Why Ryan Murphy's 'Monsters' Netflix Series—About Real-Life Lyle ...

3 hours ago

Forbes

Topline

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” a new Netflix series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan based on the 1989 killings of José and Kitty Menendez by their sons, is courting controversy among viewers and critics for scenes viewers say implies the brothers had an incestuous relationship.

Ryan Murphy and the cast of Netflix's "Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story." (Photo by Steve ... [+] Granitz/FilmMagic)

FilmMagic Key Facts

“Monsters,” Murphy’s follow-up to his Emmy-winning Jeffrey Dahmer series (also titled “Monster”), has garnered mixed reviews and critical reactions on social media after all nine episodes released Thursday.

Some social media users have criticized the series for scenes that imply that Lyle and Erik Menendez, who in real life are serving life sentences in prison for killing their parents, whom they allege sexually abused them, had an incestuous relationship, though there is little evidence this was true in real life.

In the series’ second episode, the brothers kiss on the lips in one scene in which they discuss their future plans, and later in that episode, the two dance closely while caressing each other’s faces at a party, receiving confused and disgusted looks from other partygoers.

Later in the series, journalist Dominick Dunne suggests the brothers killed their parents to hide that they were lovers, though the real Dunne reportedly never espoused this theory in his coverage of their trial.

One post on X, formerly known as Twitter, liked more than 100,000 times, slammed the series for portraying the brothers as an “incestuous fantasy,” while another liked more than 80,000 times said “creating incest fanfiction of real life brothers is INSANE.”

During a 1995 retrial, Lyle testified he had molested Erik while they were children—though in the series, their interactions are portrayed while they are adults and as apparently consensual acts.

Chief Critics

The series has received mixed reviews from critics, with many faulting what they call an uneven tone they say vacillates between campiness and the seriousness of a real-life murder case. Variety called the tone “unwieldy” in a largely negative review, stating it “teeters between ominous and light camp” and includes “overdone homoeroticism” (Both brothers said during the trial they are not gay). In a three-star review, The Independent called the series the “best and worst of Ryan Murphy,” who is known for hit television series like “American Crime Story” and “American Horror Story,” stating whether his efforts are “interrogative or just flat-out exploitative can be pretty hit and miss,” opining that “Monsters” lands somewhere in the middle. The Hollywood Reporter said the series comes close to “cheapening either two brutal deaths or a decade of molestation, all in the name of rehashing a case that has been amply rehashed over the years.”

Key Background

Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 for shooting and killing their parents in 1989, when they were 21 and 18 years old, respectively. The brothers faced two trials—the first in 1993, when they were tried separately, which ended in two hung juries, and a second that began in 1995, when they were tried together and convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder. The brothers argued the killings were self-defense, alleging they had endured years of sexual and physical abuse by their father. Prosecutors argued the brothers had killed their parents to inherit their wealth, citing large purchases they made after the killings, like a Rolex and a Porsche Carrera. The first trial, which was televised, attracted significant media attention, and the trial also went viral on TikTok in 2021, with many Gen Z users advocating for their release, The New York Times reported.

Where Are The Menendez Brothers Now?

Both brothers are incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, serving life without the possibility of parole. Lawyers representing the brothers filed a petition to the Los Angeles County Superior Court last year, seeking a new hearing citing recently discovered evidence—a letter the attorneys say was written by Erik eight months before the murders, discussing his father’s alleged sexual abuse.

Tangent

Murphy’s predecessor series, “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” also attracted controversies, with the families of Dahmer’s victims slamming it for opening old wounds. “This is not just a story or historical fact, these are real people’s lives,” Eric Perry, a relative of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey, told the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t need to watch it, I lived it,” Lindsey’s sister Rita Isbell wrote in a piece for Insider, slamming Netflix for not asking the families of Dahmer’s victims “if we mind or how we felt about making it.” The series garnered mixed reviews, earning a 57% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the controversies, the series received 13 nominations at the postponed 75th Emmy Awards held in January 2024, winning one for Niecy Nash’s supporting role.