Some people believe life is all about taking risks. In Hollywood, risk is usually averted in favor of following a proven formula. How else can you explain the constant remakes, re-imaginings and sequels that fill our cinemas of late? Television scribes also trend toward the rehashing old ideas.

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, co-creators of the FX series “American Horror Story,” are taking a risk by bucking all proven television formulas.

“American Horror Story” just completed its first season. The show centered on the Harmon family – husband Ben (Dylan McDermott), wife Vivien (Connie Britton) and daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga), as they moved from Boston to Los Angeles to seek a fresh start after Vivien caught Ben in an extramarital affair.

**Major Spoilers Ahead**

The show boasted plenty of supporting characters, but the most important one was the house the Harmons moved into. The home was populated by the spirits of the many people who had died there over the years, earning it the nickname “The Murder House” and a spot on a Hollywood tour of notorious places. For some reason, which was never explained, the spirits of those who died in the house were unable to move on into the afterlife, but could interact with the living that entered the house.

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The newest and scariest FX original series ‘American Horror Story’ combines all the right aspects of the horror genre and squeezes them into an incredible nighttime storytelling show. An hour’s worth of gruesome scenes, mysterious plot lines, and scandalous characters make ‘Horror Story’ worth screaming over.

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The new drama had a strong premiere about two weeks ago, scoring about five million viewers. ‘Horror Story’ is equal to the demo rating for ‘Nip/Tuck’ and scored 33 percent higher than ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ one of FX’s most watched shows ever.

‘Horror Story’ is about a Bostonian family who decides to move across country to L.A. into a 1920s Victorian home that (surprise surprise) is haunted. The house has definitely been a prime spot for some murders, but that doesn’t stop the Harmon family from calling it home.

On top of the house being a death zone, the Harmons have several problems of their own. Ben (Dylan McDermott) is a psychiatrist who is caught cheating with one of his students by his wife Vivien (Connie Britton), obviously causing some severe trust issues in their relationship. In addition, Vivien is working through the traumatic experience of having delivered a stillborn child months earlier. Their teenage daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga, Vera’s younger sister) is far more troubled than the average high schooler and is starved for attention from both parents who can’t give her any at the moment.

Their domineering and creepy neighbors Constance (a colorful Jessica Lange) and her daughter Adelaide (Jamie Brewer) constantly enter the house without permission, disturbing the Harmons, especially when Adelaide says to Vivien, “You’re going to die in here.” (more…)

In a recent interview with Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler from “Friday Night Lights,” Chandler discussed his onscreen marriage to Britton. According to Chandler, executive producer Peter Berg told him and Britton “that the relationship wasn’t going to break up from divorce…It was going to be a regular marriage, with two people who were dedicated to each other and loved one another.” Even though other dramas often feature divorces and marriages collapsing, “FNL” took a stand and attempted to show a strong and realistic marriage with two committed adults in it. In fact, one of the best aspects of “FNL” is how the show is able to create realistic situations where characters are allowed to make both good and bad choices. Because of that and the show’s focus on both sides of the controversial debate, “FNL” has managed to overcome a recent controversial storyline about abortion.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about the “Friday Night Lights” pregnancy storyline that ended with Becky, a pregnant teenager, aborting her child. She did this partly because her mother strongly advocated that decision and because she felt that her mother always regretted giving birth to her. The episode ended with Becky talking to Luke, the baby’s father, and telling him that she had taken care of the situation. Although he was aware that Becky had contemplated having an abortion, he didn’t realize that she was definitely going to do it until procedure was completed.

In the three episodes that have aired since that episode, the pregnancy storyline has focused on Tami (Britton), a local school principal, dealing with the political ramifications of the situation. After becoming pregnant, Becky had approached Tami and asked for information about getting an abortion. That conversation proved controversial as some individuals, including Luke’s mother, called for Tami’s resignation after the abortion. In the show’s season finale, Tami planned to publicly apologize for her role in the situation but opted against it at the last minute. Instead she said that she “had always put the welfare of the students ahead of everything else” and that “every action that [she] made was with that intent.”  Tami was then put on administrative leave. Instead of suing the school to get her old job back, Tami said that she would accept a lower-profile position serving as the head counselor of a local school where her husband coaches the football team. The season ended after she offered to make such a deal. (more…)

In the pilot episode of NBC’s “Friday Night Lights,” after a star football player suffers an injury on the field, the new coach in town, Coach Taylor, narrates the end of the episode while members of the football community visit the hospital where that player has been moved. In a voiceover, he states, “Life is so very fragile…We must carry this in our hearts: that what we have is special–that it can be taken from us. And that when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls.” Several weeks ago, the third season of “FNL” was released on DVD and if you have not seen this program, this summer is a great time to catch up on this phenomenal show which showcases the daily tests that the characters in the community of Dillon, Texas face on and off the football field.

I only started watching the critically acclaimed program last year and since then I have purchased all three seasons on DVD. Readers and viewers might be familiar with the overall idea of the show because before there was a television show, there was a popular book and a feature film (with Billy Bob Thornton as the coach) with the same name. Even if you have not read the book or watched the film (and even if you do not like football), the show is well worth seeing. (more…)