After nine seasons, Emma Roberts is an American Horror Story fan favorite for several reasons. Each of her characters has a purpose, whether it's malicious, innocent, or somewhere in between. She has been a mainstay in five out of the nine anthology seasons, and even though her status for the upcoming season dubbed, Double Feature, is unclear and up in the air, it feels doubtful that 1984 was her last season.
While Emma hasn't donned any monster masks or terrifying special effects, she's well-known in the AHS circle, and so far, her various roles have been spot-on and among the most memorable in the history of the series. So, where do each of her roles stand in terms of likability? It's probably fairly obvious given the nature of a lot of her roles.
Serena Belinda: Cult
In Cult, Emma Roberts was cast as a young broadcast newscaster named Serena Belinda, who is willing to do anything to succeed in the TV news industry. She is known to target other women, like Beverly Hope, and conspire against them, seeing them as nothing but competition.
Serena Belinda might be Emma Roberts's smallest role in the series, but she leaves a memorable stain in Cult. While she and her cameraman don't last long in the season, it's clear that Serena doesn't play fair, and in turn, is the least likable character. Her willingness to do evil things, especially to other women, makes that certain.
Madison Montgomery: Coven
Madison Montgomery might be a fan-favorite for her witchy powers and, at times, snarky lines, but overall, she isn't easy to like. From the moment viewers first lay eyes on her until her very last scene, there are undertones of selfishness, materialism, and loose loyalty to her sisters. Once she realizes she has immense powers, she becomes a loose cannon who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Even though the frat guys had it coming, she also several killed innocent victims on the bus too. She refused to bring Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga) back from the dead and even started up a relationship with Kyle Spencer (Evan Peters) once she and Zoe "fixed" him. Overall she wasn't a very good friend to Zoe and innocent people died at the hands of Madison Montgomery.
Madison Montgomery: Apocalypse
By the eighth season, it seemed like various storylines were coming full-circle while several cast members reprised their past roles, one of them being Madison Montgomery. After being released from her own personal Hell, Madison is still a spitfire who makes rude remarks and has an arrogant air about her.
She redeems herself a bit when she bans together with Fiona Goode (Sarah Paulson) and Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) to sort out a plan that will undo the nuclear attack that Michael Langdon (Cody Fern) set upon the planet. She even travels back to the Murder House with Behold Chablis (Billy Porter) to dig into Michael's past and determine what went wrong. Madison is still up to her old tricks throughout the season. She ultimately takes one for the team when Michael kills her and sends her back to her personal Hell.
Maggie Esmerelda: Freak Show
Maggie Esmerelda was initially a con artist who was often dragged along by her partner, Stanley (Denis O'Hare). Even though she typically scammed and tricked innocent bystanders, she never was as evil as her predecessor. To gain more insight into Elsa Mars's (Jessica Lange) circus, she posed as a fortune teller but quickly fell in love with Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters).
After realizing the group was kind and semi-welcoming, viewers saw that Maggie had a conscience after all. Unfortunately, when her character turned around for the good, she was sawed in half by Chester Creb (Neil Patrick Harris). If she would've survived or escaped Chester, she might've run away with Jimmy, and started her life over, con-free. Emma Roberts has played many roles in and out of the series, but Maggie Esmerelda is certainly one of her most memorable.
Brooke Thompson: 1984
Emma Roberts has played several snarky and shameless characters in AHS, but her most wholesome role was easily that of Brooke Thompson in 1984. From the get-go, it's obvious she's the "Final Girl" in this slasher-esque season, and even though she's been through several traumas in her young adult life, she rises above them and makes something of a good life for herself.
Brooke is the most relatable of Emma Roberts's role in AHS and is a fighter who tries to do right even though bad luck seems to follow her every step of the way. In the end, she finds happiness, which isn't a common thing in the anthology series. So far, Emma Roberts has an impressive acting resume, and her roles on AHS have been the best and most recognized of them all.