FX: ‘Justified’ Renewed For Season Five

Yeah, big shocker, we know…

Via Press Release:

NEW YORK, March 28, 2013 – FX Networks announced a slew of pickups this morning, with Justified getting a fifth season pickup on FX, while It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League and Legit will all return and move to FXX, announced John Landgraf, President & General Manager, FX Networks.The critically-acclaimed drama series Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant, will continue to run on FX. Season five begins production this fall and will air on FX in January 2014. Season four is currently airing, with the season finale slated to air next Tuesday, April 2, at 10:00 PM ET/PT. To date, season four is pacing to be Justified’s most-watched season ever.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League and Legit will all move to FXX.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s ninth season will air on FXX this fall, and the network has also placed an order for a tenth season that will air in the fall of 2014. One of the most successful comedies in all of basic cable, Sunny’s eighth season ranked #2 in its basic cable time period in Men 18-49 and Men 18-34 (behind only the NFL on the NFL Network) and #2 in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34 (behind Jersey Shore).

The League’s already announced fifth season will air on FXX this fall, and the network is announcing a sixth season pickup that will air on FXX in the fall of 2014. Last season, The League ranked #2 in its basic cable time period in M18-49, behind only the NFL on NFL Network.

The new critically-acclaimed comedy Legit’s first season will end on FX Thursday, April 11 at 10:30PM ET/PT. The show has officially been picked up for a second season, and will be moving to FXX, returning in early 2014. Legit continues to build an audience, growing by +25% from its first three episodes to its second three episodes.

Developed by Graham Yost and starring Timothy Olyphant, Justified is based on the works of crime novelist Elmore Leonard, including Leonard’s short story “Fire in the Hole.” The series co-stars Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel and Joelle Carter. Yost wrote the pilot and serves as executive producer/showrunner on the series. Leonard is also an executive producer on the series along with Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman, Michael Dinner and Fred Golan. Justified is produced by Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions.

FX Launches Young Adult Focused FXX Network, ‘It’s Always Sunny…,’ ‘The League’ & ‘Legit’ to Flagship

UPDATE:  In our eagerness to publish this ridiculously long press-release that we were, frankly, just too lazy read all the way through, we forgot to mention the most important news of the piece: FX has renewed It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League and Legit and they will all be moving to the new network, FXX.

Via Press Release:

FX NETWORKS TO LAUNCH FXX A NEW NETWORK FOR YOUNG ADULTS DEBUTING ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 AND AVAILABLE TO 74 MILLION HOMES

FX NETWORKS BECOMES THREE-NETWORK SUITE WITH FX, FXX AND FXM AND WILL GROW TO OFFER 25 SCRIPTED ORIGINAL SERIES

FX WILL TARGET ADULTS 18-49, FXX WILL FOCUS ON ADULTS 18-34, AND FXM WILL AIM FOR ADULTS 25-54

FX NETWORKS TO LAUNCH ITS VERSION OF TV EVERYWHERE WITH “FXNOW”

NEW YORK, March 28, 2013 – On Monday, September 2, FX Networks will launch FXX, a new network aimed at young adult viewers, it was announced today by John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks. With the addition of FXX, FX Networks will become a suite of three networks consisting of FX, FXX and FXM.

FXX will be available in 74 million homes in year one, making it one of the most widely distributed entertainment networks ever for an ad-supported cable network in its inaugural year. FXX initially will be built on a foundation of original comedy series, movies and acquired series, and expand to include original drama series, all primarily designed to attract young adults 18-34.

FX, the flagship of FX Networks, will continue to offer award-winning original comedy and drama series, movies and acquired series targeted to Adults 18-49. FX will increase the number of drama series and begin offering limited series and miniseries.

FXM will continue to be home to prestige movies, and related short-form original programming – as its universe grows, it will begin to televise its own limited series and miniseries.

Landgraf said, “This is a landmark day in the almost 20-year history of FX Networks. As we add FXX to become a suite of three channels, FX will remain the foundation of the brand, which is why we chose to include it in the names of each of our three networks. We will maintain the exceptional quality associated with the FX brand, a reputation we have established with consumers through our numerous, award-winning hit comedy and drama series for more than a decade.

“With this expansion, FX, FXX and FXM will specifically target one of the three major adult demos, enabling us to focus on creating passionate engagement across the entire range of adult viewers ages 18 to 54. This will enable the FX Networks to deliver more impressions and gain greater reach across all key adult demos without falling into the ?all things to all people’ pitfall that plagues broadcast television.

“We are embarking on an incredibly ambitious ramp-up of program development and production required to sustain these networks. I’m very confident that the pilots, projects and talent we have deals with will allow us to double our already best-in-class roster of scripted original series over the next several years. Our three-network platform will enable us to achieve even greater goals and solidify our position as a leader in quality scripted original programming.”

FX Networks will invest heavily in original programming and massively ramp up its development and pilot production slate, more than doubling its current offerings to feature 25 scripted original series across the three networks over the next three years (see Attachment 5 for Comedy Series Pilot Slate; see Attachment 6 for Limited Series Development Slate).

Also, additional season orders have been placed for returning hit series, including Justified, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, and Legit (see Attachment 2). The late night series Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell will become a five-nights-per-week strip (see attachment 3).

FX Will Continue to Offer Award-Winning Scripted Dramas and Comedies Network to Launch New Drama The Bridge in July and Will Debut Its First Limited Series, Fargo

FX has enjoyed a decade-long track record of success in original programming, and its slate of award-winning original hit series is unmatched by any of its basic cable competitors. The network will build on that success and bolster its slate of originals, introducing The Bridge, a new drama series in July, and its first limited series, Fargo (see attachment 4), next spring.

FX is off to a great start in 2013, recording the most-watched first quarter ever and posting gains of +23% gains in Adults 18-49 and +28% gains in Adults 18-34 versus first quarter of 2012.

