Star Sarah Paulson is reuniting with producer Ryan Murphy for the forthcoming Netflix series, Ratched, but is the show related to the pair’s earlier collaborations on American Horror Story? Set to debut on September 28, Ratched is a new psychological horror drama series from executive producer Ryan Murphy. The series will see Sarah Paulson in the title role as the initially pious and naive Mildred Ratched, a character who is set to be put through the wringer by her tenure in a psychiatric hospital where shadowy experiments are afoot.

Both Paulson and Murphy have brought the best out of each other over the course of numerous seasons of the dark horror anthology series, American Horror Story, with many fans even suggesting that Paulson ought to direct the show’s upcoming spin-off series. With such a fruitful collaborative track record, it stands to reason that viewers would expect this latest dark horror show to be connected with his smash hit anthology somehow. So, is Ratched related to American Horror Story?

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Ratched and American Horror Story are not connected. Despite having a considerable crossover in their casting department, with both series drawing from Murphy’s stable of regular performers, the two series don’t have any known continuity crossover. This is because Ratched is a reimagined version of Beat author Ken Kesey’s iconic novel, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, with that book’s villain serving as the primary protagonist for Murphy’s show and the titular character. The series will act as a prequel to the 1974 film adaptation of the same name, leaving little room for any American Horror Story overlap.

It’s hard enough for viewers to keep track of how each of American Horror Story’s seasons are connected. With that in mind, it may be just as well that Paulson and Ryan’s latest collaboration doesn’t share any DNA with their earlier work together. After all, if it’s going to do justice to the eponymous character, Ratched can afford to be as campy as other Murphy productions, but needs to focus more on Nurse Ratched’s slow descent into evil and hone in on the anti-heroine’s gradual moral breakdown.

See also  How Many Episodes Superman & Lois Has (& When The Finale Releases)

The original character is an iconic amoral villain, a terrifying portrait of petty authority gone mad with power. So removing the risk of coming across clown cults, alien abductions, and other assorted American Horror Story shenanigans could keep Ratched on track for longer than some earlier Murphy productions. Besides, it’s not like the producer is short of other projects that can cross wires with American Horror Story, as Murphy has a slate of films and TV shows coming out in 2020.

90 Day Fiancé: Jihoon Lee Debuts New ‘Breathtaking’ Look on IG

About The Author


Cathal Gunning
(1446 Articles Published)

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies and TV online since 2020. His obsessions include The Simpsons, Stephen King, the Scream series, and the horror genre in general. He has spent more time thinking about Stranger Things than the writers of Stranger Things, and he has never seen a Star War.

More From Cathal Gunning