Emma Roberts and Taissa Farmiga will be returning to season 8 of FX’s anthology series American Horror Story. This will be the first time they starred alongside each other since the show’s third season in 2013, subtitled Coven.
From creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, American Horror Story is an anthology horror television series that centers on specific, overarching themes for each season - all of which are inspired by the horror genre. Premiering in 2011, the seasons have covered everything from haunted house tropes in Murder House to witches and voodoo in Coven to the 2016 US presidential election in Cult, with a massive cast that includes Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Denis O’Hare, Angela Bassett, and Kathy Bates. Now, Roberts and Farmiga, who have individually starred in several seasons of the series, but only once together in Coven, will be reuniting in the upcoming eighth season, which is expected to revisit narratives from the first and third seasons.
After Murphy officially announced that the upcoming season of American Horror Story will be a crossover of the first and third seasons, Murphy confirmed that Roberts and Farmiga would be returning as their characters Madison Montgomery and Zoe Benson, respectively, according to Deadline. In a response to a Twitter user named AHS Notes asking if Farmiga would be joining the cast (which has since been deleted), Murphy responded by saying that “all witches are being asked back.” What’s more is that Roberts personally hinted at her return on her personal Instagram account. In a video she posted in which she was dressed in black attire (the proper attire for witches in Coven), she said, “Surprise b****, bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.”
While the two actresses will be returning to their roles from Coven, it’s unclear whether or not Farmiga will reprise her role from the show’s first season, Murder House. Having died midway through the first season, her character, Violet Harmon, exists on the show as a ghost. And given that American Horror Story has frequently utilized the same actors for different roles in a single season, Farmiga may well show up in two roles in the upcoming season, though this hasn’t been confirmed.
American Horror Story’s reputation has slightly dwindled over the past few seasons, with Murder House, Asylum, and Coven being considered fan favorites, and the subsequent four seasons paling in comparison. And given that last season saw a dip in ratings, returning to Murder House and Coven has potential to rekindle interest and potentially breathe some new life into the series.
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American Horror Story season 8 premieres this September on FX.
Source: Deadline
