Will FX's American Horror Story: Hotel have the biggest premiere in the horror anthology's history?

The fifth season of American Horror Story is about to debut with new star Lady Gaga joining the cavalcade of stars. Gaga's presence has dominated the marketing of Hotel as the series moves forward without Jessica Lange, who elected to leave the series after Freak Show.

Many stars of previous seasons are back for Hotel as new characters, including Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, Finn Wittrock and Denis O'Hare. Previous guest stars returning in new role include Matt Bomer, Wes Bentley, Chloë Sevigny and Mare Winningham. In addition to Gaga, Cheyenne Jackson is the only other actor in the main credits who has never had a role in the show before this season.

Critical buzz for Coven and Freak Show was arguably more mixed compared to Murder House and Asylum, but will fans tune into Hotel anyway? The lack of Lange may be a big factor to some, but Gaga is bound to bring in a whole new batch of fans who have never seen the show before.

The Freak Show premiere had the highest viewership total in AHS history with over six million viewers. With premiere viewership growing every year, will Hotel actually outdo Freak Show's total. Only time will tell, but the marketing blitz for Hotel has been big and may result in a big premiere total.

American Horror Story: Hotel premieres Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX.

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American Horror Story, Television, Fx