“AHS” fans can tune in to the fictional broadcast of KPCD Cape Radio for new episodes every day this week until the two-part season premiere on Wednesday night.
As if the anthology “American Horror Stories” wasn’t enough. Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk continue to expand their “AHS” empire with the surprise release of the first in a short series of in-universe radio shows that serve as a prelude to the upcoming “Double Feature.”
The first half of this season’s as-yet-unexplained “Double Feature” gimmick, entitled “Red Tide,” takes place in the fictional Provincetown, or “P-Town” as our radio host Rose Flynn proclaims it.
She shared a few details about the town itself, which she describes as a safe haven for “artists, lovers, writers, and outsiders.” She also talks a lot about it being a cape town and a community with a lot of seasonal residents who leave for the winter.
Rose describes herself as the “first daughter of P-Town,” though it’s unclear what that means, while also sharing that long-time listeners who’ve maybe been away — seasonal residents, perhaps — might have expected her predecessor to still be hosting, but she promises she’ll live up to their expectations.
She then threw it over to a traffic update — there is none — which instead focused on massive, disgusting roadkill on the roads, urging people not to stop and stare. Finally, she talked with the police department liaison where it was revealed there’s a new boss down at the precinct. All of these certainly sound like tasty morsels teasing developments in “P-Town” we’ll be dealing with soon enough.
Finally, the short audio clip ended with a reading from and advertisement for a steamy romance novel called “The Drought.” But as with everything “AHS,” there are likely clues in everything fans were able to get out of the six-plus minute audio play, including the sensual (hungry?) inner monologue of the book’s heroine.
In an era of podcasts, it’s a savvy move by Murphy and Falchuk to expand their popular “American” brand onto the audio-only format, even if it is just for this three-part promotional piece ahead of the delayed tenth season.
At the same time, if well-received, we could easily see the pair exploring the idea of an audio season of “AHS.” Certainly, horror lends itself to the imagination. And it would make it easier for them to enlist more players from their growing roster of “AHS” regulars if all they had to do was record their lines in a studio.
While we don’t yet know how this siren-themed “Red Tide” half of “Double Feature” will tie into the alien-themed second half “Death Valley,” we do know that many of fans’ favorite “AHS” alums will be returning, along with some prominent newcomers like Macauley Culkin.
“Red Tide” also features Finn Witrock, Lily Rabe, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, Leslie Grossman, Adina Porter, Billie Lourd, Denis O’Hare, and Angelica Ross. “Death Valley” has confirmed the addition of John Carroll Lynch and Neal McDonough.
After the three-part audio prelude, “American Horror Story: Double Feature” kicks off with a two-hour premiere on Wednesday, August 25 at 8 p.m. ET on FX.
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