| Monster | |
|---|---|
_logo.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Also known as | |
| Genre | |
| Created by |
|
| Showrunners |
|
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Music by |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English[a] |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 27 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Production locations |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 36–65 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) – present |
Monster[b] is an Americanbiographicalcrime dramaanthology television series created byRyan Murphy andIan Brennan forNetflix. Murphy and Brennan both serve asshowrunners. The series follows the lives of "monstrous figures", with each season following a different killer or killers.
The first season,The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, focuses on serial killerJeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters) and was released on Netflix on September 21, 2022. Initially conceived as alimited series, it was renewed for second and third seasons in November 2022. The second season,Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, centers on the murder case of theMenendez brothers (Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menendez andCooper Koch as Erik Menendez) and was released on September 19, 2024. The third season,Monster: The Ed Gein Story, focuses on murdererEd Gein (Charlie Hunnam) and was released on October 3, 2025. A fourth season, starringElla Beatty as murder suspectLizzie Borden, is currently in production.
The first two seasons received mixed critical reception, while the third season garnered predominantly negative reviews. The anthology series has sparked significant controversy due to its use ofcreative liberties, sexualized portrayals of its subjects, and backlash from victims' families, but it ultimately achieved commercial success, with all three seasons reaching number one on Netflix's global weekly chart.The Jeffrey Dahmer Story became Netflix's second most-watched English-language series of all time within 28 days, and the third Netflix series to pass 1 billion hours viewed in 60 days. It received four nominations at the80th Golden Globe Awards, and 12 nominations at the75th Primetime Emmy Awards. Peters won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, whileNiecy Nash won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story was the third most-watched Netflix series in the second half of 2024 and received 11 nominations at the77th Primetime Emmy Awards, includingOutstanding Limited or Anthology Series andOutstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie forCooper Koch, and won forOutstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. It also earned three nominations at the82nd Golden Globe Awards, includingBest Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film.
| Season | Title | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | 10 | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) | ||
| 2 | The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | 9 | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) | ||
| 3 | The Ed Gein Story | 8 | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) | ||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Bad Meat" | Carl Franklin | Ryan Murphy &Ian Brennan | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 2 | 2 | "Please Don't Go" | Clement Virgo | Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 3 | 3 | "Doin' A Dahmer" | Clement Virgo | Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 4 | 4 | "The Good Boy Box" | Jennifer Lynch | Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 5 | 5 | "Blood On Their Hands" | Jennifer Lynch | Ian Brennan | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 6 | 6 | "Silenced" | Paris Barclay | David McMillan &Janet Mock | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 7 | 7 | "Cassandra" | Jennifer Lynch | Ian Brennan & Janet Mock & David McMillan | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 8 | 8 | "Lionel" | Gregg Araki | Ian Brennan & David McMillan | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 9 | 9 | "The Bogeyman" | Jennifer Lynch | Ian Brennan & David McMillan & Reilly Smith | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| 10 | 10 | "God of Forgiveness, God of Vengeance" | Paris Barclay | Ian Brennan & David McMillan & Reilly Smith & Todd Kubrak | September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Blame It on the Rain" | Carl Franklin | Ryan Murphy &Ian Brennan | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| 12 | 2 | "Spree" | Carl Franklin | Ian Brennan & David McMillan | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| 13 | 3 | "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" | Paris Barclay | Ian Brennan & David McMillan | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| 14 | 4 | "Kill or Be Killed" | Paris Barclay | Ian Brennan & David McMillan | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| 15 | 5 | "The Hurt Man" | Michael Uppendahl | Ian Brennan | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| 16 | 6 | "Don't Dream It's Over" | Max Winkler | Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| 17 | 7 | "Showtime" | Michael Uppendahl | David McMillan & Reilly Smith & Todd Kubrak | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| 18 | 8 | "Seismic Shifts" | Ian Brennan | Ian Brennan | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| 19 | 9 | "Hang Men" | Michael Uppendahl | David McMillan & Reilly Smith & Todd Kubrak & Ian Brennan | September 19, 2024 (2024-09-19) |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [11] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1 | "Mother!" | Max Winkler | Ian Brennan | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) |
| 21 | 2 | "Sick as Your Secrets" | Max Winkler | Ian Brennan | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) |
| 22 | 3 | "The Babysitter" | Max Winkler | Ian Brennan | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) |
| 23 | 4 | "Green" | Ian Brennan | Ian Brennan | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) |
| 24 | 5 | "Ice" | Ian Brennan | Ian Brennan | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) |
| 25 | 6 | "Buxom Bird" | Max Winkler | Ian Brennan | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) |
| 26 | 7 | "Ham Radio" | Max Winkler | Ian Brennan | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) |
| 27 | 8 | "The Godfather" | Max Winkler | Ian Brennan | October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03) |
In 2018, co-creator and co-showrunnerRyan Murphy signed a deal withNetflix for $300 million to create original television shows.[12][13] On October 2, 2020, alimited series focusing on the life of serial killerJeffrey Dahmer was announced to have been greenlit from Murphy and co-creatorIan Brennan, titledMonster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.[14] To prepare for the role, Dahmer actorEvan Peters reportedly "stayed in ... character ... for months."[15]
On November 7, 2022, Netflix announced that the series had been renewed as an anthology series based on famous convicted killers who are "monstrous figures".[14][16] The series had a two-season order, and was renamed simply toMonster.[17] On May 1, 2023, Netflix announced that the second season would center on the murder case of theMenendez brothers, and be titledMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.[18]
On September 16, 2024, it was announced that thethird season ofMonster will focus on convicted murderer and suspected serial killerEd Gein. On October 4, it was confirmed that the season would be titledThe Original Monster, exploring Ed Gein's life as the first "celebrity serial killer" and examining howtrue crime evolved into a pop culture phenomenon.[19] Principal photography reportedly began the next month.[20] The season was announced to be retitled toMonster:The Ed Gein Story in August 2025.[21]
On July 28, 2025, it was announced that the fourth season ofMonster will focus on murder suspectLizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother.[8]
On October 2, 2020,Richard Jenkins was announced to be starring in the first season asLionel Dahmer.[14] On March 31, 2021,Michael Learned, Peters,Penelope Ann Miller andNiecy Nash were all announced to be joining the series as Catherine Dahmer, Jeffrey Dahmer, Joyce Dahmer and Glenda Cleveland, respectively.Shaun J. Brown andColin Ford were announced to have been cast in undisclosed roles.[22]
On June 29, 2023,Deadline reported thatCooper Koch andNicholas Alexander Chavez were cast as Erik and Lyle Menendez, respectively, for the second season.[23] On January 15, 2024, it was announced thatJavier Bardem andChloë Sevigny had joined the cast as José and Kitty, respectively.[24] That same day,Nathan Lane was cast asDominick Dunne.[25] On February 1, 2024,Ari Graynor joined asLeslie Abramson.[26]Leslie Grossman was added that same month as Judalon Smyth.[27]
On September 16, 2024, it was announced thatCharlie Hunnam had been cast as Gein for the third season. Gein had previously been portrayed by Shane Kerwin in the first season.[5][28] On October 15, it was announced thatLaurie Metcalf,Tom Hollander andOlivia Williams had joined the cast, as Augusta Gein,Alfred Hitchcock andAlma Reville respectively.[7] On February 18, 2025, it was announced thatSuzanna Son had joined the cast as Adeline Watkins.[29] On July 8,Addison Rae was reported to have featured asEvelyn Hartley.[30]
On July 28, 2025, it was announced thatElla Beatty had been cast as Borden for the fourth season.Rebecca Hall andVicky Krieps were also cast as Borden's stepmother Abby Borden and maid Bridget Sullivan, respectively.[8][9] On September 14, Hunnam confirmed that he is currently in negotiations to star as Lizzie's father Andrew Borden in the season.[31] On September 17, it was announced thatBillie Lourd andJessica Barden joined the series as Lizzie's older sister Emma Borden andNance O'Neil, respectiveliy.[9]
