American Horror Story: NYC

The eleventh season of the American horror anthology television series American Horror Story, subtitled NYC, takes place in 1980s New York City, and focuses on a string of killings involving gay men and the emergence of a new virus. The ensemble cast includes Russell Tovey, Joe Mantello, Charlie Carver, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Cole Powell, Zachary Quinto, Denis O'Hare, and Patti LuPone, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomers Tovey, Mantello, and Carver.

Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for cable network FX, the series is produced by 20th Television. NYC was broadcast between October 19 to November 16, 2022, consisting of 10 episodes. The subtitle was announced in September 2022. The season received positive reviews from critics, but became the first iteration of the show not to be nominated for any Primetime Emmy Awards.

Main

 * Russell Tovey as Patrick Read
 * Joe Mantello as Gino Barelli
 * Charlie Carver as Adam Carpenter
 * Billie Lourd as Dr. Hannah Wells
 * Leslie Grossman as Barbara Read
 * Sandra Bernhard as Fran
 * Isaac Cole Powell as Theo Graves
 * Zachary Quinto as Sam
 * Denis O'Hare as Henry Grant

Recurring

 * Patti LuPone as Kathy Pizazz
 * Jeff Hiller as Gideon Whitely
 * Kyle Beltran as Morris
 * Clara McGregor as KK
 * Quei Tann as Lita
 * Kal Penn as Chief of Detectives Mac Marzara
 * Rebecca Dayan as Alana
 * Casey Thomas Brown as Hans Henkes
 * Hale Appleman as Daniel Kanowicz
 * Gideon Glick as Cameron Dietrich
 * Matthew William Bishop as Big Daddy

Guest

 * Taylor Bloom as Stewart
 * Sis as Dunaway
 * Hannah Jane McMurray as Shachath, the character was previously portrayed by Frances Conroy in Asylum.

Development
On January 9, 2020, American Horror Story was renewed for up to a thirteenth season. In February 2022, FX chairman John Landgraf stated that the eleventh season would feature only one story, unlike Double Feature, though it would take place "in different timelines." On September 29, 2022, the official title of the season was revealed to be NYC and that the season would premiere on October 19, 2022. On October 6, 2022, a teaser trailer for the season was released on the show's social media pages.

Casting
Ahead of any official cast announcements, Billie Lourd, Charlie Carver, Isaac Cole Powell, and Sandra Bernhard were seen filming on set. Additionally, Zachary Quinto, Patti LuPone, and Joe Mantello were reported to be appearing in the season. On August 30, 2022, series veteran Denis O'Hare confirmed his appearance on Twitter. Leslie Grossman, Russell Tovey, Rebecca Dayan, Kal Penn and Gideon Glick also appeared in the season.

Filming
Filming officially began in New York on June 14, 2022, and concluded on October 28, 2022.

Release
The season premiered on October 19, 2022. For the first time in the show's history, two episodes aired each week instead of only one.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 71% approval rating, based on 7 reviews for the season, with an average rating of 6.80/10.

Emma Stefansky of The Daily Beast stated, "There is an air of unknown doom that hangs about the show even in its first episodes, with people repeatedly mentioning a feeling of ominousness permeating the city, muttering things like, “Something dark is coming.” Isn't it always? AHS: NYC has all the Murphy-esque signatures, and more: It's sexy, it's salacious, and it's subversive—not least because of the era and the community in which it's set. Like most seasons of this show, NYC starts strong, though it's difficult at this point to say exactly what's going on. Who is the leather mask daddy with a murderous streak? Is this perhaps an origin story for the rubber man ghost from all the way back in Season 1? As a horror-tinged dramatization of the oppression that urban marginalized communities faced in Reagan's America, it works, so far.” Kayla Cobb of Decider wrote, "American Horror Story: NYC has been the most realistic this series has ever been. Instead of witches, ghosts, and vampires, this installment is all about serial killers and incompetent cops. But just because this show has a newfound dedication to realism, that doesn't mean there weren't some over-the-top flourishes."

Magdalene Taylor of Vulture said, "For now, we can rely on one thing about this season: It will be sexy. AHS almost always is, but the queer '80s New York City setting offers far more creative and erotic fodder than, say, the dilapidated North Carolina colonial farmhouse of AHS: Roanoke. The leather, the coke, the soundtrack — even if the plot this season fails us, at least we'll be fed aesthetically. There are not yet any ghosts, vampires, witches, or demons, but if this season is entirely grounded in reality, it's at least a gritty and exciting one to see. Though this might not be as big of a hit as Dahmer or The Watcher, AHS fans likely won't be starved of the campy theatricalism we've come to adore." Ron Hogan of Den of Geek gave American Horror Story: NYC a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, asserting, "Now that sort of wild conspiracy theory feels more like the AHS I'm used to. People on the hunt for a serial killer is all well and good, and can be very fun, but it wouldn't be Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk without something crazier than shirtless hunks in cages to really liven things up. NYC might be more David Fincher's Zodiac than a take on William Lustig's Maniac for the moment, but there's always that undercurrent of weirdness to everything American Horror Story does that's just waiting to move from a subplot to the main feature."

Streaming viewership
According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, American Horror Story was the fifth most anticipated returning television series of October 2022.

According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, American Horror Story: NYC was the tenth most streamed program across all platforms during the week ending October 26, 2022. According to the streaming aggregator JustWatch, American Horror Story: NYC was the fifth most streamed television series across all platforms in the United States during the week of October 24–30, 2022, the sixth during the week of October 31, 2022, to November 6, 2022, and the seventh during the week of November 7–13, 2022.

Accolades
In its eleventh season, the series had been nominated for two awards.