The eighth season of the American

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

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 related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

television series ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' (''AHS'') is an American horror film, horror anthology series, anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy (producer), Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the Cable television, cable network FX (TV channel), FX. Th ...

'', subtitled ''Apocalypse'', features the witches from the New Orleans coven as they battle the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...

and attempt to prevent the world from ending. The season is presented as a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

between '' Murder House'', ''

Coven A coven () is a group or gathering of Witchcraft, witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English lan ...

'', and ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

''. The

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many 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 the po ...

includes

Sarah Paulson Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. In 2017, ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

Evan Peters Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 2004 drama film '' Clipping Adam'' and starred in the ABC science fiction series ''Invasion'' from 2005 to 2006. Peters gained wide recognition fo ...

Adina Porter Adina Elizabeth Porter is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Lettie Mae Thornton on the HBO fantasy horror series ''True Blood'' (2008–2014), Kendra James on the HBO drama series '' The Newsroom'' (2012–2014), Indra on t ...

Billie Lourd Billie Catherine Lourd (born July 17, 1992) is an American actress, best known for starring as Chanel #3 in the Fox horror comedy series '' Scream Queens'' (2015–2016) and for her roles in the FX horror anthology series ''American Horror St ...

Leslie Grossman Leslie Erin Grossman (born October 25, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lauren on The WB sitcom '' What I Like About You'', and for her frequent collaborations with Ryan Murphy, appearing as Mary Cherry on The WB's come ...

Cody Fern Cody Fern (born 6 July 1988) is an Australian actor and director. Following his feature debut in '' The Tribes of Palos Verdes'' (2017), he portrayed murder victim David Madson in the FX series '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American ...

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) Additional on October 9, 2016 is an American actress, singer and producer. Known for her performances spanning multiple genres of film and television, her work in the horror film, horror and thriller ...

Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne David Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings. After beginn ...

, and

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...

, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomer Fern. Created by Ryan Murphy and

Brad Falchuk Bradley Douglas Falchuk (born March 1, 1971) is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for co-creating the television series ''Glee'', ''American Horror Story'', '' Scream Queens'', and '' Pose'' with Ryan Murph ...

for the

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, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

. ''Apocalypse'' set in 2026 was broadcast between September 12 and November 14, 2018, consisting of 10 episodes. The season was announced in January 2017 and received positive reviews from critics. In April 2019, the

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the Television in the United States, television industry in the United S ...

, which presents the

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. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

s, announced that, for the first time in the series' history, a season would not qualify for the Limited Series categories, and would instead be moved to Drama. ''Apocalypse'' was ultimately nominated to five categories, including Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for

Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. With a career spanning over five decades, she is known for her roles Jessica Lange on screen and stage, on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominati ...

Cast and characters

Main

as ** Ms. Wilhemina Venable ** Cordelia Goode ** Billie Dean Howard *

as ** Malcolm Gallant ** James Patrick March ** Tate Langdon ** Jeff Pfister *

as Dinah Stevens *

as Mallory *

as Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt *

as Michael Langdon *

as Madison Montgomery *

as John Henry Moore *

as ** Ms. Miriam Mead **

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 Histo ...

Special guest stars

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

as ** Evie Gallant ** Bubbles McGee *

Frances Conroy Frances Hardman Conroy (born March 15, 1953) 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, a ...

as ** Myrtle Snow ** Moira O'Hara *

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 Merchant ...

as Misty Day *

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, 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, releasing the album ...

as herself *

as Constance Langdon *

Dylan McDermott Mark Anthony "Dylan" McDermott (born October 26, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the legal drama series ''The Practice'', which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performa ...

as Dr. Ben Harmon *

Connie Britton Connie Britton (born Constance Elaine Womack; March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She gained prominence for her roles in the television series ''S ...

as Vivien Harmon *

Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television since the 1980s, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Angela Bassett, various accolades, including a Primetime ...

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 practitioner of ...

Recurring

Billy Eichner Billy Eichner ( ; born September 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and television show host. He is the star, executive producer, and creator of Funny or Die's '' Billy on the Street'', a comedy game show that aired on truT ...

as ** Brock ** Mutt Nutter *

Kyle Allen Kyle Allen may refer to: * Kyle Allen (American football) * Kyle Allen (actor), American actor and ballet dancer See also * Allen (surname) {{human name disambiguation ...

as Timothy Campbell * Ash Santos as Emily Campbell *

Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (born October 21, 1984) is a Canadian actor, model, and television personality. He is known for appearances in films and television, most notably as Jay in the Lifetime dark comedy- drama series '' Unreal'' (2015–2018) a ...

as Andre Stevens * Erika Ervin as the Fist *

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 ...

