‘American Horror Story’ is a superior show

Inclusivity, diversity of ‘American Horror Story’ makes it a must-watch for everyone

American+Horror+Story+is+a+10-season+show+with+an+incredibly+inclusive+and+diverse+cast.+Nothing+beats+a+show+that+evolves+with+current+events.

LAUREN PETTIT

American Horror Story is a 10-season show with an incredibly inclusive and diverse cast. Nothing beats a show that evolves with current events.

SYDNEY DOWNING, Evergreen columnist

Since the very first season of the hit show “American Horror Story,” creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk never hesitated to create a wide-ranging cast that excels at acting.

The cast is full of all ethnicities, people with disabilities and people who represent the LGBTQ+ community as well.

This show is not only welcoming for all communities, but it is also well-created, well-directed and well-acted. Every season is a different “theme” of horror: murder, paranormal activity, cults and asylums. A must-watch if you like eerie and binge-worthy television.

WSU alum Nhi Nguyen has always enjoyed AHS over the years. She believes this show is good at representing current events as well as showing important history.

“It’s not so scary; it’s a different type of scary,” Nguyen said. “Where they used reality to show you what can actually happen.”

Season 8, “Apocalypse,” is based on the idea of the human population being taken out but the wealthy survive. It portrays what some of us thought would have happened at the start of our current pandemic. 

Peculiar, but far too entertaining to turn it off.

Jamie Brewer is an actor with Down syndrome who starred on multiple seasons of AHS. Her role as Addie in the first season was known as a breakthrough for other actors with disabilities. Now you see more people with disabilities playing main roles in movies and shows.

The diversity aspect of this show is shown throughout every season, with multiple actors of different ethnicities representing historical events. During season 3, titled “Coven,” there are flashbacks to the experiences of both slaves and witches that take historically accurate realities to a horrifying level. 

Junior marketing major Alissa Evans loves the show because of the storyline and how it keeps you on your toes.

“They are kind of accurate with historical parts of the show,” Evans said. “So, I definitely learned more.”

Along with showing important history, the LGBTQ+ community is represented widely in the most recent season, “American Horror Stories.” The family is made up of two married men and their daughter, who is also queer.

Bringing these factors together reveals what is possible in a show. The creators of AHS work to be allies and make an effort to create an inclusive show. 

“If you don’t have those people of different ethnicities in the show, you will never be able to explain what happened,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen was specifically referring to season 3 of AHS, which included the use of voodoo. These African religious practices were represented by Black actors, as they should have been. If history is being told in a show, it needs to be represented correctly and well. 

“In comparison to other shows, they are pretty inclusive,” Evans said. “These days [inclusivity] is more prioritized. Back when I was younger, it was just all Caucasian people.” 

When it first aired, the show was ahead of its time. Today, diversity can be seen more in other shows, as this is important to the time we are in. 

AHS will always be superior for constantly showing inclusivity and diversity.