American Horror Story is an urban legend.
American Horror Story . The fourth season , subtitled Freak Show , takes place in Jupiter , Florida , during the year 1952 and centers around one of the few remaining American freak shows . The fifth season , subtitled Hotel , takes place in Los Angeles during the year 2015 and focuses on the staff and guests of a supernatural hotel . Although reception to individual seasons has varied , American Horror Story has been overall well received by television critics , with the majority of the praise going to the cast , particularly Jessica Lange , who won two Emmy Awards , a Golden Globe Award , and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performances . The series draws consistently high ratings for the FX network , with its first season being the most-viewed new cable series of 2011 . American Horror Story : Freak Show is the fourth season of the FX horror anthology television series American Horror Story .