TV Show review
Review basis: 3 seasons, 24 episodes · through October 15, 2024
July 15, 2021 · TV-MA · Canceled
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
American Horror Stories is a Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk anthology horror series with separate stories each episode. A two-part premiere follows two gay dads and their lesbian daughter as they move into the haunted Murder House where she begins a relationship with a female ghost. The rest of the episodes deliver varied horror tales about ghosts, killers, and demons.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for American Horror Stories.
Woke representation / casting
The two-part premiere centers a gay couple as parents and a lesbian teen who enters a romance with a female ghost. Visible queer casting and family setup in flagship episodes fits the Murphy pattern of identity emphasis in prominent roles.
Woke political dialogue
Stories stay focused on horror, ghosts, killers, sex, and personal drama. No activist lectures or political speeches stand out.
Identity-driven story themes
Queer family and lesbian relationship drive the opening story. Later episodes shift to standard horror plots with occasional modern social angles.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No framing of patriarchy, capitalism, or Western institutions as targets. Occasional modern satire appears but stays surface-level horror.
Woke character or canon changes
Production
Not relevant. Original anthology stories.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Searches and coverage show almost no specific complaints about pushing woke, DEI, or identity politics. Reactions focus on story quality.
Creator track record context
Ryan Murphy has a long record of queer-centric and identity-focused projects plus the Half Initiative for diversity hiring in his productions. Brad Falchuk shares a similar pattern.
