‘The New Normal,’ ‘American Horror Story: Asylum’ join PaleyFest

From March 1-15, we are going to have an annual tradition in Los Angeles where various shows and showrunners get together and talk about anything and everything to the media. This is PaleyFest, and it serves as one of the primary venues for spoilers out of just about anywhere.

So what shows are we for sure going to see? We already knew that “Once Upon a Time,” “Revolution,” and “The Newsroom” were going to have panel discussions, and you can now add a pair of Ryan Murphy shows to the list in “American Horror Story: Asylum” and “The New Normal.” What was somewhat interesting about the latter joining the fray here is that this story of Briarcliff will be over by about the time the discussion is held, so really it will either be about reflection or about what could be coming up for a still-untitled season 3.

This is turning out to be an extra-special PaleyFest for Murphy, as he is receiving the first-ever Icon Award. In a statement, here is what the Paley Center for Media’s president and CEO Pat Mitchell had to say about bestowing this honor on the man also responsible for “Popular,” “Glee,” and “Nip/Tuck”:

“Ryan Murphy is a true innovator and one of the most original creators working in television today … Each of his series has been a game changer in the medium, and continues to inform the cultural conversation. We can’t imagine a more fitting PaleyFest Icon for the Festival’s 30th anniversary.”

“American Horror Story” continues to air on Wednesday nights, whereas “The New Normal” will return to TV with new episodes early next year. If you want to vote for the latter show to win Best New Show for our Best of 2012 series, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: NBC