explored in Roanoke.
NYC
Beginning in 1981 and ending in 1987, NYC depicts the Big Apple at the height of a deadly virus outbreak, which is likely to be a parallel to the real-life AIDS crisis.
Over the course of the decade, a killer targets gay men at the same time as a sexually transmitted infection is on the rise. It’s more of a classic murder mystery than other seasons, stepping away from supernatural horror in order to follow a true-to-life timeline.
1984
As the name suggests, Season 9 of American Horror Story takes place over the summer of 1984.
A group of plucky teens attend a summer camp in the woods, with an unknown serial killer lying in wait to bump them off one by one. Think Scream, if it came with some log cabins.
Murder House
As of yet, no seasons of American Horror Story take place in either the 90s or 00s, aside from a few carefully placed flashbacks.
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That leaves the next season in line to be Murder House, correlating with a present-day of 2011, when the season was first released. Again, there are instances of the past blurring into the present, with characters such as Moira O’Hara both appearing as her past and present selves.
Coven
Coven is another series that takes place in the present day, which would align with its initial release date in 2013.
In true American Horror Story style, events also take place in the early years of the witches council being formed – but to make things even more confusing, the character of Delphine (Kathy Bates) is brought back to life from 180 years previous.
Hotel
Hotel is a difficult season to place in the chronological timeline of American Horror Story thanks to its visual styling.
Though it seems like the events of the season are better suited to a vintage era, the actual plot seems more bound to the present day. There are no particular markings for when Hotel is actually supposed to take place other than distinct social cues that age what we see on camera.
Cult
Two seasons of American Horror Story take place during 2016, but it’s Cult that makes more sense to appear first.
The events of Season 7 are tied to the 2016 Presidential Election of Donald Trump, dating things as beginning during January of that year. What follows is life-threatening chaos that spirals from the night Trump was elected, supposedly lasting for most of the year.
Roanoke
At the same time, Roanoke also should take place in 2016, with the season supposedly taking place in the release date’s present day.
As the name suggests, Roanoke leans heavily on historical influence from the late 1500s, following the supernatural disappearance of the lost Roanoke colony. Viewers also learn halfway through the series that the present day is being filmed for a fictional documentary.
Double Feature Part 1: Red Tide
Unlike Death Valley, the first half of Season 10 is likely tied to the present day.
Though the supernatural elements could appear at any point in the past, present, or future, Red Tide makes the most sense as a present-day release given the lack of aged cues in the episodes. With this in mind, this means that Red Tide takes place during 2021.
Delicate
Though it’s still airing, the events of Delicate also line up with the present day.
This is even more apparent thanks to the release of its source material – the novel Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine. Published in early August 2023, the plot revolves heavily around modern medicine, including IVF treatment.
Apocalypse
Given that the name is suggestive of the end of the world, it makes sense for Season 8 to round out the chronological timeline.
All we are told is that Apocalypse is set a some point in the “near future,” though the season’s visual styling isn’t too futuristic.
Apocalypse also can’t be too far in the future given that characters from Murder House, Coven, and Hotel all make appearances.
American Horror Stories
On top of American Horror Story, the spin-off series American Horror Stories can be added to the list.
Though episodes don’t need to be watched for the main TV show to make sense, each episode holds a completely different storyline from the next.
Most of this is easy to follow, with all but 2 episodes being set in the present day. In Season 2, Dollhouse is likely to be set in the 50s or 60s, as we meet a young Myrtle Snow from Coven in the closing scenes.
The fourth episode Milkmaids is also set during some point in the 18th century.
You can check out everything we know about American Horror Story Season 12 here and check out our other coverage below:
- American Horror Story: All seasons ranked worst to best
- How many seasons of American Horror Story are there?
- Is American Horror Story Season 12: Delicate based on a book?
- American Horror Story names & meanings for every season
- How to watch American Horror Story Season 12: Delicate outside the US
- Is every season of American Horror Story connected?
- Is American Horror Story based on true events?
