'American Horror Story': Ryan Murphy Teases Major Season 6 Twist, Promises 'Freak Show' Connection, Plans "Secret Season"

It wouldn't be American Horror Story without some shocking reveals, and so far season six is bringing them in full force. Last week's premiere confirmed the big theme of the new season would be "Roanoke," but the real surprise came when viewers realized that the episodes would take the form of a documentary series called My Roanoke Colony, complete with reenactments. So you've got Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. playing actors playing characters played by Lily Rabe and André Holland and so on. It's all a big, glorious mess, in typical American Horror Story fashion.

But we ain't seen nothin' yet. Series creator Ryan Murphy is teasing a direct connection between Roanoke and Freak Show (after already revealing a link between Roanoke and Murder House), as well as an even more mind-blowing twist to come around episode 6. And as if all that weren't craziness enough, Murphy has also revealed a "secret season" of American Horror Story in the works. 

Entertainment Weekly put Murphy on the cover of their latest issue, and got the goods from him about the future of American Horror Story. Murphy has previously stated that all of the American Horror Story seasons are connected, and this year we're starting to see how some of them tie together. An upcoming installment will dig into some of the backstory behind Freak Show, specifically as pertains to the Mott family. "We explain how the Motts began which is funny," said Murphy. And they won't be the only familiar characters revisited in Roanoke. "Many, many, many that you have not seen in years that you have wanted to see," he hinted.

But before you start formulating any theories, you should keep in mind that there's a huge curveball coming our way in a few weeks. For now, though, Murphy is being cryptic. "You'll see starting in episode 6, the show has a huge turn and the thing that you think you're watching is not what you're watching," he said. Co-creator Brad Falchuk added that "nobody gets what we're doing. No matter what you think it is, it's not that." Falchuk went so far as to suggest that the bombshell will divide the season into three different sections: "It's like [episodes] 1-5, 6-9, and 10 is its own thing." As Murphy describes it, "It's a hat on a hat on a hat on a hat that we've had to protect."

Naturally, the secrets won't end with season 6. Murphy also revealed plans for a "secret season" of American Horror Story. "I've been working with a writer on a season that only he and I know. It's like a 2-year project that we'll continue to work on the sly and not tell anybody," he said. However, it may be a while before we see the results, as Murphy says he already has a (different) plan in place for season 7, should FX renew the series. "I don't know when it will [air] but it's also an experiment," he said of his secret season. "It's a different way of doing it. It's one person writing all episodes. I don't know if it's going to work but it's like, well, let's try that. We might get them done and shoot them on the sly and drop it."

Well, never let it be said that American Horror Story has stopped trying to surprise us. The show airs Wednesdays on FX.