Ronny Sianturi
The intricate and expansive television universe crafted by producer, writer, and director Ryan Murphy almost featured a major crossover event that would have united two of his most iconic franchises. Speaking ahead of the red-carpet premiere of the thirteenth season of FX’s anthology flagship American Horror Story in New York City, Murphy disclosed that pop superstar Ariana Grande was slated to join the cast for the upcoming run of episodes. Had scheduling constraints not intervened, Grande would have reprised her role as Chanel #2 from the short-lived Fox horror-comedy series Scream Queens, marking the first official narrative bridge between the two distinct television properties.
The prospective casting choice generated significant industry buzz following Murphy’s remarks, shedding light on the meticulous planning required to align high-profile talent across overlapping production timelines. While the collaboration ultimately failed to materialize for the current season, the revelation has reignited fan speculation regarding both the trajectory of American Horror Story and the long-dormant potential of a Scream Queens revival.
The Mechanics of the Missed Crossover
According to Murphy, the plan to integrate Grande into the American Horror Story Season 13 ensemble was well underway before logistical hurdles became insurmountable. The character slated for resurrection was Sonya Herfmann, better known as Chanel #2, a Kappa Kappa Tau sorority sister distinguished by her privileged demeanor and early demise in the inaugural season of Scream Queens.
The primary impediment to the casting was Grande’s extensive global touring schedule, specifically her commitments to the Eternal Sunshine Tour. Despite her enthusiasm for the project and a mutual desire from Murphy to incorporate the character, the specific production windows required for principal photography on the horror anthology directly conflicted with the musician’s live performance dates.
"It was funny because at one point I was going to have the Scream Queens come on to this season, but Ariana was touring and I couldn’t make it work," Murphy explained during his red-carpet interview. He noted that Grande actively sought a workaround, expressing a firm commitment to the role provided an alternative shooting schedule could be established. "She was like, ‘I still want to do it! I just can’t be on tour.’ So I was like, ‘All right, let me think of it.’ … We had to shoot it [on a weekend] she was touring, but I said, ‘OK, I’ll bump it down the road,’ so I haven’t given up. I love her."
Background and Legacy of Scream Queens
Scream Queens originally premiered on Fox in September 2015, positioned as a satirical, high-concept horror-comedy anthology created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. The series focused primarily on the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority at Wallace University, which became the target of a mysterious serial killer wearing a Red Devil mascot costume.
The ensemble cast featured Emma Roberts as Chanel #1, Ariana Grande as Chanel #2, Billie Lourd as Chanel #3, Abigail Breslin as Chanel #5, and Lea Michele as Hester Ulrich. The series relied heavily on camp aesthetics, rapid-fire dialogue, and heightened genre tropes, garnering a dedicated cult following despite modest traditional Nielsen ratings. Grande’s character famously met her demise in the fourth episode of the first season, pinned to her bedroom door and murdered via social media updates by the Red Devil.
Following a second season that shifted the setting from a college campus to an abandoned hospital, Fox officially canceled Scream Queens in May 2017 due to declining live viewership. At the time of its cancellation, the transition of television audiences from traditional linear broadcasting to delayed viewing and subscription streaming platforms was accelerating rapidly, a shift that co-creator Ian Brennan has frequently cited as the primary catalyst for the show’s premature conclusion.
"It was really at the end of network television and the rise of streaming," Brennan noted in prior statements to industry analysts. "A network executive could have been forgiven for being like, ‘The ratings keep going down.’ But they would do this all the time. They’d cancel a show that was getting like a one and then replace it with something that got a point seven, and now they would give their eyeteeth for the ratings we were getting then."
Momentum Building Toward a Potential Revival
Despite the twelve years that have elapsed since the conclusion of other major Murphy-helmed projects like Glee, the creative team and primary cast members of Scream Queens have consistently expressed willingness to revisit the franchise. Murphy revealed that discussions regarding a potential revival are active, spurred in part by ongoing conversations with original cast members.
When questioned about the feasibility of resurrecting the property, Murphy indicated that enthusiasm among the principal actors remains high. "Yes, so funny, Emma and I were talking about that yesterday. You know, they want me to do it. I don’t know," Murphy stated. He enumerated the core group of actors who have voiced support for a revival, adding, "Emma really wants to do it. I know Billie wants to do it. Lea wants to do it. Ariana wants to do it and Glen [Powell], my favorite of all time."
Billie Lourd, who portrayed the deadpan, earmuff-wearing Chanel #3, echoed these sentiments during interviews surrounding the American Horror Story premiere. Reflecting on her tenure with the show, Lourd confirmed her immediate availability and desire to step back into the role. "Hell yeah! Scream Queens is everything," Lourd said. "I wish Scream Queens would come back. It was so much fun. That was the first Ryan thing I ever did. It’d be wild. Chanel #3 is everything to me."
Glen Powell, whose breakout performance as Chad Radwell on the Fox series preceded his ascent to major Hollywood leading-man status in films such as Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters, has also remained a focal point for potential reunion storylines, though his own burgeoning film calendar presents similar scheduling hurdles to those faced by Grande.
Implications for the American Horror Story Franchise
While the Scream Queens crossover has been temporarily shelved, American Horror Story Season 13 moves forward with a monumental promotional and creative push. Billed as an all-star season, the latest iteration of the FX flagship is set to debut on Thursday, bringing back a constellation of foundational franchise actors who defined the horror anthology across its decade-long run.
The upcoming episodes will feature the return of heavyweights including Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Angela Bassett. This retrospective casting strategy underscores Murphy’s broader operational philosophy of creating interconnected universes within his television portfolio, rewarding long-term viewers with Easter eggs, recurring character arcs, and thematic callbacks.
Industry analysts note that integrating actors from parallel properties into the American Horror Story ecosystem serves multiple commercial and creative purposes. It revitalizes interest in back-catalog assets available on subscription video-on-demand services, broadens the demographic reach of the anthology by capturing crossover fandoms—such as Grande’s massive global music following—and maximizes production efficiency by leveraging established intellectual property.
Future Outlook and Scheduling Realities
The primary obstacle facing any future iteration of the Scream Queens crossover or revival remains the complex coordination of top-tier talent. As television production models shift toward shorter seasonal orders and fragmented distribution windows, ensemble casts often find themselves committed to conflicting feature film projects, global concert tours, and independent streaming commitments.
Nevertheless, Murphy’s public acknowledgment of the missed opportunity with Grande and his ongoing dialogue with Roberts, Lourd, and Powell suggests that the door remains open. Whether the collaboration materializes as a standalone guest appearance within the expansive architecture of American Horror Story or as a full-fledged limited-series revival of Scream Queens, the underlying demand from both creators and performers indicates that the satirical horror universe may yet find new life on screen.
For now, audiences will experience the premiere of American Horror Story Season 13 on FX, while speculation regarding the return of the Chanels continues to circulate across industry trades and fan communities alike.