Earlier this year, FX launched the most critically-acclaimed new drama series of the year, The Americans. The period piece set in 1981?about KGB spies posing as Americans in the US will conclude its first season on May 1. It’s already been renewed for a second season which will debut in January of 2014.

The Emmy Award(R)-winning hit drama Justified is recording the highest ratings in its history, and it remains one of the most consistently excellent shows on TV. Season four ends on April 2 and the network has ordered the fifth season of the series, which will debut in January of 2014.

Also, when it comes to returning drama, very few shows on television compare to the acclaimed hit series Sons Of Anarchy, either creatively or from a ratings standpoint. It is the highest-rated series in FX history. Last season, Sons was TV’s #1 show among Adults 18-49 in the Tuesday 10 PM time period. Season six of SOA kicks off in September.

Also, returning in the fall will be the newest incarnation of the American Horror Story miniseries franchise. Last year, AHS tied with Mad Men for the most Emmy Award nominations for any television program. It is one of the Top 5 ranked scripted shows on basic cable in delivery of Adults 18-49. The next chapter will be called American Horror Story: Coven and it is set in New Orleans and Academy Award(R) winner Kathy Bates is joining the cast opposite Jessica Lange. American Horror Story will once again roll out in October, just in time for Halloween, and it will run through January of 2014.

Original comedy series will remain a staple of the FX schedule.

The Emmy and Peabody Award winning series Louie is the most critically-acclaimed comedy on television, broadcast or cable. Put simply, Louis C.K. is a genius. He created a show that is smart, poignant, painful, hysterical, and truly original. The fourth season of Louie will debut on FX May of 2014.

The award-winning animated comedy, Archer, currently in its fourth season, is irreverent, hilarious and brilliant. It has become a force in television on Thursday nights. FX picked up the fifth season of Archer and we believe this show, which has grown EVERY season it has aired, will continue that trajectory well into the future, just as Sunny did.

The acclaimed hit comedy Wilfred, starring Jason Gann and Elijah Wood, ranked among basic cable’s Top 10 scripted comedies last season in young adults. It will return this summer.

FX has two new drama series this year.

New to FX is The Bridge, a drama series premiering in July starring Academy Award nominee Demi?n Bichir and veteran film actress Diane Kruger. Set on the border between El Paso and Juarez, The Bridge centers on two detectives, one from the United States and one from Mexico, who must work together to hunt down a killer operating on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. The Bridge was adapted for American television by the Emmy and Golden Globe(R) Award winning Executive Producer of Homeland, Meredith Stiehm, and Novelist and television Writer/Producer Elwood Reid.

New to FX are miniseries and limited series.

While FX has had tremendous success with drama series?with most of our shows running seven seasons, we think there is a huge opportunity to begin producing dramatic programs that have shorter runs. Miniseries were once a staple of primetime, generating some of television’s biggest and most memorable hits, and we can’t wait to bring the FX sensibility to new forms of dramatic storytelling.

Looking beyond The Bridge and Fargo, FX drama development has never been stronger.

FX won bidding wars against multiple premium cable competitors for two of the most sought-after projects this year. Tyrant is from Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning Homeland Producers Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff and Craig Wright. The pilot will be directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Ang Lee, the filmmaker behind Sense & Sensibility, Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Life of Pi. It is Lee’s first project after winning this year’s best director Oscar for Life of Pi. Pilot production begins this summer, and a full writing staff is currently working on scripts for the first season.

The other marquee drama series FX captured was The Strain, written and directed by Executive Producer Guillermo Del Toro, the award-winning filmmaker behind Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim; and Executive Produced by Carlton Cuse (Lost). The Strain creates a world of vampires unlike any ever depicted in television or film. These bloodsuckers are not the romanticized version of vampires that have become such a clich?but a terrifyingly original new vision. Pilot production begins in August and a full writing staff is at work developing scripts for the first season.

In addition to the original series, FX will televise blockbuster movies in all dayparts, with a library unmatched by any basic cable network. The FX schedule will also include the acquired series Anger Management, Two and a Half Men and, coming in 2014, Mike & Molly.

Launched in June of 1994, FX is now carried in more than 98 million homes.

FXX Anchored by Hit Comedy Series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and The League

Late Night Show Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell Expands to Five Nights a Week

FXX’s schedule will consist of original series, movies and acquired series geared toward a slightly younger audience than FX, with a target demo of Adults 18-34. It will be somewhat more focused on comedy than FX, given the passion of younger viewers for outrageous characters and big laughs, but it will not be strictly a comedy channel.

FXX will start out with a base of four original comedies and one late night show, but by the second year the original schedule will expand to six scripted comedies, plus the late night show. The channel will grow over time to encompass its own original dramas.

The FXX brand will take its inspiration from what it means today to be young. It will be home to a rebellious passion for the unexpected and unique. FXX programming will share this generation’s commitment to shattering stereotypical genres and tired, clich?d formulas.

The new channel will be anchored by the hit original series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and The League, two of the finest comedies on television and two of the highest-rated among Adults 18-24. These series will move from FX to FXX with the launch of the network this fall.

Sunny is one of the greatest success stories in cable television and it embodies the maverick spirit that has defined FX’s young-skewing comedy brand. It is the first basic cable comedy series to syndicate to another basic cable channel; it spawned the live stage show, “The Nightman Cometh,” and it became one of the highest-selling TV DVDs in the FOX library. The ninth season debuts this fall and we will celebrate the series’ 100th episode this year. In addition, FX exercised its option and has ordered a 10th season, which extends the series run through the fall of 2014.

The League was recently renewed for a fifth season and today we are picking up the sixth season, which will take it through the fall of 2014. The League ranks as a Top 10 Comedy in basic cable, and is one of the most popular shows among young men, ranking #2 in its basic cable time period behind only Thursday Night Football.

