The main reason for that fascination may be Murphy’s playfulness with current issues, but the whole show falls apart without the grounded performance from the always-fantastic Sarah Paulson. A Murphy vet, here she plays Ally Mayfair-Richards, a Michigan woman who basically becomes unhinged after Trump wins, at least partially due to the guilt over the fact that she cast a protest vote for Jill Stein. Her anxiety adds fuel to her greatest fear—clowns (known as Coulrophobia). Yes, Ally is so crippled by her fear of clowns like Twisty from “American Horror Story: Freak Show” (who makes a brief return) that it’s sometimes crippling. And, after Trump wins, she starts seeing clowns everywhere. Not Bozo the Clown—they are nightmare creatures that even Pennywise would turn away from his clubhouse. Is Ally imagining things? Or is someone trying to drive her insane? As a group of killer clowns moves its way around Michigan, it starts to look like Ally’s fear is genuine. Paulson sells every crazy beat of the twisting and turning story, allowing us to wonder how sane Ally is or if she’s in genuine danger. It’s another great performance from a great actress.

At the same time, we watch the young, blue-haired man who saw Trump’s victory as the beginning of a revolution grow in strength. Named Kai Anderson, and played with icy determination by Murphy regular Evan Peters, he is clearly the leader of the “Cult” of the title of the show, someone who knows that fear and anxiety are valuable commodities. “Fear is currency. It has value,” he says. And he starts collecting that currency, building on an atmosphere of terror. For example, he harasses a group of immigrants, only to have a few colleagues (or cult members, if you will) record the ensuing beating he takes to fuel the fire of anti-immigrant fervor. His end game is unclear even after four episodes. Does he just want the world to burn?

Revolving around Ally and Kai like satellites is a fascinating cast of supporting characters. There’s Ally's supportive-but-frustrated wife Ivy ( Alison Pill ); a reporter ( Adina Porter ) tired of being interrupted on live shoots by men shouting “Grab her by the pussy!”; the new nanny ( Billie Lourd ), who happens to be Kai’s sister, and who we know is trouble from the minute she walks into Ally and Ivy’s house; Ally’s suspicious therapist, Dr. Vincent ( Cheyenne Jackson ); and a spectacular turn from