Season One of American Horror Story was a self-contained story-arc that aired on the FX Network from October 5th, 2011 to December 21st, 2011, spanning a total of twelve episodes. The premise of the season centered around the Harmon family, who suffer great hardship due to the loss of a child, and the ensuing infidelity of Ben Harmon. Desperate to make things work, Ben moves his family to Los Angeles, where they purchase a lavish Victorian-era mansion. All of their efforts to improve their lifestyle ultimately fail, particularly when one takes into a account the brutal and violent history of the home which has become infamous as "The Murder House". Complicating matters even further is the Harmons' nosy neighbor, Constance Langdon, and her special needs daughter, Adelaide, to say nothing of the strange burn victim Larry Harvey, who attempts to blackmail Ben after murdering his mistress, Hayden McClaine. As if these matters weren't enough to put on edge, the Harmons slowly come to realize that the ghosts of anyone who ever died in the mansion still linger about, each one harboring secret motives for either wanting to drive the Harmons away, or to keep them inside the house - forever.
The Harmon family move into an L.A. mansion in the hopes of making a new start. As they settle in, they begin to discover that their new home has a dark history. Ben takes on a new patient. Violet has trouble at school, and Vivien meets her wacky neighbors.
Vivien and Violet find themselves prisoners in their own home in a situation which bears strong similarities to an event from 1968. Ben returns to Boston to fix things with Hayden.
Vivien decides to put the house back on the market, but then learns more about her home's previous residents. Larry Harvey continues to blackmail Ben, as Hayden comes to L.A. to be with him. The story of the original owners of the Murder House is revealed.