Legit, the Network’s newest comedy series, was renewed for a second season. The show was co-created by and stars Australian Comedian Jim Jefferies. The series follows Jeffries and his roommates, the adventurous and well-endowed quadriplegic “Billy” and his romantically clueless older brother “Dan” as they struggle to find a “legitimate” way in life. It is the most critically-acclaimed new comedy of 2013 and its ratings grew over the course of the season. Another series moving to FXX is the late night show we introduced last year, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, from Comedian and Host W. Kamau Bell and Executive Producer Chris Rock. The series is expanding into a five- night per week, half-hour strip?with 130 new original episodes slated to premiere on FXX this fall beginning with the Channel’s launch.

FXX will feature blockbuster movies in all dayparts and also televise the acquired series Parks & Recreation, How I Met Your Mother, Rescue Me, Arrested Development, Sports Night and Freaks & Geeks.

FXM Will Feature Prestige Movies and Grow to Feature Miniseries and Movies

For people who love movies, FXM is becoming a destination channel. A year ago January, we converted the classic film-driven Fox Movie Channel into FXM, an ad-supported channel that airs contemporary films from 3 PM to 3 AM each day with limited commercial interruption. The results have been incredible. After growing more than 100% in Adults 25-54 in the Channel’s first year, we’ve grown another 50% in the 25-54 demo year-to-date. FXM has added more than 10 million new homes in the past 12 months and is now carried in almost 60 million homes.

FXM is a brand that literally lives for movies. Movies are the essence of its DNA and excellence in dramatic narrative the essence of its mission. This network will bring the best filmmakers of our generation together to share their unique creative vision in multiple forms and formats. We will deliver the best lineup of blockbuster Hollywood films?and we will program some of the best original miniseries and limited series on television.

Beginning this fall, FX Networks will launch the FXNOW app, creating its own version of “TV Everywhere” for subscribers of FX, FXX and FXM. The FXNOW platform will be available to authenticated subscribers of participating FX cable, satellite and telco providers. With the FXNOW app, viewers will be able to access the programming of any of the FX suite of Channels that are part of their current TV channel lineup.

Authenticated subscribers can view programs, the day after air, with the five most recent episodes available.

FXNOW will also offer on-demand access to the FXM VOD Movie Library, an unprecedented collection of blockbuster movies, most of which cannot be found on Netflix or other subscription VOD services.

FX: ‘Archer’ Renewed For Fifth Season

Seriously, if you aren’t watching Archer you’re depriving yourself of the funniest show on television.  And yes,  I know this is late and there are only two episodes left of the season.

Via Press Release:

Archer GETS SEASON FIVE PICK-UP FROM FX 

Current Fourth Season of Archer Is Achieving All-Time Ratings Highs 

Posting Gains of +44% in Adults 18-34 and +36% in Adults 18-49 vs. Last Season 

Seven All-New Episodes of Archer Remain in Season Four with Two-Part Season Finale Airing April 4 and April 11 

LOS ANGELES, February 27, 2013 – FX has ordered season five of its critically-acclaimed animated comedy series Archer, it was announced today by Nick Grad, Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Development, FX. The network has ordered 13 episodes for the series’ fifth season.

Archer was created by Adam Reed and Floyd County Productions and it is executive produced by Reed and Matthew Thompson. Seven all-new episodes of Archer remain in season four, which wraps up on Thursday, April 11 at 10:00 PM E/P. This year Archer will enter into the category of Outstanding Comedy Series for the Emmy® Awards.

“Archer is one the very best comedy series on television,” said Grad. “Adam Reed, Matt Thompson and the incredible cast – H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, Judy Greer, Amber Nash, George Coe, and Lucky Yates – are comedic geniuses. It is truly rewarding the way in which the audience and fans have embraced their work and that the ratings to continue to grow. The quality of Archer is undeniable.”

When notified of the season five pick-up, Reed said, “Thank God.”

When Reed notified Thompson of the season five pick-up, Thompson replied, “Called it.”

Archer has posted dramatic ratings growth every year and season four of the series is on record pace. In 2013, Archer ranks as cable’s #2 series in delivery of Men 18-34 behind The Walking Dead, and it has ranked as television’s #1 program in that demo in the Thursday, 10 PM time period in four of the past six weeks (Live+Same Day). Through four episodes this season, Archer is posting gains of +44% in Adults 18-34 and +36% in Adults 18-49 compared to its season three average. First-run episodes of Archer are averaging 2.37 Million Total Viewers; 2.01 million Adults 18-49, and 1.41 million Adults 18-34 (L+7). In comparison to the Archer’s first season, four season in the series has increased its audience by +92% in Total Viewers, +129% in Adults 18-34, +159% in Men 18-34, +128% in Adults 18-49, and +160% in Men 18-49 (L+7).*

Archer is produced by FX Productions. In February 2012, FX Productions closed an overall production deal with the series’ Executive Producers, Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, and their animation studio, Floyd County Productions.

In tomorrow’s episode, “Live and Let Dine” (Airs February 28, 10:00 PM E/P), Archer (H. Jon Benjamin), Lana (Aisha Tyler), and Cyril (Chris Parnell) go undercover in the irascible celebrity chef “Lance Casteau’s” (Anthony Bourdain) hellish kitchen (Written by Adam Reed). Other upcoming guest stars include Bob’s Burgers veterans Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal, and Jon Hamm will voice the character of “Captain Murphy,” the possibly deranged commander of an undersea laboratory, in the two-part season four finale airing on April 4 and April 11.

Archer, an animated, half-hour comedy, revolves around the spy agency known as the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees. Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillances is daunting and enigmatic, every covert operation and global crisis are actually unmitigated occasions for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gains and selfish pleasures.

