American Horror Story 13’s First Three Episodes Have Fans Split

American Horror Story 13 opened with three episodes on September 24, and fans are already arguing about them. In the first round of Reddit discussions, Jessica Lange’s return drew excitement. The slower start and the number of callbacks to older seasons drew the sharpest complaints.

One viewer who had not enjoyed much AHS since Apocalypse called these first three episodes a pleasant surprise. They liked the camera work and said Lange made the new season more fun to watch. That same fan thought some characters kept repeating familiar lines in a way that felt built for short social clips.

Jessica Lange is the name fans keep coming back to

Lange is one of the biggest reasons people were curious about the new season. A fan who liked the premiere said they were excited to see where the story goes, even while admitting that Lange was carrying a lot of their enjoyment. Another viewer in the thread said they were already hooked.

Other fans are enjoying the return of old AHS faces but are less convinced by the episodes around them. One critical post called the premiere boring and complained that it spent too much time showing the main character looking confused. A reply said the returning performers did not yet feel fully at home in their old roles.

That is an early reaction to three episodes, not a verdict on a 13-episode season. A separate viewer liked the opening more than the first three episodes of Apocalypse. These comments show how different the experience has been for people watching the same premiere.

The pace and callbacks are dividing viewers

Some viewers want a clearer story beyond the returning characters. A reply to the positive post said the first two episodes did not give them enough plot to follow, though the end of the third episode offered a hint of where things could go. Others are happy to wait and see how the familiar characters connect.

The short episodes are also coming up in the conversation. One fan argued that getting several episodes at once made the first week feel roughly like a normal amount of TV. Another said they might wait until more episodes are out and watch them together. That split makes sense for a season designed around weekly surprises and old characters returning.

For now, the clearest common ground is curiosity about Lange and the returning cast. Fans who like the reunion want the plot to catch up with it; fans who did not enjoy the premiere still have many episodes ahead before deciding whether to keep watching. The first three episodes are on Hulu in the U.S.