Why Some Fans Think That American Horror Story: Hotel Is Underrated
American Horror Story, the anthology horror series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, presents an entirely different story every season. And though the show has, over time, linked some of the seasons to one another (via Decider), they still mainly serve as their own self-contained miniseries. This feature naturally leads the show's enthusiastic fanbase to discuss the highs and lows of each season and compare them.
One season that seems to receive a less enthusiastic response from fans is the fifth season, American Horror Story: Hotel. Hotel centers on a mysterious hotel in Los Angeles called The Cortez, which is run by The Countess (Lady Gaga) and is the location of many strange — and even paranormal — events. Having heard of the oddities of The Cortez, homicide detective John Lowe (Wes Bentley) sets his sights on investigating the occurrences of the hotel.
Hotel is often regarded as being on the weaker end of the show's spectrum — despite receiving multiple award nominations, including several coveted Emmy nods. Collider, in a ranking of the seasons, placed Hotel last, writing that the season was "kind of all over the map both thematically and storyline-wise." And Looper also put Hotel in last place in a ranking of the seasons. But not all fans agree with this assessment — many AHS: Hotel enthusiasts are even ready to defend the season.
Fans love the cast and set design on AHS: Hotel
On Reddit, where fans often hold in-depth discussions, user u/Funny_Rip_3434 posed a question to the American Horror Story fanbase: "I'm about to start hotel. I've heard some people skip it, and I've never really known why? If you could tell me with as little spoilers as possible that would be great! Is it bad as in low quality or bad as in really gory?"
One of the top responses, from u/dvasop, reads, "I have no idea–I loved this season!" Considering this comment is the second most upvoted, it appears many fans see no fault in AHS: Hotel at all. Other commenters addressed why they think Hotel gets its bad rap, citing that the heightened use of gore and sex in this season compared to others can be offputting and overshadow the well-done elements of the show. These commenters still suggested not skipping Hotel, however, at least so the poster can see for themselves.
Another fan, u/PhatHo_, posted a fervent defense of the season, writing, "Hotel is one [of] my top three AHS seasons. I loved it. I wouldn't skip it . . . I think it is the most underrated season of AHS. I especially loved Lady Gaga's character." In agreement, u/Katsa_hoy94 wrote that "Lady Gaga absolutely killed it." Many fans also agree with u/Skeletonsaint47, who declared that the "set design and aesthetic [are] really good."
Finally, one fan, u/KateandJack, gave it some of the highest praise out there for TV shows: "I like Hotel and have rewatched it several times!"