The series features The Voice of H. Jon Benjamin as the highly skilled yet incredibly vain master spy “Sterling Archer,” a role which garnered Benjamin an Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2010. The ensemble voice cast also includes Aisha Tyler as fellow agent provocateur “Lana Kane”; Jessica Walter as Sterling’s domineering mother and the rapacious CEO of ISIS, “Malory Archer”; Chris Parnell as the easily intimidated comptroller of ISIS, “Cyril Figgis”; Judy Greer as Malory’s loquacious secretary, “Cheryl Tunt”; Amber Nash as the discordant director of human resources for ISIS, “Pam Poovey”; series creator Adam Reed as the gay voice of reason at ISIS, “Ray Gillette”; Lucky Yates as ISIS’s possibly mad scientist, “Krieger”; and George Coe as Archer’s elderly and always exploited butler, “Woodhouse.”

Reed and Thompson are represented by Matt Rice and Joel Begleiter at UTA, and Gregg Gellman of Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.

REVIEW: ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ (Seasons 1 – 5) (FX – Tuesday, 10:00 p.m.)

Sons of Anarchy is an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones that explores a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s (MC) desire to protect its livelihood while ensuring that their simple, sheltered town of Charming, California remains exactly that, Charming. The MC must confront threats from drug dealers, corporate developers, and overzealous law officers. Behind the MC’s familial lifestyle and legally thriving automotive shop is a ruthless and illegally thriving arms business. The seduction of money, power, and blood. – FX

Score:     92 out of 100

Shawn: The problem with the way we normally do reviews is that we usually only go based on the first episode or first few episodes and make a decision based off of those early impressions.  This is the standard for the industry and usually it’s pretty spot-on but when it comes to epic, arcing drama, a lot of the subtleties of the big picture and overall story can be lost and under-appreciated when the episodes originally aired.  This is the case for Sons of Anarchy, FX’s drama revolving around the motorcycle club of the same name.  If I had watched the series from the beginning, I probably would have only given the first handful of episodes between a 65 – 70 and even if I had only seen the first season in its entirety before reviewing it, It would have gotten no higher than a 75 if I was being generous and only for the sake of the obvious potential the series had.

Over the course of the last two weeks, I have had the pleasure of watching the the first five seasons of SoA and it has dawned on me that the entire purpose of season one was purely for the sake of  character development and premise establishment for the seasons yet to come.  If you’re expecting a phenomenal storyline in season one, you’ll likely be disappointed, however, you’ll appreciate what creator and showrunner Kurt Sutter (The Shield) was thinking with season one about midway through season four.  Now that’s not to say that season one is bad as far as drama is concerned, but it was obviously just a prologue.

To say that approach during a freshman season was risky is an understatement but then again, if the characters are strong enough, they can carry average to slightly better-than-average plotlines, at least for a time.  It’s quite obvious to anyone who has ever appreciated Shakespeare that Sutter is very fond of Shakespearean archetypes. I picked up on it immediately which therefore immediately led me to the obvious Hamlet allusions.  Knowing that there’s a whole lot of Hamlet going on, I figured out by the second episode of the series what was only revealed to Jax (Charlie Hunnam) during the season four finale by his mother (Katy Sagal).  Now, I’m not suggesting that SoA is obvious by any stretch of the imagination, but if you appreciate classic drama, you’ll appreciate the clever use of these types of nods.

Shakespeare himself also believed that in order to not have your audience have a heart attack from all the stress you’re throwing at them, every now and then you had to give them a break from the melodrama and thus, he made use of comic relief quite regularly.  SoA excels at comic relief right out of the gate so brilliantly that it puts most sitcoms to shame and yes, a lot of it is quite dark and you hate yourself for laughing so hard but you simply can’t help it. If you like the comic relief from Breaking Bad you’ll enjoy it even more with SoA because it’s one of the few areas that a drama on television actually one-ups the best series on television and part of the reason to that success is that it’s not just a matter of a sidebar joke, it’s a matter of integrating the scenes into the main plots and in the process humanizing the characters even more and causing you to be that much more attached to them…. which you really shouldn’t be.  As enjoyable as six seasons of The Sopranos were, the fact is that the protagonists were never particularly likable.  Relatable to an extent, sure, but not likable.  The Sopranos failed in doing what SoA has found great success in doing: creating strong anti-heroes.   The funniest scene by far of the entire series to date, happened during season five when Walton Goggins (The Shield, Justified) made a cameo appearance as Venus Van Dam, a transgender prostitute, in order to help the club blackmail a member of the city council.  I’m not saying any more than that but the picture to the right speaks volumes, I think and ironically, as an audience, you are rooting for the club’s blackmail and corruption to succeed.

Bringing us full circle to what I said about the first season, the character development on SoA is what really sets it apart from other series.  Even the recurring characters are so beautifully fleshed out and evolve so well that you forget that many of them have only been on a dozen episodes.  A perfect example of this is the character of Otto Delaney (Kurt Sutter, himself) who goes from being a club member due for parole within a few months to a vicious psychopath who winds up on death row, having been manipulated by both by federal law enforcement and his loyalty to his club which ultimately costs him everything. Otto transforms completely from being just a guy biding his time in prison to being a complete monster (both physically and personality-wise) being responsible for the two most horrific scenes in the entire series in the fifth season.  It’s refreshing to see a series be able to transform a relatively minor character into such a pivotal tragic hero.

Anyone will tell you that aside from the riveting story arcs, what really sets the show apart is the incredibly strong performances by all members of the main cast with special recognition needing to go to Katy Sagal (Gemma Teller), Ron Perlman (Clay Morrow), Hunnam, Maggie Siff (Tara Knowles) with an honorable mention needing to go Kim Coates (Alex ‘Tig’ Trager).  Although there’s no question the rest of the cast does a superb job bringing SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original, the original charter) and the fictional town of Charming, California to life, those five actors really chew the scenery with Emmy-worthy performances (not that the Emmy’s have anything to do with actual talent, but for the purposes of the discussion, we’ll pretend that they do).  While Katy Sagal’s performance is often critically praised, I have actually enjoyed Maggie Siff’s subtle transformation and portrayal of of Tara’s inner conflict the even more.

