Ryan Murphy's long-running horror anthology series, American Horror Story, has been a staple of modern horror television for almost a decade. While seasons have had their ups and downs, Freak Show, is highly regarded as one of the better seasons, but Murphy's decision to mix horror with musical numbers just didn't work.
Freak Show, the series' fourth season, felt like a farewell to veteran actress Jessica Lange from start to finish. The bittersweet swan song for fans played out with her in the center of the ring, quite literally. Elsa Mars (Lange) was the manager and caretaker for a band of carnival workers with varying physical abnormalities whom she gifted with the limelight in her show. While maternal to some and monstrous to others, Elsa's dreams of show business manifested by her often taking the stage for herself, serving as a chanteuse for her patrons. Equal parts Marlene Dietrich and Mommy Dearest, Lange's performance was a knock-out, and the season was well-regarded overall, though no thanks to its inclusion of some odd musical numbers that didn't strengthen its overall concept.
Some cast members, including Lange, speak very highly of Freak Show. Arguably one of the more light-hearted seasons because of its strong themes, including championing the outsider, familial togetherness, and finding one's tribe, the addition of musical numbers managed to deepen some of these softer moments and detract from Freak Show's moments of horror.
Why AHS: Freak Show's Musical Numbers Didn't Work
Ryan Murphy has attached his name to many genres and types of television series, but since starting with American Horror Story, he has adopted the anthological way of storytelling. This could be partially due to his previous show, Glee, dismantling after its third season as the premise of a high school show choir started to wear thin. While Glee went on for three more seasons - six in total - American Horror Story has recently been renewed through its thirteenth season; its landmark tenth season will be hitting FX sometime in 2020. Glee had its merits, but in many ways, Freak Show felt like re-visiting this same song and dance and, mixed with horror elements, didn't manage to stick the landing.
Elsa Mars, along with other performers, executed many famous songs during the season's run, including "Criminal" by Fiona Apple, "Life On Mars?" by David Bowie, and "Come As You Are" by Nirvana. Though most of the singing was done by Lange, other cast members contributed vocally as well. The notion of adding musical numbers didn't go against the season's overall concept, as the central focus was on Elsa and her performers. In some ways, it even made sense to have these types of performances. Yet, the lengthy numbers became cumbersome, and the decision to choose songs popularized in more modern times stuck out like a sore thumb since Freak Show was set in the 1950s.
Though there might have been a better way to include these rather than deleting them entirely, the decision to feature them as a plot device in place of a background note put too much spotlight on one of American Horror Story's weaker elements.