The Best One Season Character From AHS According To Fans

"American Horror Story" operates season-to-season with a rotating ensemble of both new and recurring characters, which makes it easy to forget that some of the show's previous cast members have only appeared in just one season of the ongoing horror anthology. With that in mind, some "American Horror Story" fans are taking a moment to look back at some of the prominent actors whose appearances on the show have so far been disappointingly limited.

Nearly 600 fans on the show's subreddit recently participated in a poll created by u/shadowsofthelost that asked, "Which cast member that has only been featured in one season would you like to see return?" The actors featured in the poll were Kate Mara ("Murder House"), James Cromwell ("Asylum), Michael Chiklis ("Freak Show"), Cuba Gooding, Jr. ("Roanoke"), Alison Pill ("Cult"), and Zach Villa ("1984"). The poll didn't feature every actor who has appeared in just one "American Horror Story" season, but the OP noted that there were just "too many" to include all of them. With three characters receiving at least 100 of the 578 votes, the poll wasn't a total landslide either. However, there was a clear winner. 

So, which one-season star would "American Horror Story" fans like to see return?

With 205 of the poll's votes, Kate Mara was named by "American Horror Story" fans as the actor they'd most like to see return for another season of the anthology series. Mara previously appeared in the first season of "American Horror Story" as the emotionally unstable Hayden McClaine, a college student whose affair with Dr. Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott) prompts his family's move into the season's central "Murder House." Hayden quickly comes back into Ben's life early on in the season but ends up being murdered in the home and subsequently trapped there as a ghost.

While viewers didn't root for the cruel, short-tempered character, fans on the subreddit were quick to praise the actress. "Kate Mara got so much hate but her character is very well acted and believable, hopefully she's returning in American Horror Stories because I miss her so much!!" said u/yakaroni. Elsewhere, another user said she did a "fantastic job" with the character.

Much to these fans' disappointment, Mara's Hayden has yet to appear in "American Horror Stories," the franchise's new spin-off series, but there's always the chance that the actress could reprise her role as the scorned ex-lover at some point in the future. Alternatively, there's no reason to believe Mara couldn't appear as a new character in a future "American Horror Story" season. Either way, it's clear that her return is one thing these "American Horror Story" fans want to see.