ranking the seasons

I don't like to include a season until it has finished its run and had a little time to digest

So, how do you rank them?

And I hate to feel like this even needs to be said, but given it's the internet: Let's remember that this is opinion, and subjective. Fine and fun to debate, but no one is "wrong" and let's keep it respectful

My ranking, favorite to least, is as follows

Murder House: As usual, the original is best. Haunted house story is classic. Everyone is top-notch and Jessica Lange is of course superb. Also, we didn't know how it would work, and some may have suspected, but we didn't know at this point it would be an anthology. So in a way, that actually makes it the one to feel most stand-alone.

Asylum: The best. The darkest. The most HORROR. The setting and acting are perfect, and other than the musical number and occasional one-liner, very little ease of tension. My only gripe is the unexplained aliens, but it's minor, because I guess if you look at it in real life, aliens are unexplained, and they did fit the vibe. Really the only reason this one didn't come in first is because it isn't first.

Apocalypse: I love the marriage of Murder House and Coven. But it's also so much more than that. Definitely one of the darker seasons. My only issue is that the timeline alteration begs the question of which seasons are valid and still exist/coexist as canon at the end of Apocalypse? But I don't have the brain energy to get into that right now.

1984: Love it. Great cast, love the setting and 80s vibe, and as more often than not, some surprising character arcs. Basically like watching a Friday the 13th in TV format. My only main issue here really is the title. It seems en vogue to subtitle things with this sometimes (looking at you Wonder Woman). Only half the season was even set in that year. Though the first chunk of episodes that's set over one night makes for a great binge-watch. Should've titled it Camp Redwood.

Freak Show: The series still in its golden era. Great cast, themes, and setting as always. No real complaint, just didn't pack as much of a punch for me. Though that's not to term it as weak. Just not as strong. A bit odd when they'd play music that was decades away from existing. That always kind of takes me out of it, but the show has long had intentionally absurd moments.

Hotel: Great story, creepy setting, loved the merging of various LA lores, even if highly embellished. Loved the thinly veiled HH Holmes of it all. I didn't love Gaga, she was very wooden, though I guess that works for the role. Just felt like the show's first real foray into stunt casting.

Cult: Terrifying. The whole cult angle, and the clowns, and all the betrayals, and the more grounded feeling, were great and creepy. My issues are that it hardly connects to the other seasons, by a Twisty thread is all I recall. And, I generally agree with Ryan Murphy's politics, and he certainly had the right to do it, but sometimes it annoys when politics find their way into entertainment. I want the escapism, not to be reminded about how the election turned out.

Coven: Not terrible, but I don't know why it ranks so high for so many others. When it was announced, and the historic characters that would be in it, I was so thrilled, thinking it'd be really dark and creepy. Instead I feel like I'm watching an extended version of The Craft. Really not even complaining about the performances, or the writing, it just wasn't what I wanted and I could've done without the teen drama. And I like the characters well enough for Apocalypse to rank as high as it does. I just always felt a better story could've been come up with. That said, the setting is wonderful and the cast is great, Jessica Lange in particular and as always.

Roanoke: Another one I was really excited for as I love the legend. But ultimately it was a letdown for me. No cool intro theme. It felt like it was trying to stuff two seasons in one with its about-face, which I don't completely hate but I dislike more than I like. I get it, they were trying to differentiate from Murder House, because without the reality TV angle it would've felt like a retread. Kinda did anyway. But it had its moments, and the house was creepy as heck.

Double Feature: The first half was great, the second felt like a student film made about/during a fever dream. But, I get what they were trying to do, make it feel like a drive-in experience almost, just didn't do it for me.

NYC: I'm a gay liberal so I'm definitely not homophobic, this was just heavy-handed and obvious from the get-go and not very entertaining to me. All the gorgeous men were about the main draw for me that year.

Delicate: Just, sigh. It didn't even try to hide that it was a Rosemary's Baby rip, so is it really just a show adapted from the most glorified fan-fiction rip ever? The best episode was the one that Emma and Kim aren't in. I get it, new showrunner, different angle, and it felt like a daytime soap with some disturbin