Principal photography for the first season took place inLos Angeles,California, as well as inSan Pedro andAltadena.[32][33]
Production for the second season was initially set for September 2023, but was postponed due to theSAG-AFTRA andWAG strikes.[34] Principal photography commenced in January 2024 and wrapped in July 2024, also in Los Angeles.[35]
On October 5, 2024, it was reported that principal photography for the third season was scheduled to begin on October 31.[36] On November 23, it was reported that filming had begun earlier that month.[37]
On October 9, 2025, principal photography for the fourth season began in Los Angeles, California.[38]
The soundtrack for the first season was composed and performed byNick Cave andWarren Ellis. The soundtrack album was released the same day as the series.[39] Julia andThomas Newman composed the soundtrack for the second season.[40] The official soundtrack album was released on various streaming platforms on September 13, 2024, prior to the release of the season.[41]
The first season,Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, was released on September 21, 2022. The second season,Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, was released on September 19, 2024.[42] The third season,The Ed Gein Story, was released on October 3, 2025.[21]
The series rose to the number one spot on Netflix in the first week of its release for the first season.[43] In the second week of its release, Netflix announced thatDahmer was its ninth most popular English-language TV show of all time, with 56 million households having viewed all 10 episodes.[44][45][28] The season remained number-one for weeks and became Netflix's second most-viewed English Netflix series of all time, and the fourth highest across any language with 701.37 million hours viewed in 21 days.[46] In 60 days it became the third Netflix series to pass 1 billion views.[47]Dahmer debuted at number-one on theNielsen Top 10 streaming chart by garnering more than 3.6 billion minutes of viewing for the week of September 19–25, placing it 10th on the all-time list for single-week viewership.[48] The following week, it jumped to No. 7 on the all-time list with 4.4 billion minutes viewed. The season topped Nielsen's streaming chart for the third consecutive week with 2.3 billion viewing minutes.[49]
Under Netflix's new streaming metrics, the second season debuted at the number-one spot on the platform globally, garnering 12.3 million views (or 97.5 million hours viewed) within just four days of its release.[50] On its second week, it remained the most-watched series on Netflix after earning 19.5 million views (or 153.8 million hours viewed).[51] It received 13.1 million views (or 103.6 million hours viewed) on its third week and 8.7 million views (or 68.6 million hours viewed) on its fourth week.[52][53] On theNielsen Streaming Chart, it debuted as the top one streaming content (both for films and television series) with 1.72 billion minutes watched, and had a 40% rise on its second week with 2.4 billion minutes watched, the highest sinceBridgerton in June 2024.[54]
The third season debuted at number two on Netflix's global weekly chart, garnering 12.2 million views (or 90.6 million hours viewed) within three days of its release.[55] It gained 20.7 million views (or 154.2 million hours viewed) on its second week, and 9.5 million views (or 70.5 million hours viewed) on its third week.[56]
Thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reported a 57% approval rating for the first season, with an average rating of 6.3/10, based on 30 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus says: "WhileMonster is seemingly self-aware of the peril in glorifying Jeffrey Dahmer, creatorRyan Murphy's salacious style nevertheless tilts this horror story into the realm of queasy exploitation."[57]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 46 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[58]
For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 45% approval rating, with an average rating of 5.0/10, based on 31 critic reviews.[59] The website's consensus says: "Well-acted but off-puttingly sordid,Monsters leaves viewers feeling guilty without enough pleasure to compensate." Metacritic assigned a score of 47 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[60] Critics praised the performances (particularly those ofCooper Koch andJavier Bardem) and theone-shot episode "The Hurt Man", but criticized its inconsistent tone, runtime, and excessive sexual content, including homoerotic themes and the portrayal of an incestuous relationship between the brothers.[61][62]
