FX clearly made the right decision entering American Horror Story in Emmy’s movie/miniseries category. The anthology-esque horror show scared up a staggering 17 nods, making it this year’s most nominated program (in a tie with Mad Men).

Below, Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy reacts to hitting the kudos jackpot and offers a progress report on Season 2.

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TVLINE | Did you ever imagine in your wildest dreams that the show would garner 17 nominations?

No. Never. In most cases, anything that that remotely has to do with horror or the horror genre doesn’t usually get a lot of [Emmy] love for whatever reason. So that was a huge hurdle [we had to overcome]. I was pretty sure Jessica [Lange] would get nominated, and obviously the special effects, but other than that I had no clue; I was very surprised.

TVLINE | Of the 17 nominations, which one were you most pleasantly surprised by?

I was thrilled that Frances Conroy got into the [supporting actress] category, because [the focus was so much on] Jessica. And I loved them together. The fact that she got in there was awesome.

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TVLINE | Does all the Emmy love add extra pressure on Season 2?

Normally, it would. But it doesn’t because it’s a completely different thing. It’s a completely different story, a completely different period, and a completely different look. It’s like doing a new project. It can’t be compared to the first season.

TVLINE | When did you start shooting?

Tuesday. We have two days under our belt. Everyone looks so different. People who were enemies last year are allies this year. The sets are amazing. It’s 1964, so everything looks very different.

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TVLINE | Lastly, any thoughts on Dot-Marie Jones’ nod for Glee?

I’m thrilled for her. We wrote that [domestic violence-themed] episode specifically for her to showcase everything that she can do. I was really happy for her.