If there’s any constant across all ofAmerican Horror Story’s seasons, it’s the repetition of cast members. CreatorRyan Murphyseems to have selected an ensemble cast that he is happy to have play musical chairs, swapping out costumes and accents and mannerisms to create new characters. Sometimes, a single cast member will play multiple roles within the same season and timeline, but through some highly planned alchemy of lighting, dialogue, and gesture, the etch-a-sketch of who they previously played is wiped clean effortlessly.
Red Tide—the first half ofDouble Feature—is no exception to the show’s signature deployment of a rotating cast. At the time of writing this, only two episodes of the show have aired so details about many of these characters are yet to be revealed. For now, to help you adjust to the new roster, here’s a list of cast members onRed Tide, as well as the other roles they’ve held within the AHS universe (if any). Out of all of the main cast, only two of the members on this list are making their AHS debut.
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Finn Wittrock as Harry Gardener
Cautiously framed as what could be considered the protagonist ofRed Tide,Finn Wittrockplays Harry Gardener, a writer who travels to Provincetown with his wife and daughter to rework a pilot. In the first episode“Cape Fear”he’s shown as an unremarkably frustrated dad and writer who kills a man in self-defense but never really breaks out of his reasonable-man role. He takes a sharp turn in“Pale,”where instead of taking his family away from Provincetown he meets up with a local playwright named Austin (Evan Peters) and takes a mysterious drug that will supposedly cure his writers’ block but ultimately turns him into a vampire that thirsts for his wife’s blood.
Other AHS Finn Wittrock characters:Dandy Mott,Freak Show; Tristan Duffy & Rudolph Valentino,Hotel; Jether Polk,Roanoke; Bobby Richter,1984.
Lily Rabe as Doris Gardener
Okay, soLily Rabe’s history on AHS is steller. Who could forget her as Sister Mary Eunice McKee, a terrifying nun from bothAsylumandFreak Show? So far this season, she’s a little bit more subdued. Of course, as regular watchers of the series know, we can never get too comfortable with those who seem docile. The show’s repeated use of sleight of hand makes Doris one of the more frightening characters precisely for the domestic role she leads. Rabe comes to Provincetown with her husband and daughter and displays a remarkable amount of patience when it comes to her partner’s… creative process. She also still looks adorable while arguing for her own artistic vision as an interior designer.
Other AHS Lily Rabe characters:Nora Montgomery,Murder House; Sister Mary Eunice McKee,Asylum&Freak Show; Misty Day,Coven&Apocalypse; Aileen Wuornos,Hotel; Shelby Miller,Roanoke; Lavinia Richter,1984.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Alma Gardener
In herAmerican Horror Storydebut,Ryan Kiera Armstrongplays Alma Gardener, Doris and Harry’s daughter. While she may be new to the show, Armstrong hits the tone perfectly, positioning herself as a key focal point of terror within the cast. She has an awareness that seems to surpass her years, often surprising her parents with her frank, unsettling comments that arrive in domestic moments that otherwise seemed mundane.
Evan Peters as Austin Sommers
It shouldn’t be too surprising that the playwright who offers Harry the pill that turns him into a vampire is played by Evan Peters. Throughout hisAHSjourney, Peters has portrayed quite a range of characters from Jesus to Andy Warhol to Charles Manson. Across all characters—including his new appearance onRed Tide—Peters possesses an unpredictability that makes him simultaneously terrifying and someone you want to root for as he changes dramatically from frame to frame.
Other AHS Evan Peters characters:Tate Langdon,Murder House&Apocalpyse; Kit Walker,Asylum; Kyle Spencer,Coven; Jimmy Darling,Freak Show; James Patrick March,Hotel; Rory Monahan & Edward Philippe Mott,Roanoke; Jesus, Andy Warhol, Marshall Applewhite, Davis Koresh, Jim Jones, Charles Manson, & Kai Anderson,Cult; Mr. Gallant & Jeff Pfister,Apocalypse.
Sarah Paulson as “Tuberculosis” Karen
Yes,Sarah Paulsonis in this season, too. After a strange absence from1984, Paulson makes quite the comeback as Provincetown’s resident madwoman, an outsider character who is mostly marginalized and dismissed by the rest of the town. In the first few sequences, she serves as a harbinger of bad news to come, heightened by the fact thatAHSaudiences have come to understand that where Paulson comes trouble follows. She seems like the only character in the town who truly understands what’s at stake in the trend of transitioning vampires. Or at least the only one is vocal about stopping it.
Other AHS Sarah Paulson characters:Billie Dean Howard,Murder House; Lana Winters, Asylum; Cordelia Goode,Coven&Apocalypse; Dot Tattler,Freak Show; “Hypodermic” Sally McKenna,Hotel;Ally Mayfair-Richards,Cult; Wilhelmina Venable,Apocalypse.
Frances Conroy as Sarah “Bell Noir” Cunningham
When Harry Gardener (Finn Wittrock) first meets Austin (Evan Peters), he’s swept into the darker creative circle of Provincetown byFrances Conroy, a famous erotica novelist. Conroy is probably best known on the show for her role as one half of Moira O’Hara, the housemaid in Murder House who has the capability to transform from a sexually promiscuous young woman (in the eyes of men) to an incisive older woman who knows exactly how to manipulate those who are attracted to her. In this season, she makes the perfect duo with Evans as they work together to maintain their status as artist vampires.
Other AHS Frances Conroy characters:Moira O’Hara,Murder House&Apocalypse; Shachath,Asylum; Myrtle Snow,Coven&Apocalypse; Gloria Mott,Freak Show; Bebe Babbitt,Cult.
Billie Lourd as Leslie “Lark” Feldman
WhenBillie Lourdfinally shows up at the end of the second episode, she’s an enchanting dentist-turned-tattoo-artist-vampire whose job among the other turned people in Provincetown is to shave their teeth into points to make them more efficient at cannibalizing.
Other AHS Billie Lourd characters:Winter Anderson & Linda Kasabian,Cult;Mallory,Apocalypse; Montana Duke,1984.
Leslie Grossman as Ursula
If ever a part fit an actress like a glove, it was this presentation ofLeslie Grossmanas Ursula, Harry’s literary agent. She brings the same gum-snapping energy she had as Coco inApocalypsebut now as a salient—if hard-headed—professional subtly orchestrating his family’s horrors through her persistence. And once she finds out about those black pills, watch out. Ursula’s ambition knows no bounds, no matter the cost.
Other AHS Leslie Grossman characters:Meadow Wilton & Patricia Krenwinkel,Cult; Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt,Apocalypse; Margaret Booth,1984.
Adina Porter as Chief Burleson
AfterAdina Porter’s complicated performance as the morally ambiguous Dinah Stevens inApocalypse, it’s a strange but somehow logical step to see her in Provincetown working in law enforcement. She makes a terse and compelling chief of police.
Other AHS Adina Porter characters:Sally Freeman,Murder House; Lee Harris,Roanoke; Beverly Hope,Cult; Dinah Stevens,Apocalypse.
Macaulay Culkin as Mickey
Macaulay Culkinmakes a stunning debut onAHSas Mickey, one of the more…forward personalities to emerge from Provincetown to meet Harry. A local sex worker with a sharp sense of humor, Mickey promises to bring a certain spectacular flair to the season. A struggling writer in his own right, he’s also shown right away as compassionate, the only person in Provincetown who will help “Tuberculosis” Karen.