As far as compelling drama is concerned, as I noted, season one is kind of a preamble for what’s to come but season two is absolutely brilliant, culminating with a shocker of a finale cliffhanger that no one will see coming.  Although I disagree with most critics about the  lack of quality of season three, which actually had several episodes filmed in Northern Ireland, I do agree that it was hampered by the fact that the entire saga of the season revolved around the events from the cliffhanger from season two.  Season four, was pretty brilliant all the way around with the notable exception of the big twist that develops in the season finale.  It was cheap and contrived and made it seem like the writers didn’t know where to go to get the SAMCRO crew out of the mess that they were in.  Season five marks the apex of excellence for the series, thus far, that culminated with a phenomenal finale with twists and turns that would put 24 to shame.

Although, Kurt Sutter is committed to two more seasons of SoA, making it clear that the story will be wrapped up by the end of season seven, the season five finale was so well-done that it could have easily have been a series finale.  SoA has proven over the course of five seasons to be one of the best dramas on television and we highly recommend that you watch the first four seasons on Netflix and then beg borrow and steal to get your hands on season five… or just wait for it to come out on Netflix this summer.

 

FX Announces Winter 2013 Schedule. ‘Justified,’ ‘Archer’ Return Dates Announced

Via Press Release:

FX SETS EARLY 2013 PREMIERE DATES 

Justified Returns With Its Fourth Season Tuesday, Jan. 8, 10 PM ET/PT 

Anger Management Starts its Back-90 Run on Thursday, Jan. 17 With Consecutive Episodes at 9 & 9:30 PM ET/PT 

Archer Returns For Season Four Thursday, Jan. 17 at 10 PM ET/PT 

New Original Comedy Series Legit Premieres Thursday, Jan. 17 at 10:30 PM ET/PT 

Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell Returns With a New Cycle of Episodes Thursday, Jan. 17 at 11 PM ET/PT 

LOS ANGELES, November 28, 2011 – FX, basic cable’s leader for year-round scripted programming, has announced its early 2013 release dates.

The Emmy® Award-winning Justified returns for its fourth season on January 8, and will continue to run Tuesdays at 10 PM ET/PT. Developed by Graham Yost and starring Timothy Olyphant, Justified is based on the works of crime novelist Elmore Leonard, including Leonard’s short story “Fire in the Hole.” In Season 3, Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens (Olyphant) faced off against dirty politics, hidden fortunes, a mysterious criminal ringleader named Limehouse, and Quarles, an ambitious gangster from the underbelly of Motor City. This January, Raylan will start to pick at the thread of a cold case over 30 years in the making, unraveling a riddle that echoes all the way back to his boyhood and his criminal father’s bad dealings. Meanwhile, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) finds his grip on Harlan loosening due to a Pentecostal preacher with a penchant for theatrics and a knack for manipulation to rival his own. Yost is an Executive Producer, along with Leonard, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and Fred Golan. Justified is produced by Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions.

Anger Management will begin its back-90 run on Thursday, January 17 with consecutive episodes at 9:00 & 9:30PM before moving to its regularly scheduled timeslot of Thursdays at 9:30 PM ET/PT. Charlie Sheen stars as “Charlie,” a non-traditional therapist specializing in Anger Management. He has a successful Private Practice, holding sessions with his group of primary patient regulars each week, as well as performing pro bono counseling for an inmate group at a state prison. Charlie thrives on the chaos in his life while still battling his own anger issues. His life is complicated by his relationships with his own therapist/best friend, an ex-wife whose positive outlook but poor choice in men frustrates Charlie, and their 13-year-old daughter who has OCD.

FX’s acclaimed animated series Archer returns for its fourth season starting January 17 and will air Thursdays at 10 PM ET/PT. Archer is an animated, half-hour comedy that revolves around the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees. Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillance is daunting and dangerous, every covert operation and global crisis is actually just another excuse for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gain. The series features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin as the highly skilled and incredibly vain master spy “Sterling Archer;” Aisha Tyler as Archer’s fellow agent and ex-girlfriend “Lana Kane;” Jessica Walter as Archer’s domineering mother and the director of ISIS, “Malory Archer;” Chris Parnell as the easily intimidated comptroller-turned ISIS agent “Cyril Figgis;” Judy Greer as Malory’s loquacious secretary, “Cheryl;” Amber Nash as the discordant director of human resources for ISIS, “Pam Poovey;” Adam Reed as the gay voice of reason at ISIS, “Ray Gillette;” Lucky Yates as ISIS’s possibly mad scientist, “Krieger;” and George Coe as Archer’s elderly and always exploited butler, “Woodhouse.”

FX will premiere its newest original comedy series Legit, on January 17 at 10:30 ET/PT immediately following Archer. In Legit, Jim Jefferies is an edgy, foul-mouthed stand-up comedian from Australia, in his mid-30s and living in LA, struggling to make his life and career more “legit,” only to find it a difficult, uncomfortable uphill struggle every step of the way. Jim is encouraged in his quest by Steve (Dan Bakkedahl), his neurotic best friend and roommate, a cyber-law library salesman who struggles to stay on his feet in the wake of a divorce, and Steve’s brother, Billy (DJ Qualls), who suffers from advanced staged Muscular Dystrophy and is confined to a wheelchair. Legit stars Jim Jefferies as ‘Jim,’ Dan Bakkedahl as ‘Steve’ and DJ Qualls as ‘Billy.’ Peter O’Fallon, Jim Jefferies, Rick Cleveland and Lisa Blum serve as Executive Producers. The series is produced by FX Productions. FX has ordered 13 episodes of Legit.

Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bellwill return with a new cycle of episodes Thursday, January 17 at 11 PM ET/PT. Totally Biased, from Bell and Executive Producers Chris Rock, CHUCK Sklar and Keri Smith Esguia, stars standup comedian W. Kamau Bell as he hilariously dissects politics, pop culture, race, religion, sex and the media from his own unique point of view. The show features live guests and taped segments. The show is produced by FX Productions.

About FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in nearly 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons Of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the upcoming drama series The Americans; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell; and the upcoming comedy Legit. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

FX Announces Premiere Date For Cold War Spy Series, ‘The Americans’

Via Press Release:

FX NETWORK’S NEWEST DRAMA THE AMERICANS PREMIERES

JANUARY 30 

Cold War Spy Drama Starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys

Will Air Wednesday Nights At 10pm

 

NEW YORK, December 4, 2012 – The series premiere of FX’s newest drama, The Americans, has been set forWednesday, January 30, 2013 at 10pm ET/PT.

The Americans is a period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President.  The arranged marriage of Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), who have two children – 13-year-old Paige (Holly Taylor) and 10-year-old Henry (Keidrich Sellati), who know nothing about their parents’ true identity – grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War and the intimate, dangerous and darkly funny relationships they must maintain with a network of spies and informants under their control.   Complicating their relationship further is Philip’s growing sense of affinity for America’s values and way of life. Tensions also heighten upon the arrival of a new neighbor, Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI agent.  Stan and his partner, Agent Chris Amador (Maximiliano Hernández), are members of a new division of Counterintelligence tasked with fighting against foreign agents on U.S. soil, including KGB Directorate S illegals, Russian spies posing as Americans.

Created and executive produced by Joe Weisberg (Falling Skies), a former CIA agent who went on to become an accomplished author, The Americans is produced by Fox Television Studios and FX Productions. Joel Fields and Graham Yost are also executive producers, along with Amblin Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. 

About FX Productions

FX Productions co-produces the award-winning hit drama series Sons Of Anarchy and Justified, and produces the critically acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, the upcoming comedy Legit, and the late night series BrandX with Russell Brand and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. FXP currently has production output deals in place with RCG Productions, the production company of It’sAlways Sunny In Philadelphia Executive Producer/Showrunners Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton, and Floyd County Productions, the production company of Archer Executive Producer/Showrunners Adam Reed and Matt Thompson. FXP recently announced a cable exclusive, first-look pact with Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and their Color Force production company, producers of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid feature franchise and The Hunger Games.

It was the first POD deal for FX Productions that was not established through a prior existing relationship with the studio.

FX: ‘American Horror Story’ Renewed For Third Season

Via Press Release:

FX ORDERS NEXT BOOK OF American Horror Story 

Network Picks Up 13 Hours of the Third Incarnation of AHS Which Debuts in Fall of 2013 

Golden Globe®, SAG® and Emmy® Award Winner Jessica Lange Set to Return 

Last Night’s Episode of American Horror Story: Asylum Once Again Topped All Broadcast Networks At 10 PM in Delivery of Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Women 18-34 

Asylum Ends Run on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 

Ratings for Asylum Running +19% Ahead of Its Predecessor American Horror Story 

LOS ANGELES, November 15, 2012 – FX has ordered the next book of the award-winning miniseries American Horror Story, picking up 13 hours of a new miniseries from Twentieth Century Fox Television, it was announced today by John Landgraf, President and General Manager of FX Networks. Production of the untitled AHS will begin next summer and premiere in the fall of 2013.

American Horror Story: Asylum, the latest hit in the American Horror Story saga, wraps up its run on Wednesday, January 23 at 10 PM E/P. Last night’s episode (11/14/12) of Asylum topped all broadcast networks in the 10 PM time period in delivery of Adults 18-34 (2.1), Women 18-34 (2.4) and Men 18-34 (1.7). Asylum also ranked #3 among Adults 18-34 in primetime versus all broadcast programs behind Modern Family (3.3) and The X Factor (2.7). The episode grew +30% versus prior week in Adults 18-34, driven by a +45% gain among Women 18-34, and it also posted a +9% increase in Adults 18-49 (Live+Same Day ratings, Fast Nationals, subject to change).

“With American Horror Story: Asylum, Ryan and Brad have raised the bar in every way from Murder House, the first American Horror Story miniseries,” said Landgraf. “And their original idea—the notion of doing an anthological series of miniseries with a repertory cast—has proven groundbreaking, wildly successful and will prove to be trendsetting. We can’t wait to see what deviously brilliant ideas they come up with for their third miniseries.”

Co-Creators/Executive Producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have not announced the new title or story for the next incarnation of the American Horror Story franchise. As was the case with American Horror Story and American Horror Story: Asylum, many of the actors will return in different roles next year, including star Jessica Lange, who won Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Emmy awards for her portrayal of “Constance Langdon” in American Horror Story. Starring as “Sister Jude” in AHS: Asylum, Lange will be moving to the Lead Actress category in the Golden Globe and Emmy awards this year.

“The American Horror Story anthology is a labor of love for all of us and we could not be prouder of the work our brilliant company of actors and everyone on the production team is doing this year,” said Murphy. “To John and our friends at FX and Dana Walden and Gary Newman at 20th, we thank you for your vote of confidence — and to our loyal audience, keep watching!”

Following the success of the inaugural miniseries American Horror Story, the award-winning Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Director Murphy announced that AHS would be a new show every year with no relation to any prior version of AHS. Each book will feature an entirely different theme, setting and characters, even though many of the actors will return to the program in entirely new roles.

