Netflix's 7-Part Thriller Is The Perfect Binge Ahead Of American Horror Story's Return

Credit: Eric Liebowitz/FX Published Aug 30, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Ahead of American Horror Story's return, Netflix has the perfect binge-watch. American Horror Story is heading into season 13, and the Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy-created show is bringing back many of the most recognizable stars and characters from previous seasons. Returning cast members include Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, John Carroll Lynch, Jamie Brewer, Mat Fraser, and Mena Suvari. Murphy has teased how some of these actors will play more than one of their previous characters, sometimes even within the same scene. Twisty the Clown (Lynch), Kai Anderson and the Rubber Man (Peters), Constance Langdon (Lange), Addie Langdon (Jamie Brewer), Queenie (Sidibe), Madison Montgomery (Roberts), Marie Laveau (Bassett), Elizabeth Short/Black Dahlia (Suvari), and Cordelia Goode (Paulson) are among the characters featured in the season 13 trailer. The Rubber Man, Constance, Addie, and Black Dahlia are all American Horror Story: Murder House characters, and Paulson and Conroy were also in that season in the respective roles of Billie Dean Howard and Moira O'Hara. Their returns indicate that the series is going back to its roots with the season that started it all, especially with the inclusion of Black Dahlia, who was only in two Murder House episodes. Season 13 debuts with a three-episode premiere on September 24, kicking off a season with 13 total episodes, each of which will run for a half hour. Before then, fans can watch Netflix's The Watcher, another Murphy series that contains many parallels to one of American Horror Story's best seasons. Ryan Murphy's The Watcher Feels A Lot Like American Horror Story: Murder House Eric Liebowitz/©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection Created by Murphy and Ian Brennan, The Watcher is a mystery thriller series that follows Dean (Bobby Cannavale) and Nora Brannock (Naomi Watts), who move into a new home with their children in the hopes of getting a fresh start. This expectation is quickly shattered when they receive threatening letters from "The Watcher," who claims they are watching the house and knows personal details about the family inside. As Dean and Nora attempt to protect their children and figure out who the Watcher is, they must deal with creepy neighbors and mysterious individuals who inexplicably appear and disappear from the property, a police department that does not take the family's concerns seriously, and former owners of the home delivering ominous warnings. The house is also revealed to have a complicated and bloody history that the Brannocks were not aware of before they moved in. Now Streaming · Press Play How Well Do You Know Netflix Originals? “Red light, green light.” 🌀StrangerThingsThe Upside Down 🎭SquidGamePlayer 456 👑TheCrownLong live the Queen 🕸WednesdayNevermore Academy 🌹BridgertonDearest readers PRESS PLAY → 01 Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number? A067 B218 C001 D456 ✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries. NEXT → 02 The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character? AJenna Ortega BMillie Bobby Brown CSadie Sink DMaya Hawke ✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022. NEXT → 03 In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it? AOrange Is the New Black BHouse of Cards CArrested Development (revival) DHemlock Grove ✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series. NEXT → 04 Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4? AImelda Staunton BOlivia Colman CHelena Bonham Carter DGillian Anderson ✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win. NEXT → 05 The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set? ADerry, Maine BHawkins, Indiana CHill Valley, California DTwin Peaks, Washington ✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder. NEXT → 06 Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner? AShonda Rhimes (Shondaland) BRyan Murphy CJulian Fellowes DJenji Kohan ✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal. NEXT → 07 La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure? AGuy Fawkes BSalvador Dalí CChe Guevara DPablo Picasso ✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits. NEXT → 08 Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth? AFlorence Pugh BAnya Taylor-Joy CSaoirse Ronan DDaisy Edgar-Jones ✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller. REVEAL MY SCORE → Credits Rolling · Autoplay On Your Binge-Watcher Rank 🎬 / 8 Platinum subscriber — or still on the free trial? ⤴ PLAY NEXT EPISODE All these elements feel similar to Murder House, where the Harmon family moves into the mansion for a fresh start, only to be haunted and threatened by the supernatural forces from within. There are also plenty of unsettling individuals who mysteriously come and go from the house, ominous warnings from former owner Larry Harvey (Denis O'Hare), and an intricate, violent past to the house that gradually comes to light. The biggest differences between the two shows are in regard to genre and tone. Murder House is a horror story dealing with the supernatural, while The Watcher is a mystery thriller more concerned with exploring human paranoia. Murder House is generally more unnvering and The Watcher is somewhat campy, with certain melodramatic moments turning humorous. The Watcher Works Best As A Binge-Watch Eric Liebowitz/©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection At only seven episodes, binge-watching is the best way to experience The Watcher. The series is built on intrigue, mystery, and enticing cliffhangers, which make it difficult to stop watching. A good binge also comes from a show working better as a whole rather than on an episodic basis, which is true of The Watcher and the way the narrative is designed. It's consistent with how the show was initially released, as all episodes came to Netflix on October 13, 2022. With American Horror Story season 13 having a three-episode premiere and rolling out most new episodes in weekly duos or trios, binge-watching is also a good way to prepare for this release model. It's a noticeable change from previous seasons, in which the anthology series has usually released only one new episode per week. For The Watcher, the binge-watch model was successful enough on Netflix for a season 2 renewal to happen in 2022, even though the show was intended to be a miniseries. That being said, there have been no substantial updates in the past four years, with Watts telling Entertainment Weekly in 2024 that "I don’t have one, if there is one. I wish I could. It was so fun, right? I don’t have an update, I’m afraid." The Watcher Season 2 Still Needs To Happen Eric Liebowitz/©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection The lack of updates after four years is concerning, but there are still plenty of reasons for another season to happen. The Watcher season 1 ends on a largely ambiguous note, and with the real-life case that inspired the show remaining unsolved, it's understandable why this creative decision was made. At the same time, there are still mysteries that deserve answers, and there has already been a compelling setup for what comes next, especially given what Dean and Nora are doing when the season ends. If the show's creative team wants to maintain the ambiguous ending, another possibility is to turn The Watcher into an anthology series. It is an approach that has worked well for American Horror Story, as Murder House was followed by Asylum, Coven, and Freak Show, all of which were strong seasons. American Crime Story, American Horror Stories, and Netflix's Monster are also shows by Murphy that have successfully mastered the anthology approach, making it more feasible for The Watcher season 2 to follow in their footsteps. Ryan Murphy's American Sports Story and Love Story are intended to be anthology series, although neither has been renewed yet. The new season could still be centered on 657 Boulevard at another point in the timeline where there are different neighbors and a different family living there, but with this era's Watcher still leaving letters at the house. There's also the potential of shifting the story to a completely different home, making it more of a true anthology series while still keeping the premise of a family being threatened by ominous letters from The Watcher. Similar to how all American Horror Story seasons are connected, though, there could still be connections to Dean, Nora, Pearl Winslow (Mia Farrow), Jasper Winslow (Terry Kinney), Maureen/Mo (Margo Martindale), other characters from season 1, and the setting of 657 Boulevard, but the premise would be what stays at the forefront of the show. Source: Entertainment Weekly Release Date 2022 - 2022-00-00 Network Netflix Directors Jennifer Lynch, Ryan Murphy Cast Naomi Watts Nora Brannock