American Horror Story: All 4 Jessica Lange characters ranked from worst to best

3. Constance Langdon

Season: American Horror Story: Murder House, American Horror Story: Apocalypse

You won’t find a bigger battleaxe on television than Constance Langdon. The neighbor to whoever has the misfortune of living in the infamous Murder House, she knew way too much about the dangers that hid behind that front door and even tried warning the Harmons of that. She also partook in some of its dastardly history, which very much informed her character.

Constance was morally questionable, perpetually fed-up, and even a bit evil; it made her a wildcard even in a season full of unpredictability. That said, it also went a long way in proving that she was fit for whatever the season would throw at its main characters – something that ultimately turned out to be true as she was the only one to survive.

This was the role that introduced Jessica Lange to a whole new audience, and she’s the reason that AHS went on to become as popular as it did. She commanded your attention whenever she was on-screen, delivering monologues with care and detail, and one-liners that were destined to become social media memes. It was exhilarating to watch.

There’s a poetic sense of fulfilment that Lange came out of AHS retirement to portray her first AHS character one more time. Her scenes in Apocalypse were, by far, the best of the season and she once again proved why the show desperately missed her presence. An absolute powerhouse of a character played by an even greater powerhouse of an actress.