Monster True Crime Series Gets New Season Arrives On Netflix
Two years ago, Ryan Murphy brought the world the captivating true crime series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. After massive viewership numbers, the anthology project was renewed for two more seasons, and now, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has set its release date on Netflix. The best news of all is that we’re just a few weeks out from the show’s arrival, as it will land on the streamer on September 19.
Like last season of Monster, Netflix and Murphy will again take a notorious true crime case and dramatize it into series form. As the title suggests, Season 2 will center around Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers who were convicted for the murders of their parents back in 1989. In what a jury concluded to be a premeditated slaying in order for the boys to take control of their parent’s finances, the siblings stormed the front of their Beverly Hills home one night with shotguns, killing their parents.
Like last season of Monster, Netflix and Murphy will again take a notorious true crime case and dramatize it into series form.
At first, neither brother was a suspect in the crimes as they both had the seemingly solid alibis of going to a movie. However, law enforcement would eventually catch on and pin the boys with the slayings. As audiences will see in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story when it arrives on Netflix, the pair’s defense team worked up a case that attempted to prove that Erik and Lyle were sexually assaulted by their father, José, for years, while their mother, Kitty, was fully aware and never intervened.
Over the years since the Menendez brothers have been behind bars, they’ve continued to stand by their innocence with the younger generation recently showing interest in their case. While there are ample true crime stories for Murphy to cover, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez story will likely be another hit for Netflix for these reasons.
Like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which starred Evan Peters and Niecy Nash-Betts, the second season of Netflix’s killer-centered anthology series will again feature performances from two of the industry’s biggest names.
You can see for yourself when Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story debuts on Netflix on September 19.
Stepping into the roles of José and Kitty Menendez will be Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and Chloë Sevigny (The Girl from Plainville), respectively, with newcomers Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle and Cooper Koch as Erik. Nathan Lane (The Birdcage), Ari Graynor (Bad Teacher), and Leslie Grossman (American Horror Story) fill out the main cast.
That’s not to say that Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story didn’t face its fair share of scrutiny as some audiences and family members of the victims had criticisms about how Murphy and Netflix handled their story.
Season 1 of Monster focused on the cannibalistic killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, and became a record-breaking production for Netflix, raking in 1 billion viewing hours in its first 60 days. The series would go on to win big during award season with Evan Peters nabbing a Golden Globe Award for his work and Niecy Nash-Betts doing the same at the Emmys. Both were also up for Screen Actors Guild Awards.
That’s not to say that Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story didn’t face its fair share of scrutiny as some audiences and family members of the victims had criticisms about how Murphy and Netflix handled their story. With its follow-up season, it will be interesting to see how the creative team and studio take this feedback and honor it with the next story.
You can see for yourself when Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story debuts on Netflix on September 19.
