American Horror Story returns tonight with its highly anticipated 13th season, premiering Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu. The installment, officially titled American Horror Story: 13, marks a major reunion event for the long-running anthology series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk.

The season brings back an extraordinary roster of series veterans, many of whom will reprise multiple iconic roles from across the franchise’s history. Jessica Lange returns for the first time since 2018’s Apocalypse, playing all four of her classic characters: Constance Langdon from Murder House, Sister Jude from Asylum, Fiona Goode from Coven, and Elsa Mars from Freak Show.

Sarah Paulson is set to portray several of her previous characters, including Cordelia Goode, the Supreme from Coven and Apocalypse, along with others such as Lana Winters, Ally Mayfair-Richards, and Sally McKenna. Evan Peters will also juggle multiple roles, among them Tate Langdon, James Patrick March, and Kai Anderson.

Other returning stars include Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau, Emma Roberts as Madison Montgomery, Kathy Bates, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe as Queenie, Leslie Grossman, Frances Conroy as Myrtle Snow, John Carroll Lynch as Twisty the Clown, and Mat Fraser. Newcomers to the franchise include filmmaker John Waters, Paul Anthony Kelly, Joey Pollari, model Alex Consani, Madelaine Petsch, Avantika, and others. The season has been described by Murphy as an “Avengers-style” crossover in which characters from various seasons unite to confront a greater evil.

Unlike previous self-contained seasons, 13 draws from the entire American Horror Story universe. Murphy has emphasized that it is not simply a Coven sequel, despite the heavy presence of witches and familiar faces from that installment. “It’s all the seasons,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “Sarah Paulson is playing six or seven roles. Jessica Lange is playing all four of her iconic characters. Evan Peters is playing five characters… It is like the Avengers. They all come together to defeat the ultimate evil.”

The season consists of 13 half-hour episodes, a notable shift from the traditional hour-long format. FX will front-load the release schedule: three episodes air on premiere night, followed by three more the next Thursday. Subsequent weeks will feature two episodes each, culminating in the finale on October 29, just before Halloween.

The series will also stream on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ internationally.

Filming began in April 2026 and wrapped in late July. Locations included New York City, with cast members spotted shooting in SoHo. The creative team remains largely consistent, with Murphy, Falchuk, Ned Martel, Charlie Carver, and others serving as executive producers under 20th Television.

About American Horror Story

American Horror Story launched in 2011 with Murder House and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, known for its bold storytelling, rotating casts, and willingness to reinvent itself each year. Over more than a decade, it has explored haunted houses, asylums, witches’ covens, freak shows, hotels, cults, apocalyptic scenarios, and more.

The franchise has accumulated over 100 Emmy nominations and 17 wins, while generating hundreds of millions of hours of global streaming.

Season 12, Delicate, concluded in 2024 after a production delay caused by industry strikes. The two-year gap made 13 one of the longest waits between seasons. Fans have responded enthusiastically to the reunion concept, which promises both nostalgia and new narrative stakes. Trailers have featured familiar imagery-Twisty the Clown, Rubber Man, and key figures from Coven while teasing larger conflicts that span the series’ mythology.

The premiere arrives at a moment when the anthology format continues to evolve. By gathering so many beloved characters in one story, Murphy and Falchuk appear intent on delivering a celebratory yet frightening chapter that acknowledges the show’s legacy.

Viewers can tune in tonight at 9 p.m. ET on FX, with the episodes available simultaneously on Hulu. International audiences will find the season on Disney+. With its stacked cast, condensed episode length, and ambitious crossover premise, American Horror Story: 13 aims to remind audiences why the series has remained a defining force in television horror for fifteen years.

As the clock ticks toward the premiere, longtime fans and newcomers alike will finally discover what happens when the most memorable figures from American Horror Story’s past collide in one season. The number 13 has long carried superstitious weight; tonight, FX and Hulu invite audiences to see what nightmares that number holds.