The third season holds a 17% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 critic reviews.[63] Metacritic assigned a score of 28 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[64] The season was criticized for its subplots, runtime, graphic violence, and factual inaccuracies, as well as itsmeta commentary on the cultural obsession withtrue crime, which critics deemed to be "hypocritical".[65]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 16, 2022 | Best Music Supervision – Television | Amanda Krieg Thomas | Nominated | [66] |
| People's Choice Awards | December 6, 2022 | The Bingeworthy Show of 2022 | Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | Won | [67] |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 10, 2023 | Best Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated | [68] | |
| Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Evan Peters | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Niecy Nash | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Richard Jenkins | Nominated | |||
| January 6, 2025 | Best Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Nominated | [69] | |
| Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Cooper Koch | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Javier Bardem | Nominated | |||
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | January 15, 2023 | Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television | Niecy Nash | Won | [70] |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | February 25, 2023 | Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television | Ryan Murphy,Ian Brennan,Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Evan Peters,Janet Mock, Scott Robertson, Sara Stelwagen, Tanase Popa, David McMillan, Todd Nenninger,Lou Eyrich, Todd Kubrak, Reilly Smith, Regis Kimble, Richard Jenkins, and Mathew Hart | Nominated | [71] |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 25, 2023 | Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Niecy Nash | Won | [72] |
| February 22, 2025 | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Carl Franklin | Nominated | [73] | |
| Paris Barclay | Nominated | ||||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | February 26, 2023 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Evan Peters | Nominated | [74] |
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Niecy Nash | Nominated | |||
| February 23, 2025 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Javier Bardem | Nominated | [75] | |
| Satellite Awards | March 3, 2023 | Best Miniseries or Limited Series | Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | Nominated | [76][77] |
| Best Actor in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television | Evan Peters | Won | |||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television | Richard Jenkins | Nominated | |||
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | March 4, 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movie or Limited Series | Amanda Beggs, Laura Wiest, Joe Barnett, Jamie Hardt, Judah Getz and Jacob McNaughton(for episode "Lionel") | Nominated | [78] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | March 16, 2023 | Best Horror Series | Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | Nominated | [79][80] |
| Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie | Evan Peters | Won | |||
| Best Actress in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie | Niecy Nash | Nominated | |||
| British Academy Television Awards | May 14, 2023 | Best International Programme | Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, David McMillan, Reilly Smith,Carl Franklin | Won | [81] |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | January 6–7, 2024 | Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Robert J. Ulrich, Eric Dawson, Carol Kritzer | Nominated | [82] |
| Outstanding Period and/or Character Hairstyling | Shay Sanford-Fong, Maggie Hayes Jackson, Michael S. Ward, Havanna Pratt(for "Lionel") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Period and/or Character Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) | Gigi Williams, Michelle Audrina Kim(for "Bad Meat") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Period Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Rudy Mance, Monica Chamberlain, Desmond Smith, Suzy Freeman(for "Please Don't Go") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Stephanie Filo(for "The Good Boy Box") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special | Gary Megregian, Borja Sau, Bruce Tanis, David Klotz, Sam Munoz, Noel Vought(for "God Of Forgiveness, God Of Vengeance") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Laura Wiest, Jamie Hardt, Joe Barnett, Amanda Beggs(for "Lionel") | Nominated | |||
| September 6–7, 2025 | Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Tiffany Little Canfield, John Eihnson,Bernard Telsey | Nominated | [83] | |
