American Horror Story

“American Horror Story,” the often brilliant and always ridiculous television anthology created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, is back with some major bitchcraft.

Over the last two excellent seasons, the pair explored a murder house whose inhabitants, including a Franken-baby and a Rubber Man gimp, are left to haunt the property after dying there and a maliciously run asylum with some aliens and Nazis thrown in for good measure. The show has always danced along the line of self-aware camp and utterly scary imagery.

With season three, Murphy and Falchuk introduce a coven of witches in modern day New Orleans. This season premiere also bounces back to 1843 New Orleans, where Kathy Bates’ Madame LaLaurie (a real life socialite and serial killer) tortures her slaves and uses their blood as a moisturizer. Nothing is sacred in “American Horror Story,” and we shouldn’t want it any other way.

As always, this season is filled to the gut with crazy plot lines and characters. Taissa Farmiga’s Zoe accidently kills her boyfriend during sex and, at the behest of her family, is sent away to Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, a southern boarding school where the student enrollment rate has dropped to four young ladies.

It’s these supporting women that give “Coven” its fire. Emma Roberts plays Madison, a mean girl movie scarlet with telekinetic powers. Gabourey Sidibe is human voodoo doll Queenie, and Jamie Brewer is a psychic with Down syndrome. A dinner scene involving Queenie’s powers, Madison’s attitude and a fork give the season its first awesomely comedic gross-out moment.

Unfortunately, the season three slump is palpable at moments. Jessica Lange does the same crazy lady she’s played for two years. Make no mistake, she’s great, and this season she seems to be having a bit more fun than usual. But it’s all so one-note three years in. Sarah Paulson, robbed of an Emmy for “Asylum” last year, is given next to nothing to do. If “Coven” wants to reach to heights of “Murder House” and “Asylum,” they’re going to need to flesh out their most talented actresses.

The writing remains as a sharp as ever. Lange’s supreme witch Fiona Goode purrs to Paulson, “Don’t make me drop a house on you,” and compares Miss Robichaux’s to Hogwarts before flinging Madison against the wall with a flick of her hand.

It’s this melodramatic and referential dialogue that has always made “American Horror Story” undeniable fun. This season will need to pick up some slack and develop some characters to reach its true potential, but “Coven” proves that the most masterfully produced television doesn’t have to take itself so seriously.