Hot on the news that FX have committed to another three seasons of American Horror Story, Sarah Paulson has now revealed that she’s returning for season 10 of the Ryan Murphy show. Not only that, but she’ll be playing a central part in the new run, rather than just making a guest appearance. The news is certain to make a lot of fans happy, especially considering Paulson was unable to make her usual appearance in season 9 of the series last year.
Speaking to The Wrap, the actress had this to say about her American Horror Story comeback:
“I can confirm that I will be in next season. I have no idea what it will be… But I’m not coming back as a guest part, I will be a central character.”
It’s fair to say that Paulson never fell out with American Horror Story producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, but was most likely caught up in scheduling conflicts that prevented her from appearing in American Horror Story: 1984 last year. Indeed, it may be her role in Murphy’s upcoming Netflix drama, the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prequel Ratched, that caused her to drop out of the ensemble cast for season 9.
Paulson’s roster of characters on American Horror Story is impressive for its range, from two appearances each as medium Billie Dean Howard, reporter Lana Winters, and witch Cordelia Foxx/Goode, to turns as conjoined twins Bette Tattler and Dot Tattler and junkie ghost Sally McKenna. Furthermore, Paulson played dual roles in American Horror Story: Roanoke, and appeared as both a serial killer and one of the main characters in American Horror Story: Cult.
At the moment, we don’t know what form season 10 of American Horror Story will take, after AHS: 1984 made a satisfying detour into slasher tropes. Ryan Murphy has a habit of gradually releasing cryptic promos about a new season of AHS, so don’t expect anything concrete for a while, let alone a trailer. Paulson’s involvement is great news, though, and with seasons 11 through 13 confirmed, here’s hoping she gets more characters to play with over the next few years.