Ryan Murphy reveals more details about American Horror Story Season 4

The bewitching third season of FX’s supernatural drama American Horror Story has taken what was already a popular, critically acclaimed series and made it even more popular (ratings are WAY up) and critically acclaimeder, with numerous award nominations and entries on just about every critic’s “Top TV Shows of 2013” list. But, as Coven winds down (there are only three more episodes y’all! 🙁 ), show co-creator Ryan Murphy is already beginning to focus on American Horror Story Season 4, and he’s been teasing fans with tidbits of information on what we can expect for the show’s fourth incarnation.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly for their American Horror Story: Coven cover story in December, Murphy revealed that they had been considering the notion of a Coven spin-off series, and that concept still had legs more than halfway through filming the current season. “We were starting to break episode 8 or 9 and we were like, ‘Well, we can’t kill that person off because we need them for the spinoff.’ As soon as those words were said, I was like, ‘There is no spinoff.’ Because it took away from the joy of the show. The reason the show is successful is no one is safe ever,” Murphy said.

He later added that “It’s either going to shoot in New Orleans or it’s going to shoot in Santa Fe.” Hmmmm…. Those settings seem so vastly different that its hard to garner much from that bit of info.

In a follow-up chat with EW, Murphy revealed some slightly more concrete information about the new season. “It’s set in 1950,” Murphy says. “If you look historically what happened in the year 1950, there’s some more clues in that year. It’s a period piece. We try and do the opposite of what we’ve done before.”

Hmmmm… The “opposite of what we’ve done before” based on some historical occurrence in 1950? Before you start guessing, know that Murphy then added, “Jessica Lange has already started practicing her German accent so I’m very excited!”

WHUH?!? Among the historically notable happenings in 1950 are the beginning of The Korean War, the start of McCarthyism, China’s invasion of Tibet and President Truman giving the go-ahead on developing the hydrogen bomb. Of those, I suppose the hydrogen bomb development seems to fit the best. Aren’t pretty much all megabomb scientists German? And the first nuclear bomb was tested in New Mexico, which not only jibes with the Santa Fe shooting location, but also introduces the American-Horror-Story-friendly ingredient of radiation into the mix!

So far there has been no official confirmation of (or even any kind of reference to) rumors that the new AHS season would be about a circus.

For the American Horror Story obsessed who demand to know more, then pay close attention to tonight’s episode titled “Protect the Coven” because Murphy has said that is the episode that will feature the first hints of what to expect in season 4!

UPDATE – Click here to see our list of potential Season 4 clues from the episode “Protect the Coven!”