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Thomas Newman, Julia Newman (for "Spree") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Period Costumes | Stephanie Bradley, Michelle Sandvig, Shannon Campbell (for "Blame It on The Rain") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling | Karen Bartek, Brittany Madrigal, Elissa Ruminer, Analyn Cruz, Kaity Licina (for "Hang Men") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) | Miho Suzuki, Sabrina Wilson, Michael Anthony Ornelaz, Ana Lozano (for "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?") | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Peggy Tachdjian (for Blame It on The Rain") | Won | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Jamie Hardt, Laura West, John Bauman, Mehrnaz Mohabati (for Blame It on The Rain") | Nominated | |||
| Astra TV Awards | January 8, 2024 | Best Streaming Limited or Anthology Series | Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | Nominated | [84][85] |
| Best Actor in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Evan Peters | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Kieran Tamondong | Nominated | |||
| Richard Jenkins | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Niecy Nash | Won | |||
| Best Directing in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Paris Barclay(for "God of Forgiveness, God of Vengeance") | Nominated | |||
| Astra Creative Arts TV Awards | January 8, 2024 | Best Casting in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | Nominated | [86] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | January 15, 2024 | Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Evan Peters, Janet Mock, Scott Robertson, Sara Stelwagen, Tanase Popa, David McMillan, Todd Nenninger, Lou Eyrich, Todd Kubrak, Reilly Smith, Regis Kimble, Richard Jenkins, and Mathew Hart | Nominated | [82] |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Evan Peters | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Richard Jenkins | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Niecy Nash | Won | |||
| Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Carl Franklin(for "Bad Meat") | Nominated | |||
| Paris Barclay(for "Silenced") | Nominated | ||||
| September 14, 2025 | Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Nominated | [87] | |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Cooper Koch | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Chloë Sevigny | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Javier Bardem | Nominated | |||
| GQ Men of the Year Awards | December 4, 2024 | International Actor of the Year | Cooper Koch | Won | [88] |
| Actors and Actresses Union Awards | March 10, 2025 | Best Actor in an International Production | Javier Bardem | Won | [89] |
| Queerty Awards | March 11, 2025 | Best TV Performance | Cooper Koch | Nominated | [90] |
| Dorian Awards | July 8, 2025 | Best TV Performance – Drama | Nominated | [91] |
On September 23, 2022, Netflix removed the first season's "LGBTQ" tag after backlash on social media.[92][93] The season also received backlash from the families of Dahmer's victims, accusing Netflix of profiting off their traumatic experiences and "retraumatizing [the families] all over again".[94][95] Production assistant Kim Alsup alleged racial mistreatment while on set.[94]
Initially, Erik Menendez issued a statement denouncing the second season, claiming, "I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show." Menendez called the portrayal of him and Lyle as "disheartening slander". He also called out the series' creator and co-writer Ryan Murphy, stating, "[he] cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent."[96][97] However, a few months later, the brothers expressed gratitude for how it brought attention to their case and the childhood trauma they endured. Lyle Menendez stated that the series "opened a lot of people's eyes", and both brothers acknowledged that it helped shift public understanding of their story. Lyle also definedCooper Koch's performance as "pretty extraordinary".[98]
The second season also received backlash for its incestuous depiction of the Menendez brothers.[99][100] Viewers have also accused it of sensationalizing the brothers' abuse and turning it into a "fictitious incestuous relationship."[101] Trial expert and journalist Robert Rand, author ofThe Menendez Murders, labeled the incest allegations as "fantasy" and pointed out that there was no credible evidence to support such claims.[102] He explained that while some rumors circulated during the trial, they were baseless, and the series distorted the brothers' relationship for dramatic effect.
On March 4, 2025, 15-year-old Reed R. Gelinskey was arrested and subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the death of his mother inCaledonia, Wisconsin.[103] Gelinskey stated that he developed the plan to kill his parents after watching the "shotgun scene"[c] from the second season.[104]
| Since 2016 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2018 | |||||||||||
| Since 2019 |
| ||||||||||
| Since 2020 |
| ||||||||||
| Since 2021 |
| ||||||||||
| Since 2022 |
| ||||||||||
| Since 2023 |
| ||||||||||
| Since 2024 |
| ||||||||||
| Since 2025 |
| ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
