Faithful viewers checked in Wednesday night with the Season 5 premiere of “American Horror Story: Hotel.”
“Hotel” takes place in presumed present day California, at the creepy Hotel Cortez. Strange and disturbing things happen to guests at the hands of the staff and the owner, The Countess, played by Lady Gaga.
Police detective John Lowe, played by Wes Bentley is investigating a series of brutal murders when an anonymous tip leads him to the mysterious hotel. According to Nielsen Ratings, Season 5 premiered to 5.81 million viewers, a large jump from the finale of Season 4, which only had 3.27 million.
Despite the absence of lead Jessica Lange, the cast is strong and exciting in the new roles, many of which are a shake-up of their usual characters in previous seasons.
Lady Gaga, new to the series, fit right in with the other perfectly eerie castmembers. In fact, she stole the show and it is a fun prospect that she is the major character. Gaga has a lot to offer the show since creepy and strange are her forte.
The premiere was enticing, providing enough wonder and mystery. Tune in week after week for a glimpse at how the series will all play out.
A scary, haunted hotel is just what the show needed to bring viewers back, as well as bring the show back to its original roots after taking a detour with last season’s “Freak Show.”
While this season looks promising, viewers thought the same about its predecessor, “Freak Show,” which was a disappointment to many followers of the horror anthology. It is highly possible this season will also fall flat.
There are plenty of similarities between “Hotel” and the show’s first season, “Murder House,” which has been, by far, the series’ best season.
Hopefully, writers took points from “Murder House” and will bring them back.
“American Horror Story: Hotel” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.
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