You either love “American Horror Story” or you hate it. There is no in between.
Yes it’s racy, yes it’s intense, but that is what makes “American Horror Story” so alluring. What people don’t understand is that “American Horror Story” is not for the weak at heart.
The blood, the gore, and the scandalous sex bring the show to a whole new, entertaining level, as well as to the top of TV controversy.
Many shows in the past, such as “The Shield” and “Weeds” have also taken their plots to the edge of the moral line.
Like “American Horror Story,” FX’s “The Shield” and Showtime’s “Weeds” have a mature rating for their risqué plots and adult content. Despite their mature content, these shows sparked a lot of interest from viewers and became very popular.
“Weeds” is a comedy-drama series starring Mary-Louise Parker that follows a suburban mom who finds herself dealing marijuana and getting into all sorts of trouble.
“Weeds” is very similar to the AMC’s “Breaking Bad.”
FX’s “The Shield” was a violent drama, starring Michael Chiklis, about an L.A. police department with ruthless officers that would not give up until justice was served.
The shows feature extreme violence, illegal activity, and sexual content, but at the same time were very popular for their audience.
What’s funny is that not many people were in cahoots over shows about dangerous drugs, sex, or violence being aired on TV, but when a show comes on that combines all of these concepts with heavy and bizarre plot-lines, all hell breaks loose in the media. “American Horror Story” targets the same “mature” audience as “The Shield,” but it gets more negative attention than it does positive.
Many unsatisfied viewers have called “American Horror Story” messed-up, others accused it of being inappropriate, or my personal favorite: stupid. Their assessments cannot be farther from the truth.
Fans of the show call it brilliant, and I agree. There is so much meaning behind Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy’s writing that it is hard to be overly critical about the show.
It is in its third season, and the critically acclaimed actress Jessica Lang has won an Emmy for her performances in the show.
The show itself has won many awards. A show this good should not be shooed off of the air and on to a different, more limited TV channel because overly sensitive people can’t handle its content.
What very little people know is that cable TV shows don’t have the same Federal Communications Commission regulations as over-the-air TV shows. So, despite people’s distaste for the show, I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.
American Horror Story is rated TV MA for a reason, and is not meant for a young or easily offended audience. If TV was meant to only show “safe” shows, TV would be extremely boring. If gruesome and brutal horror is not your cup of tea, then don’t watch it.