For longtime viewers of American Horror Story, Jessica Lange and the anthology show’s early seasons are inseparable, but which season was the veteran actress' own personal favorite? Jessica Lange starred in AHS' first four seasons - with a brief reprise in season 8 (Apocalypse) - and she regularly appeared as, if not a villain, then a character with some dubious motives that viewers could love to hate. Despite having a long history as a performer dating back to her first credit as Dwan in the 1976 version of King Kong, American Horror Story really helped to give Lange a new boost in prominence and a chance to show her range.
With the show being an anthology, each season of American Horror Story tells a separate story but often with the same actors playing different roles. Later seasons confirmed that all the stories take place within the same world, with certain characters appearing in more than one season and even allowing Lange to bring back her season 1 character for a couple of guest appearances later on. This structure gave Lange and others (such as fan-favorite Evan Peters) the chance to showcase their talents in very different roles.
The series has been undeniably successful, having seen consistently high ratings, spawning two spinoffs (American Crime Story and American Horror Stories), and it has already been renewed through season 13. When, in a conversation with Gold Derby, Tom O’Neil prompted Jessica Lange to rank her seasons of the show, she went beyond just her own role and analyzed them as complete pieces. Here’s how she listed them, from worst to best.
4. Season 3 – Coven
American Horror Story: Coven follows a group of witches in present-day New Orleans as they struggle with in-fighting in addition to external threats to their survival. Jessica Lange plays Fiona Goode, the Supreme: the most powerful witch of her generation. In addition to featuring cameo appearances from “The White Witch” herself, Stevie Nicks, the season introduced Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett to the cast who served as strong foils for Lange to bounce off of.
The low ranking that Lange gave this season might surprise some viewers, especially as her role in it garnered her the Emmy for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie” (among other awards). However, while she said the part was very well-written, she did not care for the overall setting of the season or the story it was trying to tell.
3. Season 1 – Murder House
American Horror Story: Murder House was the story that started it all; a new family moves into an old house without knowing its gruesome history, or the fact it was extremely haunted. The season cast Jessica Lange as previous owner of the house turned eccentric neighbor, Constance Langdon. Constance’s connection to the Murder House and her family’s complicated antics while living there underpin much of the larger plot. While technically a supporting role, Lange's presence is felt throughout the series and the part won her both an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
Lange gave no particular reason for this season's number three slot, simply implying stronger feelings about the other series than this one. Speaking to Vanity Fair, she mentioned that Ryan Murphy had advertised the story to her as a psychological thriller and seemed disappointed the final result was a little different from that pitch. However, she did note the role helped her a lot at a difficult time in her life as she moved on from a 30 year relationship, and she focused on the joy of playing a character where the writers had her in mind at all times.
Her reprisal of Constance Langdon is notably absent from this list. While she appears in two episodes of American Horror Story: Apocalypse (“Return to Murder House” and “Apocalypse Then”) and plays a pivotal role in the story. Lange declined to add Apocalypse, however, as she never actually saw it.
2. Season 4 – Freak Show
Playing the head of a traveling carnival, Lange’s Elsa Mars struggled to keep everyone together as members of the troupe were maimed and killed, battling both real-world prejudices and fetishization, and paranormal forces such as the mysterious Edward Mordrake. This was Jessica Lange’s final full season of American Horror Story and was the one that started to tie the show’s universe together. The series directly ties Freak Show to the second season by bringing back a younger version of Pepper, as well as demonstrating Elsa Mars’ traumatic past with the Nazi scientist Dr. Arthur Arden.
While Lange didn’t rate this season of American Horror Story as number one, she did say it was the one that was the best experience to create. While the plot was often rough on the head of the traveling show, Lange said she loved the character of Elsa and the feel of the carnival equipment, tents, and seediness, describing the atmosphere of the set as being “like a poem.” She also called out her highlight of the series, despite not feeling like a confident singer: getting to sing David Bowie’s "Life on Mars."
1. Season 2 – Asylum
Set primarily in 1964, American Horror Story: Asylum centers on the story of a serial killer called “Bloody Face” and his connection to Briarcliff Asylum. Jessica Lange portrays Sister Jude, the nun in charge of the institution, until her eventual committal to the asylum herself. The character is a particularly complicated one as Jude deals with her past, her inner turmoil, and the machinations of both Dr. Arden and more supernatural forces tied to demonic possession.
While she loved creating Freak Show, Lange simply says that Asylum was the “better season” of American Horror Story. Although she didn’t elaborate on why she thought it was the best, it stands out from the other early seasons for having a more focused narrative and more directly tackling modern-day social issues related to race, mental health, and LGBTQ+ topics. As with Bowie in Freak Show, her musical performance of "The Name Game" may also have helped her view it in a particularly positive light.
Her cameo in Apocalypse had many wondering whether Jessica Lange might return to American Horror Story in the future. With more seasons on the horizon, that might seem like a possibility, but the actress told The Wrap that she’s not interested. Reprising Constance Langdon was special to her, but to create a new character with so many of the cast she had worked with having moved on does not appeal to the actress at this point.