"Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" has just dropped on Netflix, and even though the show's generating a fair bit of backlash for one of the best streaming services... viewers don't seem to be able to switch it off.
If you look at the Netflix top 10 shows list, you'll see that the second chapter of Ryan Murphy's true crime anthology — the first part was the Emmy-winning drama "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'" — has rocketed straight to the No. 1 spot. This ascension to the top comes after it debuted on the platform late last week, and it's never slipped from that spot in the days since.
The first season generated a lot of backlash for revisiting such a harrowing chapter of history, with critics claiming that the series romanticized the actions of the titular serial killer (who was played by Evan Peters).
Even though parts of the new series have garnered serious praise (the format-breaking fifth episode, "The Hurt Man" has been singled out in particular), Murphy's latest effort is also drawing a lot of controversy, too.
Below, you can learn what the series is about and why it's generating some backlash from some viewers; the controversy has grown to the point that Ryan Murphy has now given his take on the whole situation in a recent interview.
What is 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' about?
"Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" is the second season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's true-crime anthology series. This installment centers on the Menendez brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the killing of their parents, José and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menendez.
Prosecutors argued that the brothers had killed their parents to inherit their wealth. However, Erik and Lyle — who are both serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders — maintain that they carried out the crime in self-defense, after having endured (per the official Netflix series synopsis), a "lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents".
'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' controversy — why is the Netflix show so controversial?
The concern some viewers and critics have with "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" is that there are scenes in the show that imply that the two brothers shared an incestuous relationship, including scenes that show actors Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch kissing.
One post on X criticizing the series for depicting the brothers' relationship as an 'incestuous fantasy' has received over 180,000 likes, at the time of writing.
Late in the series, Vanity Fair reporter Dominick Dunne (played by Nathan Lane) posits that the brothers were hiding a 'darker secret' (i.e. their relationship), a theory he allegedly references through his 1994 coverage of the brothers' trial. However, Today.com states the real-life reporter never expressed this specific theory in his work.
The series has even prompted a reaction from the real Erik Menendez himself. In a statement released by his wife, Tammi, Erik Menendez called the series a 'dishonest portrayal' of their own story 'rooted in horrible and blatant lies' (h/t Forbes).
Days after the series aired, Netflix released a trailer for "The Menendez Brothers", a new documentary about the real murders which will reexamine the crime and the media circus around the brothers in the wake of the murders 30 years on.
"The Menendez Brothers" was directed by Alejandro Hartmann, and includes all-new audio interviews conducted with both brothers along with new interviews with their cousin, Diane Vander Molen, and prosecutor Pamela Bozanich. "The Menendez Brothers" doc arrives on Netflix on October 7, 2024.
UPDATE: Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Ryan Murphy has now responded to the "Monsters" backlash. "I think it's interesting that he's [Erik] issued a statement without having seen the show", he said.
"The thing that I find interesting that he doesn’t mention in his quote is if you watch the show, I would say 60 to 65% of our show in the scripts center around the abuse and what they claim happened to them. And we do it very carefully and we give them their day in court and they talk openly about it."
Murphy goes on to acknowledge that addressing topics like abuse and ensuring you cover 'all points of view' can be controversial and that he felt they had an obligation to also put in other perspectives like that of the brothers' murdered parents.
When questioned about the incestuous relationship dynamic portrayed in the Netflix show, Murphy replied: "If you watch the show, what the show is doing is presenting the points of view and theories from so many people who were involved in the case.
"Dominick Dunne wrote several articles talking about that theory. We are presenting his point of view, just as we present Leslie Abramson's point of view. And we had an obligation to show all of that and we did."
Should you watch 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' on Netflix?
Honestly, I wouldn't blame you whatsoever if all the controversy surrounding the series put you off streaming "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story".
Even if it doesn't, you might want to know that, despite becoming the new Netflix No. 1 show, "Monsters" hasn't exactly been received all too well, either. At the time of writing, the series has a 47% critics and 48% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, scores which aren't exactly emblematic of quality.
Variety critic Aramide Tinubu highlighted some of the cast's 'outstanding performances' in the series, but also called it "overlong and exhausting' and labeled the overall narrative "futile and bizarre."
The Independent's Katie Rosseinsky offered a somewhat more positive take. She rated the show 3/5, calling it "a muddled mix of the best and worst of Murphy's oeuvre."
Want to know how fellow viewers felt about it? Well, if you look through the audience reactions on Rotten Tomatoes, you'll see some positive takes, but you'll also see plenty of users blasting "Monsters" as 'disrespectful', 'exploitative', and 'disgusting', among other things.
If you're a Ryan Murphy fan, or you love true crime, then maybe the series is worth adding to your Netflix watchlist. Otherwise, you're probably better off looking through the list of everything new on Netflix in September or our list of the best Netflix shows to find something else to stream.
