"Welcome to Briarcliff" | |
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American Horror Story episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Bradley Buecker |
Written by | Tim Minear |
Featured music |
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Production code | 2ATS01 |
Original air date | October 17, 2012 |
Running time | 46 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Welcome to Briarcliff" is the first episode of the second season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on October 17, 2012, on the cable network FX. In its original airing, the episode was watched by 3.85 million viewers, the largest audience of the franchise thus far,[1] 2.8 million of which were from the 18–49 demographic.[1]
This episode won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special in 2013. It was also nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie.
The episode introduces the season's main cast. It follows reporter Lana Winters' (Sarah Paulson) plight to expose Sister Jude's (Jessica Lange) sadistic insane asylum and Kit Walker's (Evan Peters) unjust commitment to the institution. Chloë Sevigny guest stars as Shelley, a patient at the asylum. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).