It's been a while since I've felt this overjoyed in mid-August about an upcoming season of American Horror Story, but lucky #13 is keeping my interests and excitement buoyant and soaring, given all the returning actors and familiar characters who'll be teaming up to face off against the ultimate evil villain. (I have my own horned theories about who that Big Bad is.) Most of those beloved returnees were front and center for Season 13's first promo teaser, which also added some previously unconfirmed names to the lineup. Two of those newly unveiled additions were particularly shocking to see, as I wasn't predicting either of them (despite being hopeful for one). And no, I'm not talking about Frances Conroy, though I'm equally jubilant about seeing the Myrtle Snow actress return as well. I'd just already assumed Conroy's return was a glorious inevitability. Now let's dive into the surprises coming to the 2026 TV schedule.(Image credit: FX)Jamie Brewer Is Back As Nan (And Maybe More?)For whatever reason, when Jamie Brewer's name wasn't part of the initial wave of AHS casting announcments, I disappointedly assumed that meant she'd be one of the relatively few Coven cast members sitting out the star-studded season. Thankfully, that assumption was magicked out of existence when Brewer popped up in the 13 preview between shots of Jessica Lange's Constance Langdon holding cookies and Gabourey Sidibe's Queenie appearing beneath a picture of a scorpion.I'm presuming that Brewer will be reprising the role of Coven's Nan, in part because of the below entry, and in part because Murder House's Addie Langdon would require a flashback or medium. Though the snooping clairvoyant Nan was murdered during the season, she later became a rabble-rouser in Hell, and dug the gig so much that she wasn't much interested in following along with Apocalypse retconning certain events from past seasons. Nan is just a li'l demon, ain't she?In the promo, Brewer is holding a Coven-esque baby doll mask up over her face, which perhaps indicates one of two scenarios. One, the two faces means the actress will be playing two characters. Or two, the two faces means Nan will double-cross someone two trusts her. There are obviously more possible outcomes than just the two, but those are my guesses. (And here's hoping she mirrors her Apocalypse return by bringing Lily Rabe's Misty Day back as well.)(Image credit: ABC, FX)Orlando Jones, Possibly As Papa LegbaConceptually, Papa Legba is probably my third favorite AHS villain after Twisty and the Infantata, but the late Lance Reddick absolutely gets the top spot as favorite villainous performance. His Voodoo Spirit World soul-snatcher is an intimidating and menacing delight, with a costume that cannot be beat. Given Reddick's untimely death in 2023, I certainly didn't expect to see Papa Legba making a return for Season 13, but is that who the newly revealed Orlando Jones will be playing?A veteran of Mad TV, American Gods, Office Space and more, Orlando Jones is a chameleon of an actor, so it's technically possible that he does appear someone in the promo before his name is shown in the final rundown, but unless he's being pushed around by Evan Peters' Kai, I don't see him. Which possibly means his character has a distinct look that fans would recognize, since they'd likely just show him if his character was more generic-looking. Also, Jones is one of four new cast members noted in that 16-name list, which doesn't note fellow returnee Mat Fraser or other newcomers like Tig Notaro, Madelaine Petsch, Avantika or Elle Chapman. That also implies he's playing somebody who's vital to the story. By all means, he may be portraying a totally original and important character who has nothing to do with Haitian Voodoo. (Not trying to do any American Horror Stereotyping here.) But speaking to an earlier point, Nan's return for 13 would easily justify and possibly require an appearance from Papa Legba. Surely, it could have been written a different way, but I love both the character and Orlando Jones' work enough that I'm really excited to see if this is what pans out. I can't imagine he'd take that on if it wasn't meant to be respectful to Reddick's work. Check out the star-filled teaser below!American Horror Story 13 will kick off its six-week run with the first three episodes on FX, FXX and Hulu on Thursday, September 24, at 9:00 p.m. ET.