Skip to footer

'American Horror Story' season 3: Kathy Bates joins cast

'American Horror Story' has added 'Misery' actress Kathy Bates to its cast for season three. Will the third season of 'American Horror Story' center on witches?

|
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
'American Horror Story' creators Ryan Murphy (l.) and Brad Falchuk and star Jessica Lange (center) arrive at the screening of the show's season two premiere.
  • By Robert Yaniz Jr. Screen Rant

American Horror Story has proven to be a real winner for FX. The show earned impressive numbers throughout season 2, subtitled Asylum, and was quickly renewed for season 3. Concrete details regarding the upcoming storyline have remained scarce, but co-creator Ryan Murphy (of Nip/Tuck and Glee fame) has since offered a few hints regarding what fans can expect.

Thus far, the series has included all manner of supernatural madness, including demons, mutants, aliens and ghosts. Murphy himself has said that the season will feature an “evil glamour” of sorts, and rumor has it that witches will be a central part of the plot. While the inclusion of magic is still unconfirmed, the latest addition to the show’s cast is sure to raise expectations. 

According to TV Line, Oscar winner Kathy Bates is poised to join American Horror Story season 3 as the arch-enemy (and former best friend) of Jessica Lange’s new character. The season is expected to be more historical than previous rounds – though it will jump through a few different time periods – and will feature a somewhat lighter tone than the bleak Asylum.

Bates most recently headlined Harry’s Law for NBC, but she is no stranger to the world of horror. The actress famously walked away with Oscar gold for her chilling portrayal of obsessed fan Annie Wilkes in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery. So the thought of her joining the eerie world of American Horror Story is a terrific fit and gives her a chance to exercise those chill-inducing acting skills once more. Plus, the very idea of Lange and Bates facing off (potentially as witches) can only help to bring in viewers at this point.

In addition to Lange, the upcoming season of American Horror Story will feature returning cast members Taissa Farmiga, Frances Conroy, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe and Evan Peters.

Do you think Bates will prove a worthy adversary for Lange and a smart addition to the cast? Let us know in the comments.

Robert Yaniz Jr. blogs at Screen Rant.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to 'American Horror Story' season 3: Kathy Bates joins cast
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Culture-Cafe/2013/0227/American-Horror-Story-season-3-Kathy-Bates-joins-cast
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe