The endless mystery approach to American Horror Story Season 6 has proven … trying, to say the least, but however it pays off, future seasons won’t use the same approach. So says creator Ryan Murphy, who also claims the story connections will “explode” in Seasons 7 and 8.

Murphy spoke with The Hollywood Reporter on the current state off the franchise, which insists on leaving Season 6's theme and subtitle a mystery through the September 14 premiere. By Murphy’s account, the mystery idea was borne of an attempt to break the show’s usual pattern, but wouldn’t necessarily represent the new norm:

John Landgraf [of FX] and Dana Walden [of Fox TV Group] and I were talking, and the show is in its sixth season, and we’ve always done everything by the book. Come January or February I announce what the theme is, and then we announce the cast. We wanted to [create a] different experience for the fans this year. But that doesn’t mean we’ll do that for season seven or even season eight.

Season 7 and 8, you say? FX has issued no such order (Murphy even stated as much), though given promises of those seasonal connections finally paying off, it may be a foregone conclusion:

You’ll see [seasons starting to come together] this season, and then you’ll really see it after this season. We lay a lot of pipe, and you’ll see it explode in seasons seven and eight. They haven’t officially been picked up yet by John Landgraf — he and I always talk at the end of the year and decide how many we want to do. But John has always said, and I have always agreed, that this is a show that could be like The Twilight Zone and run for multiple, multiple seasons and have its own inner mythology. So that’s how we’re approaching it. I’ll keep doing it for as long as we have the ideas and the momentum. I really love doing it.

In the meantime, American Horror Story Season 6 keeps on with its endless stream of teasers and posters, the vast majority of which will have nothing to do with anything. Enjoy!

Check Out 100 TV Facts You May Not Know!

More From ScreenCrush