Photos: AMERICAN HORROR STORY: 13 Photos Available From PaleyFest NY

The Paley Center for Media kicked off its annual fall festival PaleyFest NY on Thursday evening with a celebration of the thirteenth installment of FX's hit anthology American Horror Story. This year's festival also marked the inaugural PaleyFest Award, celebrating excellence in media, television, and entertainment, which is being presented to all participating shows.

The program featured a red carpet event, an exclusive early screening of episode seven, and a conversation with members of the cast and creative team. The red carpet was attended by Jessica Lange ('Constance Langdon,' 'Sister Jude,' 'Fiona Goode,' 'Elsa Mars'), Sarah Paulson ('Cordelia Goode,' 'Hypodermic Sally,' 'Ms. Wilhemina Venable,' 'Mamie Eisenhower,' 'TB Karen'), Billie Lourd ('Winter Anderson,' 'Mallory'), Gabourey Sidibe ('Queenie'), LESLIE GROSSMAN ('Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt'), Lou Eyrich (Co-Executive Producer) and Jackie Strause (Managing Editor, East Coast, The Hollywood Reporter) who moderated the post-screening conversation.

An excited audience gathered at the sold-out Bennack Theater for an unforgettable evening made possible by Citi. The assembled cast participated in an informative and hilarious discussion covering stories from past seasons, the creation of their multiple characters, and teases for what's to come in the new season, all while showcasing their camaraderie.

During the post-screening conversation, the Coven anthologies of the series were top of mind, with Paulson revealing that after a conversation with co-creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy about coming back after taking a break from the show for three seasons, 'I knew that if [Lange] was coming back, it was probably going to be a Coven thing, so everyone was going to come back and we were going to come together again.' Lange shared that, 'it was great fun to come back and do these four characters and be with this ensemble of characters again.' Lourd had a similar feeling, saying that 'it was so much fun,' since she's 'never gotten to play two characters.' 'What's great is they let us play,' Sidibe added while excitedly proclaiming her enjoyment of the high camp nature of the show.

In reflecting on American Horror Story's long history, the cast shared memories across their many appearances and experiences. Eyrich revealed she's kept all costumes from throughout the show, with Freak Show and Asylum being her two favorite costume seasons. Lange and Paulson reflected fondly on their seasons filming in New Orleans and shared that their favorite season to watch was Freak Show.

'When we did season one we didn't know it was going to take off, we didn't know we were going to do more,' Eyrich shared. But, thirteen seasons later, the cast reflected on all the personal changes they'd been through, with Sidibe revealing that 'these women have really grown me up as a woman,' praising the work she's admired from the cast. Grossman raved that, 'to work with Gabby is an absolute joy.' She also shared praise for Eyrich and Murphy, proclaiming that 'Lou is the heart and blood of the show,' and reflecting on the fact that American Horror Story is 'a tour through Ryan's brain…he gives everyone the opportunity to really do stuff they haven't had the chance before.'

Strause asked the panelists if they thought there was more story to tell with Coven. Lourd definitively said that 'it doesn't feel done to me.' Eyrich agreed, adding that 'I don't say that with authority, I just feel that.'

Photo Credit: The Paley Museum