Neil Patrick Harris Is Officially Coming To 'American Horror Story'

How I Met Your Mother alumnus Neil Patrick Harris is ready to return to TV, this time in a thriller. The 41-year-old actor will be joining the cast of American Horror Story: Freak Show as a guest star this season, but he isn't coming alone.

Neil's husband David Burtka is also going to guest star on the hit FX show, TV Line exclusively confirmed. "Harris will appear in Freak Show's final two episodes as a chameleon salesman, while Burtka will turn up in the season finale in what I'm told is a sexy storyline with Jessica Lange's batty chanteuse."

Earlier this summer, the A Million Ways to Die in the West star told Entertainment Weekly Radio that he wrote a letter to AHS creator Ryan Murphy asking to be on the show.

"I wrote a letter to Ryan asking if I can be in it, even though I wasn't even available to be in it ... I just love those series and Coven was fantastic ... to do one that involves any kind of freak, circus nonsense is going to be so unsettling to watch. Can't wait!" he said.

His letter wasn't answered at first, but on July 18 Ryan tweeted at the star saying, "@ActuallyNPH of course you can be on Freak Show! I have a role I think you'd love."

Ryan expanded on his ideas for Neil's possible role on the show by telling TV Line in early October. "[Neil] had very specific ideas for what he wanted to do, and I had very specific ideas, so we're working on melding those."

"He's awesome. He's obviously one of our great entertainers, and I'd love to see him and Jessica Lange go at it in a really cool, fun way. Neil seems to be intrigued by that notion," he added before the official news broke about NPH joining the cast.

This is the latest news for Neil, who also landed his own variety show for NBC this month. In addition to his one-hour variety show, the Doogie Howser, M.D. alumnus was announced as the next host of the Academy Awards. The 41-year-old star will follow Ellen DeGeneres and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the 2015 Oscars host.