‘American Horror Story: NYC’ hits high note: Patti LuPone singing ‘Fever’ in a bathhouse is ‘the Ryan Murphiest scene to ever Ryan Murphy’

“American Horror Story: NYC” premiered October 19 on FX (available the next day on Hulu). As could be expected, the cast is vast and the plot is largely centered on killings in New York City. This cycle written by franchise creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk is heavily rumored to focus on a serial killer roaming the streets of the Big Apple. Joining the fun for the first time are Charlie Carver, Kal Penn, Joe Mantello, Russell Tovey and Gideon Glick. Returning are Sandra Bernhard, Nico Greetham, Rebecca Dayan, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Patti LuPone, Denis O’Hare, Dot-Marie Jones, Isaac Cole Powell, and Zachary Quinto. So what are critics saying about the latest edition of “AHS”? 

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Brian Lowry of CNN compares it to Murphy’s Netflix hit “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” writing, “A key element of the Dahmer miniseries, based on the real-life serial killer who preyed on gay men in the 1980s and particularly people of color, was the extent to which homophobia contributed to an indifference that helped him avoid legal consequences, before his arrest in 1991.” Lowry continues, “The latest ‘American Horror Story’ is set in a different place, but an overlapping time, beginning in 1981 – just as the AIDS epidemic began, and before the disease had acquired that name – and focusing on a serial killer murdering gay men in New York City. The episodes also convey the toll on those living in the closet during this era, specifically focusing on a New York detective (Russell Tovey) who endures casual gay slurs from his unaware coworkers and boss.” 

Daniel Kurland of Bloody Disgusting addresses the rampant bemoaning of naysayers that the series is past its prime. “Season Eleven of American Horror Story turns the major metropolitan city of New York into this year’s horror hub, but it narrows in on a very specific time and subculture.” Kurland adds, “at the moment the season’s theme feels shortsighted; ‘AHS: BDSM’ might have been the more appropriate title…There are decapitations and copious kills, but none of it makes enough of an impression. Even the season’s Big Daddy Leather Man feels derivative of Murder House’s Rubberman. AHS: NYC needs to do more than a Zodiac Killer-esque cipher that’s built around the queer community’s handkerchief code to make this material stand out.” With more newbies than franchise favorites, the cast is a highlight. “Mantello’s Gino Barelli, a conflicted reporter, is quite captivating and effectively sells this material. He’s left to do a lot of the heavy lifting here and rises to the occasion. It’s also promising that both Billie Lourd and Leslie Grossman are properly played against type instead of just doing more of the same.” But it is Quinto that steals the show as a major creep. “Oh, and Patti Lupone sings ‘Fever’ in a bathhouse in what’s easily one of the Ryan Murphiest scenes to ever Ryan Murphy.” 

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Ron Hogan of Den of Geeks starts by noting “the first two episodes of AHS NYC, ‘Something’s Coming’ and ‘Thank You For Your Service’ almost feel like Ryan Murphy attempting to marry the more prestige TV elements of something like Murphy’s Netflix smash-hit Dahmer and American Crime Story with the very specific subculture exploration of Pose and the general ambiance of a sleazier, grimier Cruising.” The killings mostly are off screen, for once, but there is a slow burn of a season headed our way. “Of the new faces, Joe Mantello has the most screen time in the first two episodes, and Gino is an important character for the audience to root for since most of the events of the show have revolved around him to some degree. Charlie Carver plays Adam as a remarkably straight-laced type of character in a world that caters to every decadent whim. He’s not interested in indulging those tastes; he seems like he might be a little more old-fashioned in comparison to the hedonistic Theo and Sam…Denis O’Hare drops in as a delightful Andy Warhol-type in a few exposition-heavy scenes, and fellow AHS veteran Zachary Quinto should be a Hollywood go-to for a sadistic scummy guy with weird sexual proclivities, considering Sam moves from coked-up creep to opportunist pretty quickly in under two hours of screen time.” 

Emma Stefansky of the Daily Beast was impressed. “AHS: NYC has all the Murphy-esque signatures, and more: It’s sexy, it’s salacious, and it’s subversive—not least because of the era and the community in which it’s set. Like most seasons of this show, NYC starts strong, though it’s difficult at this point to say exactly what’s going on…Who is the leather mask daddy with a murderous streak? Is this perhaps an origin story for the rubber man ghost from all the way back in Season 1? As a horror-tinged dramatization of the oppression that urban marginalized communities faced in Reagan’s America, it works, so far.”