The victim: Screenwriter Douglas Petrie, who wrote two of my favorite episodes of American Horror Story: Coven, “The Axeman Cometh” and “The Seven Wonders”, and is in the writers’ room for the next chapter of AHS. He also wrote for another of my favorite shows, Pushing Daisies, and for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The venue: A Nerdist Writers Panel podcast, recorded last month and just now posted.
The perps: Host Ben Blacker, along with writer Moira Kirland (Arrow; Castle ). Also present, writers Terry Matalas & Travis Fickett (Syfy’s upcoming 12 Monkeys; Nikita; Terra Nova).
The setup: Okay, maybe it wasn’t a setup. But poor Douglas Petrie. He was talking about working on American Horror Story: Coven, and said that they had just started working on Season 4.
Ben Blacker: What is it for (season) 4? I know it’s been announced, I can’t remember what it is. Because he came to this recording unprepared, really? By the way, NO, IT HASN’T.
Douglas Petrie: I can say nothing about it.
Ben Blacker: (More forcefully) It’s been announced. Again, no, it hasn’t.
Moira Kirland: No, it has. Well, I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard ‘carnival’.
Douglas Petrie: (after a pause) Yes. It does not have a title, but..
Ben Blacker: That’s the setting.
Douglas Petrie: That’s the idea, very roughly that’s the idea.
Sure, it’s possible that Blacker and Kirland thought it had been announced, but of course it hasn’t been announced yet, and certainly hadn’t been announced last month. Yes, rumors have been swirling and obviously one of them was right, but still. The fact that all we media outlets are reporting on it now is likely causing him some amount of concern.
Fortunately, the American Horror Story panel at PaleyFest 2014 takes place on Friday, March 28, and although Ryan Murphy isn’t currently on the list of panelists, the prevailing thought is that he’ll be there and will announce at least a few tasty tidbits about what’s in store for us next October. Click on our PaleyFest post to get the link to watch the live stream of the event and to see the calendar of other panels.
Do listen to the Nerdist Writers Panel podcast when you have some time; you’ll hear some really interesting insights into the process of writing for network TV, as well as some great nuggets about Buffy, Terra Nova, Pushing Daisies, and much more.
