Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

‘American Horror Story’ to explore the real-life horrors of the 2016 election

american horror story season 7 election 6
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Donald Trump naysayers have often referred to the 2016 presidential election as a horror story. And now, American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy is taking that idea and running with it by confirming that the seventh season of the popular FX series will indeed be inspired by the political events that transpired late last year.

Murphy noted on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live that while he doesn’t yet have a title, the season will be about “the election that we just went through … I think that will be interesting for a lot of people.” His answer to if there would be a Trump character in the series: “Maybe.”

This marks a major shift for the series, which has typically centered on science fiction and supernatural-type themes. It’s easy to argue that delving into the election would make far more sense for another Murphy series, American Crime Story, which highlights real-life events, like the O.J. Simpson trial. But perhaps Murphy wanted to make this seem more far-fetched and less like reality. So we still might see demons, vampires, and other sinister, supernatural characters.

Interestingly, both Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters are confirmed to return as leads for the upcoming season. Might the former make a good Hillary Clinton-type character? And the latter a Jared Kushner-inspired character, or maybe even a young Trump-esque presidential candidate?

Filming is set to start in June, and season seven of American Horror Story will premiere this September. Murphy had previously said it would be connected in some way to the fourth season, called Freak Show. Actors who appeared in that season include Angela Bassett (who would make a great Michelle Obama), Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange (Hillary, perhaps?), and Grace Gummer, a great option for Ivanka Trump. None of these actors, however, are confirmed for season 7, and Lange, who was absent from season 6, has said in the past that she would not return to the franchise.

The anthology series, which debuted in 2011, has garnered consistently good ratings, and racked up tons of accolades, including winning 59 of its 230 award nominations, with 28 Emmy Awards in all, and nine Golden Globe nominations. The direction for this season, however, might be a risky — and polarizing — choice for Murphy.

Editors' Recommendations

Christine Persaud
Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…
Stranger Things season 5: everything we know so far
The cast of "Stranger Things" stand next to each other and look up.

After one of the great cliffhangers in the show's history, fans are eager to gather every detail about Stranger Things 5. Understandably, season 5, the finale of Netflix's Stranger Things, is now one of television's most highly anticipated events. Since Vecna succeeded in tearing open a massive gate to the Upside Down, audiences now expect the heroes of Hawkins to engage in an epic final battle against the evil psychic and his army of monsters.

At this point, details regarding the season to end all seasons have been scarce, and the world likely won't get to see the show's last episodes for quite a while. In the meantime, here's everything that has been revealed and should be expected from Stranger Things 5.
Stranger Things season 5 release date

Read more
What’s new on Disney+ in May 2024
Morgan Elsbeth in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.

Welcome to the paradox of Disney+: It's the streaming service with blockbuster brands and an incredibly shrinking lineup of original programing. There's no better example of this than Disney+'s lineup for May. Marvel and Star Wars fans have a lot to be excited about with the series finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the three-part season finale of X-Men '97, and the premiere of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire streaming during the month. There's even a new season of Doctor Who coming on May 10, as well as Pixar's Monsters At Work season 2 on May 5.

Beyond that, music lovers get to look forward to documentaries about The Beatles, Queen, and The Beach Boys, while The Muppets creator Jim Henson gets a documentary of his own. All of that sounds great until you realize that everything we listed above accounts for roughly 94% of Disney+'s original content for the entire month of May. So, where's the rest of it? As much as we love dessert, there's no main course here. And June doesn't have a hot Marvel show to fall back on, which means summer may look pretty barren in the House of Mouse.

Read more
The best shows on Hulu right now (May 2024)
A man stands behind an old projector, his mouth agape and hand raised in a scene from UFO Factory on Hulu.

There's so much available to stream on Hulu that you might find it tough to choose. There are numerous Emmy-winning shows like The Bear and Dopesick, exciting network procedurals like Will Trent, and compelling new shows like Shōgun and We Were the Lucky Ones. No matter what you're in the mood to watch, you'll be able to find a quality show on Hulu.

When it comes down to decision time, however, narrowing down your watch list from all the available options can be tough. We have put together this list of the best shows on Hulu right now, and keep it consistently fresh so you'll always find something new. If you're looking for that show you forgot about but were meaning to watch, chances are if it's a thrilling drama or a hilarious comedy worth watching, we have it included here. Have a look and find a few shows to add to your watch queue.

Read more