The scariest story of them all
American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy will tackle the most recent American election and Trump’s presidency next season.
Murphy appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and spoke about upcoming seasons of his series on FX, including American Horror Story and American Crime Story. Murphy told Cohen he didn’t have a title for the show, but broke down what audiences could expect from the new season.
“The season that we begin shooting in June is going to be about the election that we just went though,” Murphy said. “So I think that’s going to be interesting for a lot of people.
When asked if there will be a version of President Trump in the series, Murphy hesitated before answering maybe. The showrunner didn’t provide any other details about what topics surrounding the election he may cover.
Murphy isn’t the first showrunner to address the election or Trump in his show, but it may be the first to dedicate an entire season to examining the issues surrounding it. South Park did focus an entire subplot to the election during its last season, but it was never the main story. Black-ish dedicated an entire episode this season to talking about the different events that lead to Trump being elected, and while the show was praised for its no nonsense approach, showrunner Kenya Barris has moved on.
Other shows, like The Good Fight and Mr. Robot, will also tackle various aspects of the election and Trump in office. Back when Trump was first elected in November, multiple showrunners spoke out and confirmed they would use their series, which garner hundreds of thousands or millions of views each week, to create conversation among viewers.
After Trump’s election, Designated Survivor showrunner Jon Harmon Feldman told The Hollywood Reporter the series was already changing to reflect the attitudes of voters in America. The show stars Kiefer Sutherland as a White Hosue staffer who becomes the president due to succession following a catastrophic accident. Feldman said it was important to use television as a way to communicate with audiences about what they were experiencing in their daily lives.
“I think this idea of America, that feeling without too much more provocation can start to schism into two Americas, is incredibly compelling and I think borne out by the election, and indicative of a direction we want to go with the show: to explore the fragility that I think exists in America culturally and politically right now,” Feldman said.
It’s not just political dramas or sitcoms that are attacking the election head-on. Recently, Arrow showrunners Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle addressed fans who had concerns with the political overtones of the series’ fifth season. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Guggenheim said it was always their intention to introduce hard conversations and political ideologies they thought were important.
“I grew up in a time where it was commonplace, like literally every week, for a one-hour drama to tackle the issues of the day,” Guggenheim said. “Somewhere along the line we got away from that — like, the whole industry got away from that. And now you’ve got like Black-ish and Carmichael Show, but as far as network dramas are concerned? Really not tackling current events, current issues. So we went into season five with the desire to.”
American Horror Story will return for its seventh season this fall. The show, which has become a staple series for FX, has been renewed through its ninth season.
Source: Polygon – Full
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