as Queenie *

Taissa Farmiga Taissa Farmiga ( ; born August 17, 1994) is an American actress. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen, alongside her older sister Vera Farmiga. Farmiga was encouraged to begin acting by her sister ...

as ** Zoe Benson ** Violet Harmon *

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 Nan *

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 Samantha Crowe * Billy Porter as Behold Chablis *

Jon Jon Briones Ernesto Cloma Briones Jr. (born August 7, 1965), known as Jon Jon Briones, is a Filipino-American actor best known for his work in musical theatre. He played the Engineer in the original casts in the West End revival of ''Miss Saigon'' in 2014, ...

as Ariel Augustus *

BD Wong Bradley Darryl Wong (born October 24, 1960) is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in '' M. Butterfly'', becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Crit ...

as Baldwin Pennypacker *

Carlo Rota Carlo Dante Rota (born 17 April 1961) is a British-born Canadian actor. He has appeared in '' Little Mosque on the Prairie'' and as systems analyst Morris O'Brian on the Fox series '' 24''. He also co-starred as Emilio Solano in '' Jane the ...

as Anton LaVey

Guest stars

Dina Meyer Dina Meyer (born December 22, 1968) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in a recurring role on the Fox teen drama series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1993–94), before landing a leading role opposite Keanu Reeves in the 1995 fi ...

as Nora Campbell *

Travis Schuldt Travis Schuldt (born September 18, 1974)"Catching up with....Travis Schuldt." ''Soap Opera Digest''. August 12, 2013. p. 63. is an American actor. He originated the role of Ethan Winthrop on ''Passions'', and played the recurring roles of Keith D ...

as Mr. Campbell *

John Getz John William Getz (born October 15, 1946) is an American character actor. After starting his acting career on stage, he has appeared in numerous television series and films, most notably ''Blood Simple'', '' The Fly'', and ''The Social Network' ...

as Mr. St. Pierre Vanderbilt *

Chad James Buchanan Chad James Buchanan (born August 28, 1993) is an American actor and model. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio. Television He is best known for his role as Hunter Morgan on ''Star (TV series), Star'', and has appeared in several telev ...

as Stu * Wayne Pére as Mr. Kingery *

Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. The accolades she has received include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, along with nominations for a Primetime ...

Elizabeth Short Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – , 1947), posthumously known as the Black Dahlia, was an American woman found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 1947. Her case became highly publicized owing ...

* Sam Kinsey as Beau Langdon * Celia Finkelstein as Gladys *

Lance Reddick Lance Solomon Reddick (June 7, 1962 – March 17, 2023) was an American actor. He portrayed Cedric Daniels in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), List of Fringe characters#Phillip Broyles, Phillip Broyles in ''Fringe (TV series), Fringe'' (2008–201 ...

Papa Legba Papa Legba is a lwa, or loa, in West African Vodun and its diasporic derivatives ( Dominican Republic Vudú, Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, and Winti), who serves as the intermediary between God and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroa ...

Sandra Bernhard Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is also well kn ...

as High Priestess Hannah Putt *

Harriet Sansom Harris Harriet Sansom Harris (born January 8, 1955) is an American actress known for her theater performances and for her portrayals of Bebe Glazer on ''Frasier'' and Felicia Tilman on ''Desperate Housewives''. Harris won a Tony Award in 2002 as a Fe ...

as Madelyn Lurch *

Dominic Burgess Dominic Burgess (born 29 July 1982) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in several television adverts and series such as ''Raising Hope'', ''Doctor Who'', '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', ''Ame ...

as Phil Devlin * Yevgeniy Kartashov as

Yakov Yurovsky Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky (, ; Unless otherwise noted, all dates used in this article are of the Gregorian Calendar, as opposed to the Julian Calendar which was used in Russia prior to . – 2 August 1938) was a Russian Bolshevik revoluti ...

Mark Ivanir Mark Ivanir (; ; ) is an Israeli actor known for his character roles on American film and television. He is fluent in six languages, a skill often shown off in his performances. Early life Ivanir was born in Chernovtsi (now Chernivtsi), Ukr ...

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...

Emilia Ares Emilia Ares is an Armenian-American film and television actress, producer, and author. Her award-winning debut contemporary fiction novel, ''Love and Other Sins'', encompasses complex family dynamics, immigration, child abuse, the aftermath of tr ...

as Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia

Episodes

Production

Development

On January 12, 2017, the series was renewed for an eighth season, which premiered on September 12, 2018. In October 2016, series co-creator Ryan Murphy announced a "crossover" season between previous cycles '' Murder House'' and ''

''. In January 2018, he stated that the ninth season would most likely feature the crossover; however, in June 2018, he announced that the eighth season was chosen instead. Murphy has also stated that the eighth season would be set 18 months in the future and would feature an ''

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 * ...

