Jessica Lange has been the centerpiece to FX's horror anthology, American Horror Story, for the last three seasons, but will depart the show after season four.  She's played an over-protective mother, a lounge singer-turned-Catholic nun on the path to redemption, and is currently the resident Supreme of her coven.  While Lange will return to the show in season four, co-creator Ryan Murphy said she won't be the lead but "she’ll have this great juicy part."  For more on Lange's decision to leave the show, and for more on season four of American Horror Story, hit the jump.

EW reports that

Lange will, in fact, be leaving American Horror Story after its next as-of-yet untitled season.  Here's what Lange has to say:

“It ends up being a lot of time during the year being committed to something. I haven’t done that for a long time. It’s like doing a stage play between the rehearsal and the run. This is a 6-month commitment every year. That will be four years in a row. I want to have more time to myself I guess. Once it’s over and I have a full year ahead of me with nothing to do, who knows? It might not have been the best decision. But I think four years doing something is a sufficient amount of time.”

While Lange may not be the lead next season, Murphy is already hard at work on sending her off with a bang.  He also told EW that the next season won't take place in contemporary times.  It's possible they'll remain in New Orleans to shoot the next installment, or they could move the show to Santa Fe.  There's certainly lots more to explore in New Orleans - and we'll get the chance to do so with the remainder of American Horror Story: Coven - but having the horror anthology take place in a Southwestern landscape could also be interesting.

Be sure to let us know how you feel about Lange departing the show, and what story you think they'll tackle in either New Orleans or Santa Fe.