If you have coulrophobia — a fear of clowns — you may want to skip the first “American Horror Story” Season 13 teaser, which FX just dropped. Twisty the Clown, played by John Carroll Lynch, is the star of the clip, which serves as the latest installment’s unnerving calling card and a clear promise that the franchise is leaning back into its horror roots.
The teaser also packs in familiar faces from across the show’s history. Emma Roberts appears as Madison Montgomery, Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon, Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau, Sarah Paulson as Cordelia Goode, Evan Peters as Kai Anderson, and Mena Suvari as the Black Dahlia, with Gabourey Sidibe and Jamie Brewer’s Addie Langdon rounding out the roster. The extended ensemble includes Kathy Bates, Leslie Grossman, Frances Conroy, Joey Pollari, Avantika, Tig Notaro, Madelaine Petsch and John Waters, among others.
A Sprawling, Rapid-Fire Rollout
“AHS: 13” will consist of 13 half-hour episodes and premiere Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on FX and Hulu. FX is going big on the launch: premiere week and week two will each feature three episodes, followed by a pair of episodes each following Thursday, building to the season finale on Oct. 29.
“If you have coulrophobia (a fear of clowns), you may want to skip watching the first American Horror Story Season 13 teaser.”
The season is produced by 20th Television with a deep bench of executive producers, including franchise creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk alongside Ned Martel, Charlie Carver, Eric Kovtun, Nissa Diederich, Scott Robertson, Tanase Popa, Crystle Roberson Dorsey, Jennifer Salt and Tim Minear. The rapid weekly rollout marks a notably aggressive release strategy for the long-running anthology.
Why It Matters
“American Horror Story” remains one of FX’s most durable and culturally loaded brands, and bringing back Twisty the Clown signals a return to the macabre iconography that made the show a phenomenon in its early seasons. For longtime viewers, seeing Lange, Paulson and Peters share a frame again is the nostalgia hook, while the 13-half-hour format and double/triple-episode drops aim to recapture a bingeing audience in the streaming era. With its Sept. 24 premiere set and a lineup packed with franchise legends, Season 13 is shaping up as the show’s biggest nostalgia play yet — one that could either revitalize the anthology or test how far its loyal fanbase will follow.
