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Fans Are Already Eager For 'American Horror Story' Season 8

by Anna Rose Iovine

When American Horror Story began, I was confused — how can Ryan Murphy, creator of something called Glee, produce a good horror show? I soon learned the answer was "very well." I've been hooked on AHS ever since — and now that Season 7 is coming to an end, I'm wondering: when does American Horror Story Season 8 premiere? The good news is that the series has already been renewed for another season by FX, so it's definitely coming back. It's just a question of when.

Being the TV junkie that I am, I always wonder when shows are coming back right after the finale airs. American Horror Story is even more special, though. Since it's an anthology, I'm not only waiting on the premiere date, but I'm waiting on the theme. In February of this year, Ryan Murphy said that Season 7 would discuss the 2016 presidential election. The official title of Season 7, "Cult," was revealed in July (and the premiere was in September). That was a pretty quick turnaround seeing as the 2016 election occurred less than a year from the premiere date. But Murphy managed to scare America all over again with its very own horror story.

American Horror Story isn't just coming back for Season 8 though; it's also been renewed through the next two seasons. In January — long before Season 7 premiered — FX announced AHS will return through 2019. That doesn't even mean that the show will stop at Season 9, just that it's already been slated to happen through then. Murphy seems to be brimming with ideas, so I can imagine AHS can potentially go on for a long time. I feel the same way about his new anthology series, American Crime Story. Season 1 of ACS, The People vs. OJ Simpson, premiered last year to critical acclaim.

Roanoke and Cult both had September premiere dates, while earlier seasons began a little bit later in October. Season 6 and Season 7 also wrap up much earlier (November), while prior seasons ended in either late December or in January. Ryan Murphy purposefully changed AHS's premiere date and season length; he wanted it to start earlier and finish earlier. "I always watch that show live, and I really love it in the beginning when it’s fall, when it‘s Halloween and before Thanksgiving," he told Vanity Fair last year. "And then after that, I just don‘t want blood with my Christmas ornaments. I just don’t."

While the premiere date for AHS Season 8 hasn't been confirmed, I bet it will follow the lead of Roanoke and Cult and start around September 2018. It's already been confirmed that Sarah Paulson will be a Season 8 cast member, so viewers will be blessed with her presence again. Other than that, though, most of the information has been kept under wraps. Murphy, however, shared a telling Instagram photo earlier this year that may hint at Season 8's theme — as well as Season 9, and the anthology as a whole:

Only lust and violence are left (even though the previous seasons have been heavy on both). The audience likely won't know Season 8's real theme until a few months prior to the premiere date, but this will be interesting to think about until then. Also, knowing Ryan Murphy, he will be sure to share clues on social media leading up to the reveal. While it sucks having to wait almost a year to get my AHS fix, I know it'll be worth it.

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