Producers on the hit TV show American Horror Story have confirmed they are shelving fictional scripts in favour of unedited real-time footage.

“The spirit of the show leaves no alternative,” said showrunner Fiorentina Oedy. “Sordid, grotesque, downright sickening tales of American life are our bread and butter and nothing our writers can think of tops this shitshow.”

The debut of the new season, which is subtitled Back to Normal, will reportedly jump back and forth between an adjourned senate, miles-long unemployment lines, and catastrophically overwhelmed intensive care wards across the country.

Rumours also abound of episodes focused on poisoned water supplies, stockholder meetings in Silicon Valley, school shootings, and an eight-parter special in which fathers and sons bond through a shared love of lynching.

Network executives denied all accusations that the change in direction is a cost saving measure cynically dressed up as some kind of commentary on the state of the nation.