The much anticipated fourth season of “American Horror Story” (AHS) aired October 8, with most of the cast members from previous seasons returning. The show is set in the year 1952, in Jupiter, Florida. This is rumored to be Jessica Lange’s last season as Elsa Mars, the singing ring leader of the freak show. The returning cast includes Sarah Paulson, playing the two-headed, conjoined twins Bette and Dot, and Evan Peters, playing Jimmy Darling. Also returning are Kathy Bates, playing Ethel Darling – Jimmy’s bearded mother, Angela Bassett as Desiree Dupree, and Emma Roberts as Maggie Esmerelda.

The intricate characters of this season acting out life in a real freak show are what attract viewers to the show.  Elsa Mars rescues Bette and Dot, adding them to the freak show lineup. Up next is Jimmy Darling, a lobster clawed heartthrob that juggles for the crowd. His mother Ethel is the bearded lady, and Elsa’s henchman.

Also in the show are the smallest woman on the planet, a woman with no legs, and a deranged boy named Meep, who bites heads off live chickens. Unfortunately the show, with all of its acts and talents, doesn’t attract a crowd. It isn’t until the civilians of Jupiter start believing that Jimmy saves a girl from a murderer (Twisty the Clown – played by John Carroll Lynch) that the show starts to build a fan base. People come from all over to see the hero. The popularity brings in a television talent scout, who offers Elsa, Bette, and Dot a chance to sing on his show. Little do they know that the talent scout has his own self-serving plans involving Elsa, the twins, and the rest of the cast. The talent scout, Stanley (played by Dennis O’Hare) is actually the owner of the Museum of Morbid Curiosities, a museum filled with exhibits of freaks like the ones found at the freak show. His plan is to capture and kill the freaks to put up in the exhibits and make a fortune. Will his plans succeed? Keep watching and find out. American Horror Story: Freak Show airs Wednesday nights at 10 on FX.