After keeping the last season of American Horror Story entirely under wraps, Ryan Murphy didn't have any trouble revealing the theme of American Horror Story Season 7. He told Watch What Happens Live that it will be about the 2016 election, which could, perhaps, be his most terrifying season of all since it happens to be true. "The season that we begin shooting in June is going to be about the election that we just went through," Murphy said. "So I think that will be interesting for a lot of people." What may be even more interesting is the fact that he isn't quite sure if Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will appear in the season, which doesn't have a title as of yet. When asked if the latter would appear, Murphy simply said "ugh, maybe."
It's not much of an answer but it sure is an intriguing one. Dedicating a American Horror Story season to the 2016 election and not featuring Trump seems difficult — though not impossible. After all, Murphy's The People Vs. O.J. Simpson was less about Simpson and more about everything surrounding his 1994 murder case. It gave people a chance to re-evaluate the key players in the trial, like Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, which may be interesting to do when re-telling the story of this past election.
Not focusing solely on Trump also sends a message that his win wasn't all about him. It allows Murphy to put a new spin on a narrative that's still playing out. Murphy can focus on Trump's staff like Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, giving a behind the scenes look at his campaign. He can take a closer look at his voters, who weren't covered much during the actual election. Or he could tease Trump's appearance only showing him in the shadows, waiting for when he wins to do a big reveal.
Not featuring Trump also falls in line with what he plans to do with the fourth season of American Crime Story, which, as Murphy announced, will focus on the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. It will, however, not put much focus on Bill or Hillary Clinton. As Murphy told WWHL, "Our take on it is interesting. Our take on it is I don't really think the Clintons need to be huge parts of that story." The series will, instead, tell Lewinsky's side of the story, honing in on "the birth of a specific movement in our country."
That's why Murphy has become such an interesting creator: because he doesn't go for the easy angle with these stranger than fiction tales. He attempts to put his own spin on things. Why wouldn't Murphy want to have his shot at telling a story that the people can't get enough of in a way they'd never expect?
In fact, it makes you realize that the real question we should be asking about the seventh season of AHS is who is Sarah Paulson going to play?
