Season 12 Proves AHS Learned Nothing After Season 10 Failure
Splitting the season in two may be the biggest mistake the horror anthology ever made.
'So keen to have Emma Roberts back,' an American Horror Story fan commented on Instagram after the announcement of the new season, titled Delicate.
The fan echoes the sentiments of many dedicated viewers who are excited to see Roberts return after a two-season hiatus. Another promising highlight of the new season is that the story is based on Danielle Valentine's novel Delicate Condition, which has been described as a modern feminist take on Rosemary's Baby.
That's why people are hoping that the upcoming 12th chapter of AHS will become the true resurrection of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's show after the disastrous Season 11. The latest update, however, has greatly diminished that chance.
Last week, FX announced that Season 12 will premiere on September 20, but not in full. This fall, viewers will only be able to watch the first part of the installment, while the second part has reportedly not yet been produced due to the Hollywood strikes.
Although there are no details from the creators or the network, it most likely means that fans will have to wait a few months (if not a year) before the second part of the season is ready to air.
By splitting the season in two like this, the creators are repeating the big mistake of Season 10, Double Feature.
Back in 2021, Murphy and Falchuk decided to experiment with fitting two unrelated stories into one season. The experiment failed. While Part 1, Red Tide, kicked off the season on a positive note and was praised by viewers, Part 2, Death Valley, wasn't nearly as successful.
'Death Valley [was] the quickest drop in quality in AHS history,' a fan wrote on Reddit. 'It didn't even get to halfway through the episode before the season killed any excitement I had for it.'
Unfortunately, the same thing can happen with Delicate if Part 1 happens to be better in quality and suspense than Part 2, which, let's face it, is a frequent feature of American Horror Story. To make matters worse, unlike Double Feature, Delicate will not consist of two separate stories, but one that will be interrupted by the midseason break, which can last for months.
This definitely puts Delicate and the entire series in jeopardy, hurting its chances for a resurgence in viewer affection.