History Series / AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow

[[ProductionPosse Returning cast members include]] Creator/JessicaLange, Creator/SarahPaulson, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, Creator/DenisOHare, Emma Roberts, Creator/AngelaBassett, and Creator/KathyBates, with guest appearances by ''AHS'' alumni Creator/GaboureySidibe, Jamie Brewer, Creator/LilyRabe, Naomi Grossman, and Mare Winningham. New cast members are Creator/MichaelChiklis, Creator/JohnCarrollLynch, and Finn Wittrock, with Patti [=LaBelle=], Matt Bomer, and Wes Bentley as guest stars that would appear throughout the season.

* ForegoneConclusion: Pepper will survive the events of this season, since she's already appeared in Series/AmericanHorrorStoryAsylum, set twelve years later in 1964.

* KillemAll: [[spoiler: In the finale, Dandy enacts ritual execution of all the freaks. The only survivors are The Twins, Jimmy, and Desiree, who themselves kill Dandy]].

* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Angela Bassett.

* AnyoneCanDie: In true AHS fashion. [[spoiler:By the end of the season, the only survivors are Jimmy, the twins, Desiree, and possibly Stanley.]]

** Elsa arms Bette with a knife, presumably to use in TheGloriousWarOfSisterhoodRivalry. It's never seen again afterwards.

* BittersweetEnding: [[Spoiler: Elsa and most of the freaks die, but they're reunited in the afterlife where they can perform their show for eternity with a full house every night]].

* BigBadEnsemble: There are many villains, all of whom pose a serious threat.
** Twisty is a violent SerialKiller who has set his sights on the Freak Show.
** Dell Toledo seemingly seeks to gain control of the Freak Show and [[spoiler:got Meep killed and murdered Ma Petite.]]
** Stanley the ConMan seeks to 'collect' the freaks for sinister purposes.
** Dandy is a budding psychopath who now has a serious grudge against the Freak Show.

** As far as we know, [[spoiler: DirtyCop Detective Colquitt [[Karma Houdini has escaped unscathed without any comeuppance of any sort]], making his last appearance after Jimmy escapes police custody.

** As far as we know, [[DirtyCop Detective Colquitt [[Karma Houdini has escaped unscathed without any comeuppance of any sort]], making his last appearance after Jimmy escapes police custody.

** As far as we know, [[DirtyCop Detective Colquitt]] [[Karma Houdini has escaped unscathed without any comeuppance of any sort]], making his last appearance after Jimmy escapes police custody.

** Dell Toledo seemingly seeks to gain control of the Freak Show and has so far [[spoiler:gotten Meep killed and murdered Ma Petite.]]

** Maggie, Stanley's assistant appears to have her own agenda [[spoiler: involving Jimmy and his stepmother Desiree]]

* AnachronicOrder: "Pink Cupcakes" is interspliced with scenes featuring Maggie and Stanley at the American Morbidity Museum, featuring exhibits such as [[spoiler:the body of Paul the Illustrated Seal and Bette and Dot's upper body.]] It's not clear how much of this will come to pass ([[FakeOutOpening if it does at all]]) or if this is just a MindScrew.
** Those scenes were actually fantasy sequences, however [[spoiler: time skips in 'Orphans' revealed that the Museum has the body of Ma Petite, the head of Salty and Jimmy Darling's hands]].

* DaylightHorror: Twisty attacks his victims both at night and in broad daylight.

* HopeSpot: [[spoiler:Bonnie cracks Twisty with a 2x4 and successfully escapes confinement. Only to be recaptured by Twisty fanboy, Dandy.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: In true AHS fashion. [[spoiler:Ethel, Gloria, Dora, Regina, Ma Petite, Twisty, Salty, Andy, Dell, and Maggie]] have all kicked the bucket. This is such a common occurrence of the series though, this iteration had a few subversions. [[spoiler: Elsa, Paul, the twins, and Stanley]] all had false alarms called.
** [[spoiler:It became a double subversion by the finale, in which Dandy [[{{KillEmAll}} kills most of them]], and those that survive die in time for the epilogue]].

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: We never find out what became of [[spoiler:Stanley after the freaks have their way with him]] after episode 12, not even a mention in the finale.

** Unfortunately became a double subversion by the finale, in which [[spoiler:Dandy [[{{KillemAll}} kills 'em all]]]].

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: We never find out what became of [[spoiler:Stanley after the freaks have their way with him]] in episode 10.

* AnyoneCanDie: In true AHS fashion. [[spoiler:Ethel, Gloria, Dora, Regina, Ma Petite, Twisty, Salty, Andy, Dell, and Maggie]] have all kicked the bucket. This is such a common occurrence of the series though, this iteration has a few subversions (for now). [[spoiler: Elsa, Paul, the twins, and Stanley]] all had false alarms called.

*** In fact, ''Freak Show'' has more than its fair share of tributes to ''Freaks''. The bearded lady, the pinheads, the dwarves, and the "geek" appear to have inspired the appearances of Ethel, Salty and Pepper, the dwarves, and Meep the Geek. The freaks ganging up on [[spoiler: Stanley]] and what they ultimately do to [[spoiler: him]] are lifted almost directly from the film as well.

*** In fact, ''Freak Show'' has more than its fair share of tributes to ''Freaks''. The bearded lady, the pinheads, the dwarves, and the "geek" appear to have inspired the appearances of Ethel, Salty and Pepper, the dwarves, and Meep the Geek.

*** BigBadDuumvirate: [[spoiler: Dandy and Stanley are the only two characters shown to be unambiguously evil.]]