American Horror Story: Is Sarah Paulsons Exit a Sign the Show Is Dying?
After eight seasons and counting, any TV series is liable to lose a key performer or two. Even so, A..
After eight seasons and counting, any TV series is liable to lose a key performer or two. Even so, American Horror Story fans likely heard an ominous thunder clap on the horizon on Monday, as news broke that series stalwart Sarah Paulson will not be starring in this season—which will already be missing another of the shows most loyal cast members,Evan Peters. FX has already renewed the series for a tenth season, but these two exits seem to signal that a shift may be happening over in American Horror-ville—if not a death rattle.
According to Variety, Paulson could potentially return for a cameo this season—but likely, her role would not exceed that. Paulson is currently filming another FX series, Mrs. America, and working with A.H.S. creator Ryan Murphy on his Netflix series Ratched, which is based on the character from One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. She also has multiple film projects in the works, including Run from Lionsgate, in which she will star, Variety notes. Representatives for FX and Paulson did not immediately respond to V.F.s request for comment.
American Horror Story: 1984 marks the shows ninth season, and both the title and the brief teaser clip Murphy shared this spring seem to promise an homage to 80s slasher movies. Around the same time the trailer premiered, Peters let fans know that he planned to sit the season out, offering no further elaboration. Some fans did note, however, that just last year, Peters revealed that playing dark characters can take a harsh toll: “Its just exhausting. Its really mentally draining, and you dont want to go to those places ever in your life,” he said. “And so you have to go there for the scenes, and it ends up integrating it somehow into your life. Youre in traffic and you find yourself screaming and youre like, What the hell? This isnt who I am.”
Regardless of which performers step up to take lead roles this season, it will undoubtedly feel different from those before it, given how central Paulson and Peters have been to nearly every season of the series thus far. Then again, recent seasons have seen new repertory players step up to the plate—including Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, and Billy Eichner, who have each logged starring roles or appearances for the last two seasons back-to-back. So this all means that the show is merely transitioning into a new phase, rather than gearing up for its swan song. Then again, Murphys overall deal with Netflix is now looming over A.H.S.—which means his focus might be slowly but surely moving away from the projects he previously booked with FX. Add in the downward trenRead More – Source
