At a TV event in Hollywood this week, American Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy excited fans of the FX psychological thriller by revealing some important facts about what they can expect when season 2 rolls around this October. As we already know, Golden Globe winner Jessica Lange is back but not as Constance Langdon; she’ll be playing an entirely new character as will be the other returning cast members from AHS season one (namely Zachary Quinto, Lily Rabe, Sarah Paulson, and Evan Peters). Murphy also previously let slip that the next season will take place at an “horror institution” on the East Coast. But now we know more.

“[Season 2] is set on the East Coast at an institution for the criminally insane that is run by Jessica [Lange’s new character],” Murphy said this week. And what was the clue pointing to this that was planted in the first season’s “Birth” episode Murphy once alluded to? It was “something that Sarah Paulson’s character, Billie Dean, says to Jessica and Taissa [Farmiga] as she’s sage-ing the house and talking about places where evil collects: We talk about institutions and prisons and things like that. That was the clue.” Mystery solved.

Also new: “[Season 2] is a completely different world and has nothing to do with Season 1; there’s not a mention of Season 1,” Murphy added. “The second season is set in a completely different time period.” Farewell, little demon child? Chew on that.

Murphy made sure to reiterate that other actors from season 1 (i.e. Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Taissa Farmiga, Frances Conroy, Alexandra Breckenridge, Denis O’Hare) might show up in the new season. “The idea is to work with actors that you love and are excited by,” he said. “The second season, everybody who was announced, there will be other people up on this stage who are not announced who will also be in it but are playing the polar opposite of what they were in the first season in every way.”

In addition to all this, also announced was a new character that will be played by Maroon 5 frontman and a judge from The Voice Adam Levine. Said Murphy: “He’s a sexy guy, so he needs to play a sexy guy — but the guy that is different than who you think he would play. I pitched him the part and he listened, slack-jawed, and simply said, ‘I’m in.’ The second season is fun, sexy and baroque. It has a lot of meat to it; it’s a really gritty part. He’s with a girl, and they play characters called The Lovers.”

And just like that AHS season 2 is starting to come more into focus.

[Via THR]