The ratings for AHS: Asylum are showing double-digit percentage growth in every demo compared to its predecessor, American Horror Story, pacing +19% ahead of prior year in Adults 18-49 (see complete ratings data set at the bottom of this email). On a Live+7 basis, Asylum is averaging 5.23 million Total Viewers, 3.88 Million Adults 18-49, and 2.40 million Adults 18-34, which reflect respective gains of +19% in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 and +22% in Adults 18-34. The program’s highest growth is among Women 18-49 and Men 18-34, each up +24% over prior year. American Horror Story: Asylum is delivering one of the highest audience compositions of Adults 18-49 with an average of 74% of its total audience falling within that demo. The median age of the audience for AHS: Asylum is 33 years old, and AHS: Asylum is one of the top-rated dramas on television in delivery of Adults 18-34 with a 3.54 national rating inclusive of Live+7 viewing. Live+Same Day viewing is up versus prior year, and Live+7 viewing has increased over prior year (+56%) off of a larger base audience.

American Horror Story: Asylum continues to be one of the most talked about shows on television on social media according to Bluefin Labs Social Media. Bluefin measures the total number of comments about primetime TV programs on Facebook, Twitter and GetGlue, and American Horror Story: Asylum has been cable’s #1 show on that metric every Wednesday since its debut (four weeks) and ranked among the top three programs on TV during that same timeframe.

Set in 1964, American Horror Story: Asylum takes us into a Church-run haven for the criminally insane, ruled with an iron fist by Sister Jude (Jessica Lange), a nun with a troubled past. Inside this locked down facility, danger lurks around every corner. From Nazis and serial killers, to mutants and aliens, no one is safe inside these walls. Starring Jessica Lange as “Sister Jude,” Sarah Paulson as “Lana Winters,” James Cromwell as “Dr. Arthur Arden,” Evan Peters as “Kit Walker,” Lily Rabe as “Sister Mary Eunice,” Lizzie Brocheré as “Grace,” Zachary Quinto as “Dr. Oliver Thredson,” and Joseph Fiennes as “Monsignor Timothy Howard.” Guest stars for the miniseries will include Frances Conroy, Chloë Sevigny, Adam Levine, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Mark Consuelos, and Ian McShane.

American Horror Story: Asylum was Co-Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who serve as Executive Producers alongside Dante Di Loreto and Tim Minear. American Horror Story: Asylum is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

20th Century Fox Television, a division of News Corp, is a leading supplier of entertainment content, domestically and around the world.

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons Of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the upcoming drama series The Americans (1/13); the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell; and the upcoming comedy Legit (1/13). The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

FX: ‘Wilfred’ Renewed For Third Season

Via Press Release:

TAILS WAG FOR Wilfred 

FX Orders Third Season of Acclaimed Comedy Series Wilfred 

Writers Reed Agnew and Eli Jorné Elevated to Executive Producers/Showrunners 

LOS ANGELES, October 31, 2012 – FX has picked up its acclaimed comedy series Wiflred for a third-season order of 13 episodes, it was announced today by Nick Grad, Executive Vice President of Original Programming for FX. Production of season three begins next spring and is slated to debut in June of 2013.

Additionally, Reed Agnew and Eli Jorné, who served as writer/producers in the first two seasons of Wilfred, have been elevated to Executive Producers and Showrunners for the upcoming season. David Zuckerman, who adapted Wilfred for American television and has served as Executive Producer and Showrunner for the first two season of the series, will remain on the series as Executive Producer.

“As John (Landgraf) said at the summer TCA, it was only a matter of time before we picked up the show, we just had to work some things out,” said Grad. “David Zuckerman has done an amazing job adapting and reconceiving Wilfred for FX. It was his decision to step down from the Showrunner’s post, but we’re very happy he is going to stay involved with the show. Both we and David have great faith in the ability of Reed and Eli to seamlessly step up and take over the reins. I have no doubt they’ll do a great job.”

Wilfred is a half-hour, live-action comedy about “Ryan,” a young man struggling unsuccessfully to make his way in the world until he forms a unique friendship with “Wilfred,” his neighbor’s canine pet. Everyone else sees Wilfred as just a dog, but Ryan sees a crude and somewhat surly, yet irrepressibly brave and honest Australian bloke in a cheap dog suit. While leading him through a series of comedic and existential adventures, Wilfred the dog shows Ryan the man how to overcome his fears and joyfully embrace the unpredictability and insanity of the world around him. Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Happy Feet) stars as “Ryan,” and Jason Gann, who co-created and starred in the Australian series, plays the title character “Wilfred. Series regulars also include Fiona Gubelmann as “Jenna,” Ryan’s beautiful neighbor and Wilfred’s owner, and Dorian Brown as “Kristen, Ryan’s sister.

Wilfred is based on the critically acclaimed Australian series of the same title and was originally adapted for FX by David Zuckerman (Family Guy, American Dad, King of the Hill). Zuckerman serves as Executive Producer along with Jason Gann, Reed Agnew, Eli Jorné, Rich Frank, and Jeff Kwatinetz of Prospect Park, Randall Einhorn, and Joe Connor and Ken Connor of Renegade, producers of the Australian version of the series. Einhorn also serves as director. Wilfred is produced by FX Productions.

Season 2 of Wilfred averaged 2.63 million Total Viewers and 1.71 million Adults 18-49 per week on a first-run basis.

About FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award winning original programming including the hit dramas series including Sons Of Anarchy and Justified, the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and Legit. Its library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

About FX Productions

FX Productions co-produces the award-winning hit drama series Sons Of Anarchy and Justified. FXP produces the critically acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and Legit.

Source: The Nielsen Company, CY12, Live+7 data thru 10/14/12, AA 000s. Basic Cable scripted series rankers based on CY12 thru 10/14/12 in primetime basic cable.