'' and ''Coven'' tone. In July 2018, it was announced at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

that the title of the season would be ''Apocalypse''. In April 2018, it was revealed that series veteran Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters would make their directorial debut in an episode. It was later revealed that Paulson would direct the sixth episode. Peters, in the end, did not direct an episode. As with previous seasons, several teasers were released. On September 4, 2018, a short trailer was released, followed by a longer trailer the next day.

Casting

In October 2017, it was announced that series mainstay Sarah Paulson would return for the season. In March 2018, it was announced that Kathy Bates and Evan Peters would also return, leading the season with Paulson. In April 2018, Joan Collins joined the cast as the grandmother of Peters' character. In April and May 2018, ''

Cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

'' actors Adina Porter, Cheyenne Jackson, Billy Eichner, Leslie Grossman, and Billie Lourd were also confirmed to return. In June 2018, Emma Roberts revealed that she would return for ''Apocalypse'', reprising her role as Madison Montgomery from ''Coven''. That same month, Murphy revealed that other witches from ''Coven'' had all been invited to return, and also stated that he had asked

Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress, director and model. She is best known for playing Morticia Addams in the ''The Addams Family'' and '' The Addams Family Values'', as well as often portraying eccentric and distincti ...

to join the cast, while Paulson confirmed that she would reprise her ''Coven'' role, Cordelia Goode. In July 2018, it was reported that Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Kyle Allen would guest star in the season. Later that month, Murphy revealed via

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

that ''

American Crime Story ''American Crime Story'' is an American biographical crime drama anthology television series developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who are also executive producers, alongside Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Ryan Murphy, and Bra ...

'' actor Cody Fern joined the cast as a grown-up Michael Langdon, the

born during the events of ''Murder House''. In August 2018, ''

Pose Human positions refer to the different physical configurations that the human body can take. There are several synonyms that refer to human positioning, often used interchangeably, but having specific nuances of meaning. *''Position'' is a gen ...

'' actor Billy Porter announced via

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

that he would appear in the season. Later, during the

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 American and Canadian television critics, journalists and columnists who cover television programming for newspapers, magazines and web publications. The TCA accepts appli ...

press tour, it was announced that Jessica Lange would appear in the season's sixth episode as her ''Murder House'' character, Constance Langdon. After FX released the season's first teaser, actress Lesley Fera revealed via

that she would appear in the season premiere. Later, Ryan Murphy confirmed via Twitter that Taissa Farmiga, Gabourey Sidibe, Lily Rabe, Frances Conroy, and Stevie Nicks would all appear during the season, and that they would all reprise the roles they played in ''Coven''. In the same month, Angela Bassett, who appeared in four previous seasons, confirmed that she would not appear in the season; however, Bassett appeared in the last episode of the season, playing

, the role she played in ''Coven''. Later,

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

, who appeared in three past seasons, confirmed that he would not appear in ''Apocalypse''. The same day, it was announced that original cast members Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott would be returning for the season, and Ryan Murphy later confirmed that they would reprise their ''Murder House'' roles, Vivien and Ben Harmon, respectively. Later, Murphy revealed that Evan Peters and Taissa Farmiga would be reprising their ''Murder House'' roles, Tate Langdon and Violet Harmon, respectively. In September 2018, it was revealed that Erika Ervin would be returning for ''Apocalypse'' after having a recurring role in ''

Freak Show A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "Freak, freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual Human#Anatomy and physiology, humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, t ...

''. It was also reported that actress Ash Santos would appear in the season.

Filming

In April 2018, Murphy revealed that filming for the season would begin in June 2018.

Reception

Ratings

Critical response

''American Horror Story: Apocalypse'' received positive reviews, with many considering it as an improvement over the recent seasons. The review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, 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 ...

gave the season a 79% approval rating, with an average rating of 6.95/10, based on 193 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "Ryan Murphy and his murderers' row of witchy performers literally save the world -- and franchise -- in ''Apocalypse'', the series' most ambitious crossover swing yet." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the season was given a score of 63 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Awards and nominations

In its eighth season, the series has been nominated for 20 awards. Five of them were won.

Ratings

Home media

References

External links

* * * * {{American Horror Story episodes 2018 American television seasons 2010s American drama television series 2010s American time travel television series 08 American time travel television series Androids in television Television shows about cannibalism Dark fantasy television series Demons in television Fiction about the Devil Fiction about Louisiana Voodoo Fiction about nuclear war and weapons Fiction about the Antichrist Genocide in fiction Television shows about ghosts Fiction about human sacrifice Mass murder in fiction Post-apocalyptic fiction Satanism in television Television shows about magic Television series about witchcraft Television series set in the future Television shows about wizards 2018 LGBTQ-related television