FX: ‘Louie’ Season Four Premiere Delayed Until May 2014

THR is reporting that Louis C.K.’s hit series, Louie which just ended its third season, will be on hiatus until spring 2014 instead of the previously scheduled premiere date of  summer 2013.  Citing exhaustion, FX president and GM John Landgraf told reporters that Louis C.K. had requested and received an extended hiatus.

“Louie has continued to raise the bar and recharge his batteries. I don’t think there’s anyone else in business who’s produced, starred, directed and edited all but seven episodes … I’m not surprised he needs a bit of a break.”

On a personal note, Louie is a very funny show, but I can’t get excited about waiting two years for a 13-episode season of a basic cable comedy.  Thanks, but I probably won’t be coming back.

VIC’S REVIEW: ‘American Horror Story’ – Season One (FX – Wednesday, 10:00 p.m.)

American Horror Story revolves around the Harmons, a family of three who moved from Boston to Los Angeles as a means to reconcile past anguish. They move to a restored mansion, unaware that the home is haunted. The all-star cast features Dylan McDermott as “Ben Harmon,” a psychiatrist; Connie Britton as “Vivien Harmon,” Ben’s wife; Taissa Farmiga as “Violet,” the Harmon’s teenage daughter; Jessica Lange in her first-ever regular series TV role as “Constance,” the Harmon’s neighbor; Evan Peters plays “Tate Langdon,” one of Ben’s patients; and Denis O’Hare as “Larry Harvey.” Guest stars for the series include Frances Conroy as the Harmon’s housekeeper; Alexandra Breckenridge as the Harmon’s housekeeper; and Jamie Brewer as Constance’s daughter.

Rating:     75 out of 100

I suppose I’ve had more than ample time to let FX’s American Horror Story sink in. The new Season – American Horror Story: Asylum premieres on October 17th and we get a completely different locale, characters and story (Even though some actors like Jessica Lange and Zachary Quinto do return) to get wrapped up in. I admit that I was very pumped and psyched for this new horror series that eventually frightened the audience with a disturbing premise that forced the show to become somewhat polarizing to many viewers while definitely pushing the envelope.  It wasn’t from lack of execution, no doubt. The show, from the pilot alone, demonstrated flair, drama, scares and conventional yet capable performances from the cast. The opening alone (which is too damned long) gave me the creeps and had me dwelling on what I would find remotely terrifying about this show.  So, yes, I became excited about a weekly balls-to-the-wall horror series.

I wasn’t disappointed at all. I tuned in every week to watch the ghostly and ghastly happenings at the large, haunted mansion where the very dysfunctional Harmon family reside. Dylan McDermot as Ben Harmon is a shrink and practices from home. He has a sordid past indeed that involves cheating on his wife and alcohol dependency. Dylan is headstrong and provincial in his performance and bodes well in the role. Connie Britton, (Spin City) who is very fetching here, plays the emotionally estranged wife, Vivien. She is damaged as well. She trusts no one especially her husband and cannot seem to connect with their daughter, Violet, played brilliantly by Taissa Farmiga (Higher Ground). So, there is a lot of baggage here to begin with plus they have that other problem. They live in a very haunted house. A house that is so damn haunted we are introduced to terrifying new flashbacks regarding past occupants every week.

So, like I stated before, I thought some more on this show and re-watched some episodes and it doesn’t seem to be as exciting or revelatory the second time around. I am not as impressed now as when I watched the show initially. I think besides the very good acting ensemble, there are some flaws that didn’t stand out before. I think I became wrapped up in the shows brutal “in your face” horror antics every week that I missed the fact that the show lacked balance and was hurt by an increasing convoluted story-line. It confused me and that’s never good since I love to be scared… just not for the sake of being scared.

Many by now have seen the show’s first season and know all about the murderous intentions of the dead occupants of the mansion. So, I won’t go over the story very much. That cat has been out of the bag a long time now.

Jessica Lange’s (King Kong) portrayal of Constance Langdon is a marvel to behold. She is unpredictable, maternal one moment and a hellspawn the next. She is also murderous but caring and boy does she hate the Harmon’s shape-shifting maid Moira who appears differently to just about everyone in the house. Lange is most definitely the standout in this show. She gives us a tragic and multi-facted performance as Constance. She is the Harmon’s neighbor from hell who also has a long and sordid history regarding the mansion. Her son Tate, played by Evan Peters is just as whacked as she is. Tate, who is a spirit, seems to be very alive. He roams around the mansion like he owns it. How the hell do these people not know who are dead spirits and who are living people? Hmm. Curious. Anyway, Tate is a suicidal kid with a history of violence. He was my least favorite character. Too mopey and too whiney and eventually just a psychotic mama’s boy.

Rounding the very gruesome cast is Zachary Quinto, another great addition. He is one of the more rounded and believable characters. He is brilliantly well written. Quinto manages to steal every episode he’s in. He is fun to watch even though at times we get bogged down in some dumb “scary house” drama that goes no where. But anyway the show does work well when we aren’t subjected to too much information at once. When the story unravels nicely it’s good but mostly the creators (Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk) dwell on blasting us with images of bloody jars, slit throats, burnt people and guys dressed in leather. They do establish that the house has a mythology which includes tragic characters as if from a greek play. The Black Dahlia, played stunningly by Mena Suvari, being one of them. I would normally get a bit overwhelmed by it all but I stuck it out if only to follow the story to its conclusion.

James Levine provides a very creepy score that envelops us and the photography by John Aronson and Micheal Goi is finely crafted and they take advantage of natural light to make the mansion look deadly and the actors very malicious. So much happens in the duration of season one that by the 12th episode’s end I felt like I ran a marathon. I feel that the show at a steady pace benefited well, but at warp-speed we lost connection with all the various characters. I almost needed a flow chart sometimes. I do recommend watching perhaps the last three or four episodes before Asylum begins, just to get connected again. American Horror Story may get better this next season. I do admit re-visiting some of the scarier episodes had me wanting more… just not that much more.

Victor